Blog

Today is Groundhog’s Day! Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter! We recommend these winter warmers and comfort foods to stay cozy this season:

Clara Silverstein’s shoot occurred during the typical New England freeze in early January. Clara’s cheery, plant-filled house and this healthy, hearty soup were just the remedy for our winter blues! This soup is made with chicken broth, but can be made vegan with the substitution of veggie stock.

Clara Silverstein keeps things warm and healthy with her Sweet Potato, Chickpea & Cumin Soup

Chef Marjorie Druker, of the New England Soup Factory, told a story during filming about attending a Greek Orthodox church dinner as a child, and reminisced the massive feast of delicious food. This is her deconstructed soup twist on the Greek Spanikopita that she garnished with crispy phyllo triangles. She also made another fantastic zesty chicken soup, The Spicy Chicken & Rice Flu Chaser Soup, that we highly recommend.

Chef Marjorie Druker's Spinach, Feta & Pine Nut Soup is sure to keep you warm

Bea Viera is the ultimate Portuguese home cook. Some of her other fantastic comfort recipes include the Twice Baked Potatoes and her classic Clam Chowder. MMMmmmmmmmm!

Bea's Kale Soup (Caldo Couves)

A wintery favorite, compliments of the Herb Lyceum. This squash soup uses winter squash, parsnips, carrots and onions for a delicious taste and beautiful color. The Calabaza Squash Soup by Chef Jose Duarte has a similarly beautiful golden glow and is equally popular with your guests.

Red Kuri Squash Soup w/ Cranberry Compote from Chef Paul Callahan

Cheesy. Potatoes. Enough said. Ryan Weaver had us rolling on the floor with the stories of a childhood in Utah. As Ryan states, trying to be fancy with this recipe is not true to the heart- you must use neon-yellow cheese and an industrial box of corn flakes.

Ryan Rose Weaver is keeping it comfy with this cheesy, delicious Funeral Potato recipe

Nothing says comfort food better than the classic cheesy mac. We have several awesome recipes for the craving in all of us, including Chef Greg Budgell’s Blue Plate’s Mac & Cheese, Lobster Mac & Cheese by Kate Krukowski Gooding, and Chef Alina Eisenhauer’s Baked Cheese Fondue.

Keep the cheese coming with Brent Mimeault's Mac & Cheese

So the upside for six more weeks of winter? Six more weeks of fantastic, cozy, heart-warming foods.

Denise Baron of Burtons Grill does a FAB Oysters Rockefeller- easy aphrodisiac for your Valentine’s Day sweetheart-

coming soon!   Use the Rockefeller topping to mound on broiled fish or spread on grilled sandwiches

Producer Kelsey takes notes with Chef Denise Baron

Chef Denise Baron and her dish

Oysters Rockefeller Video Coming Soon!

Oysters Rockefeller, courtesy of Chef Denise Baron

Excited for this video? Brush up on your shucking techniques!

Robert Sisca of Bistro du Midi did an informative fish education shoot: how to purchase fresh fish, fish cooking techniques, then demonstrated Bistro du Midi’s popular Pan-Roasted Halibut, Chickpeas & Chorizo!

Kelsey and Andrew on the set with Robert Sisca

Chef Robert Sisca models the ugliest fish ever, the MonkFish

Chef Robert Sisca knows his fish!

Monkfish done RIGHT, courtesy of Chef Robert Sisca

Kelsey bonding with the Salmon

Steamed Salmon by Chef Robert Sisca

Prepare for the big showdown between the Colts and the Saints on February 7th with these great crowd-pleasing, game-day foods!

Video coming soon!

Bakers' Best Baked Buffalo Chicken Brochettes

Video coming soon!

Sweet & Spicy Chipotle Chicken Wings from Grafton Street

Click here to view this video:

Bonfire's Chili with Blue Cheese Hash Browns by Chef Bobby Bean

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Spicy Shrimp Guacamole by Sherron Huffman

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Red Bean & Chipotle Dip by Sally Sampson

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Skillet Fried Chicken from Chef Rembs Layman

Video coming soon!

OMG Brownies with Michael Bissanti

Phyllis Kaplowitz at Bakers’ Best Catering makes Baked Buffalo Chicken Brochettes with Sour Apple-Red Pepper Jelly, and proves that it IS possible to make a HEALTHY game-day classic that is just as tasty as its fried cousin!

Connor on the set, filming at Bakers' Best

Jason sets up the scene as Kelsey readies the clapper

Phyllis Kaplowitz of Bakers' Best shows off her dish

The Buffalo Chicken Brochettes can be gluten-free if you choose a gluten-free corn flake cereal for the coating! Phyllis uses chickpea flour in place of wheat flour.

What a year it has been! We have been in and out of hundreds of kitchens filming many talented people who shared the recipes and cooking techniques they hold near and dear to their hearts. We have learned something from each and every shoot and when we sat down to come up with our “Best of 2009″ lists, it was really a struggle to narrow things down. The Most Popular list was easy because it was based on actual video views. Can’t argue with that. But when it came down to picking Favorite Hero, Favorite Recipe and some of our other creative categories, we had a tough time. After serious deliberation, we have come up with the lists below. We hope you enjoy them and please feel free to post comments here on your own personal favorites. We hope you have enjoyed the how-to videos we have created this year and have learned as much as we have. We look forward to bringing you more of the same original, great quality how-tos next year. Happy New Year!!

Top 10 MOST POPULAR VIDEOS of 2009

1. World’s Best Apple Pie:  Bea Viera
2. Crispy Chewy Pizza Dough: Chris Parachini, Roberta’s Pizza
3. Smoked Sweet Pork Ribs: Mark Patuto
4. Barbecue Smoker Basics: Mark Patuto
5. Country Style Potato Salad:  Marjorie Druker, New England Soup Factory
6. Sugar Cookies: Denise Drower Swidey, Cook To Order
7. Mac & Cheese: Brent Mimeault
8. Apple Crisp:  Sarah Bacon
9. Royal Icing Tips & Tricks:  Denise Drower Swidey, Cook To Order
10. High Heat Roast Turkey: Diane Richmond

RECIPES YOU THOUGHT WOULD BE HARD TO MAKE BUT ONCE YOU WATCHED THE VIDEOS, DISCOVERED WERE EASY

• Cured Duck Breast:  Tony Maws, Craigie on Main
• Parmesan Palmiers:  Denise Drower Swidey
• Mini Cheesecakes:  Jean Gray
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries:  Maria Stathoulis
• Brisket:  Louisa Kasdon
• Duck Confit Sugo:  Jeff Potter (coming soon!)
• Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake:  Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour

GO-TO DISHES WE MAKE OVER AND OVER AGAIN

• Chicken Pot Pie:  Brian Stone, Alice’s Last Stop
• St~Germain Cocktail: Rob Cooper, Founder of St~Germain
• Mac & Cheese:  Brent Mimeault
• Whoopie Pies:  Eunice Feller, Bread & Chocolate
• Spinach, Salami, Provolone Calzones: Sarah Bacon
• Ginger Cranberry Sauce:  Susan Zubatkin
• Sugar Cookies, Denise Drower Swidey, Cook To Order
• World’s Best Apple Pie:  Bea Viera
• Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits: Evan Percoco, BOKX 109 American Prime
• Carrot Cake: Clare Garland, Ashmont Grill

BEST FARM FIELD TRIPS

• Shy Brothers Cheese Farm
• Island Creek Oysters Farm
• Raising Turkeys

MOST EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

• Breaking Down a Chicken: William Kovel
• Classic Roast Chicken: Jim Swasey, Chef/Instructor, Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
• How to Clean Squid: Simone Nakhoul, Stork Club
• How to Shell & Clean Conch:  Simone Nakhoul, Stork Club
• What is Quinoa?:  Richard Vallente, Legal Sea Foods
• The Art of Making Maple Syrup: Tia Pinney, Mass. Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
• Trimming an Artichoke: Jody Adams, Rialto
• Basic Knife Skills: Adam Simha, MKS Design
• All About Gluten-Free Flours: Linsey Herman, Cake and Commerce
• Latin Grilled Mahi Mahi  & Avocado w/ Pineapple Salsa:  Chris Schlesinger, East Coast Grill

MOST CREATIVE RECIPES

Savory:  Braised Sunflowers w/ Herbed Ricotta, Chuck Draghi, Erbaluce
Sweet:  Coconut-Chocolate Sushi, Cedric Beguin, Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa

MOST DELICIOUS DISHES (the hardest category ever!)

Conor’s Picks
Sweet:  Sticky Buns, Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery
Savory:  Roasted Chicken w/ Schupfnudeln & Maple Cider Reduction, Martin Brock of Gary Denko

Jason’s Picks
Sweet: Margarita Cupcakes, Alina Eisenhauer, Sweet, Worcester
Savory:  Braised Short Ribs, Evan Percoco, BOKX 109 American Prime

Donna’s Picks
Sweet:  Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake, Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour
Savory:  Skillet Fried Chicken, Rembs Layman, Tupelo

Lynne’s Picks
Sweet:  Sticky Toffee Pudding from Sarah Woodfine, Le Patissier at Troquet Restaurant
Savory:  Habanero Flank Steak Chili, Marjorie Druker, New England Soup Factory

Jessie’s Picks
Sweet:  Guinness Cupcakes, Blair Pendergast, Well Hello There Cupcake blog
Savory:  Chicken Pot Pie, Brian Stone, Alice’s Last Stop

Eleni’s Picks
Sweet:  Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake, Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour
Savory:  La Caja China Roast Pig, Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar

Andrew’s Picks
Sweet:  Sticky Buns, Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery
Savory:  Baked Stuffed Lobster, Martha Chadwick

UNSUNG HERO
Brian Stone, Alice’s Last Stop

Chef Brian Stone is putting his Johnson & Wales culinary degree to great use by wowing diners at his diner-esque spot in sleepy Dighton, MA, which he recently expanded to accommodate his growing fan base. His comfort food wonders like “Make Your Morning” Muffins and Chicken Pot Pie have us wishing we lived a little closer to Dighton.

FAVORITE SHOOTS

Conor’s Pick: “All shoots with Linsey Herman from Cake and Commerce. Linsey is always a breeze to work with, relaxed, funny, organized. She has become our gluten-free guru and celiacs around the world thank her.”

Jason’s Pick: Raising Turkeys. ”It’s not every day that you get as great an appreciation for where your food comes from as I did the day we shot with Walter Gowey and his turkeys. As we captured these strikingly ugly birds on camera, so ugly they are beautiful, I hoped that every turkey farmer across the country had as great a relationship with their birds as Walter had with his. I imagined the turkey on my table that Thanksgiving had frolicked in the sun weeks earlier the way that Walter’s birds had that day.”

Lynne’s Pick: “King Arthur Flour shoots in Vermont with Susan Reid in her test kitchen. Including everyone’s favorite Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake (the name alone does not do it justice) as well as Grilled Asiago Rounds, Whole Grain Brownies and helpful tips like Pulling a Window Pane. As Andrew would say, her videos are ‘Epic!’”

Andrew’s Pick: The Art of Making Maple Syrup. “I loved this shoot because I absolutely love maple syrup. I put it on anything! I also really enjoy understanding the process of how to make maple syrup and this video shows me how I could make it at home as well.”

FAVORITE HEROES

Everyone we’ve met has been absolutely wonderful and we love you all. But there are a few we thought went above and beyond the call of duty and really shined this year. They include:

Bea Viera – our Queen Bea and Lynne’s Mom who continues to share her simple, successful and absolutely delicious recipes she has mastered over her 79 years on the planet. There are 14 videos of hers on the site, including the #1 video of all time, World’s Best Apple Pie (it is!). We hope to see many more! Thank you, Bea.

Jody Adams, Rialto – Jody is a joy to work with and watch. Very calm and zen in her cooking style and she always invites us to the table to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Her Polenta w/ Spicy Baked Eggs is magical.

Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour – Susan is a salt of the earth baker who doesn’t take herself too seriously but who is a seriously incredible baker. Every word she utters is a new lesson for us and everything she makes is a new adventure in baking that we know will be a huge hit on the site. We all adore her Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake which Eleni has made several times.

Alina Eisenhauer, Sweet, Worcester – Alina is always ready to go when we walk in the door. She has a commanding presence on camera and always delivers an A+ effort when the camera rolls. Her recipes are always right on and the flavors make your eyes roll back in your head. She is also a big promoter of her videos and how2heroes which we appreciate. Check out a few of her mouth-watering videos: Baked Cheese Fondue (drool), Margarita Cupcakes & the very popular Bread Pudding.

Rebecca Newell, Beehive – Rebecca is a laid-back chef who delivers some of the most incredible comfort food we’ve ever had, from Maple Bread Pudding (one of the best bread puddings ever) to Steak Frites.

The Pallotta Sisters, Nebo – This sister duo is always a pleasure to work with.  They greet us with a smile, offer wine before water, and always share great stories and laughter in the videos. Oh, and did we mention their food is insanely delicious? Try these recipes as soon as you can: Gluten-Free Eggplant Timballo, Zucchini Lasagna and Pizza Gana.

Eunice Feller, Bread & Chocolate – Eunice may own a bakery but she has mastered both sweet and savory delights from her Chocolate-Raspberry Cupcakes to her Grilled Corn Succotash w/ Edamame. We love how she always says how nervous she is but then she’s a dream on camera. Nothing to be nervous about, Eunice!

Evan Percoco, BOKX 109 American Prime – When Evan does a video, we all want to run home and recreate what he’s made immediately. Braised Short Ribs, Grilled Shrimp Gremolata…see our point? Evan also gets huge bonus points for enduring the pouring rain and first snow of the season while serving incredible Brisket Sliders on Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits at our Hoedown this year.

Brian Poe, Poe’s Kitchen at The Rattlesnake – Chef Poe is as good natured as they come. Always a pleasure to work with and with crowd favorite recipes like Citrus & Serrano Beer Can Chicken and Acorn Squash, Date & Jalapeno Salsa, you can’t go wrong. Brian also wins bonus points for enduring the elements at our Hoedown while serving up delicious Wild Boar Tacos.

Linsey Herman, Cake and Commerce. Linsey is doing amazing things with gluten-free creations and it’s always fun to find out what she’s got up her sleeve next. She’s also a joy to work with and is welcoming and super friendly to the crew. A few favorites: Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten-Free Whoopie Pies, Gluten-Free Apple Pie.

HERO OF THE YEAR:  MARJORIE DRUKER. Marjorie’s passion, kindness, talent and consistently wonderful foolproof recipes and videos makes her a clear candidate for this year’s winner. She also has been one of our biggest fans and does everything she can to help spread the word about her videos and how2heroes love. We invite Marjorie to a dinner at Lynne’s house on a date in 2010 that is convenient for her. Congratulations, Marjorie. And thank you for being you!

THANKS TO ALL THE HEROES WHO HAVE SHARED THEIR TIME, ENERGY, KITCHENS, INGREDIENTS, HUMOR, HAPPY MISTAKES AND EXPERTISE WITH HOW2HEROES. CHEERS TO YOU ALL!

Congratulations to the winners of the how2heroes Baking Sweepstakes!

Sharon Cramer of Conemaugh, PA was the grand prize winner and will be receiving a how2heroes apron, a variety of baking pans, cookie cutters, and kitchen gadgets from KitchenArts; baking flour and a copy of the King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion Cookbook, a variety of nuts and dried fruit from Superior Nut Company; and a subscription to Yankee Magazine.

2 additional winners won the second prize package. Timothy Younger of Bala Cynwyd, PA  and Matthew Meisenhelder of Wilson, NC  will be receiving a how2heroes apron, a variety of baking pans, cookie cutters, and kitchen gadgets from KitchenArts; baking flour from King Arthur Flour; a variety of nuts and dried fruit from Superior Nut Company; and a subscription to Yankee Magazine.

Thanks to all who entered and please keep your eyes peeled for our next sweepstakes to be announced soon!

We recently took a food field trip to one of America’s great food cities: Portland, Oregon. Portland is a young city where everyone I met except one person is from somewhere else but no one plans on leaving anytime soon. With the great restaurants and breweries, close access to the mountains and wine country, and an overall friendly, laid back lifestyle, who can blame them? While there was a constant drizzle almost the entire time I was there, nobody seems to notice or care. Take out an umbrella and you may as well have “Tourist!” stamped on your forehead. It’s just not done. And why call attention to yourself? Okay. Hoodie it is.

Commitment to using local ingredients and practicing sustainability practices is big in Portland (as it should be everywhere). But what REALLY sets Portland apart is the unbelievable Food Cart culture. There are over 400(!) food carts throughout Portland. And these are not your run-of-the-mill fast food carts. Savvy young chefs, cooks and entrepreneurs are turning out amazing food in their little cramped carts all over the city. And they’re all very well aware that word of mouth is the best way to build their customer base. When they’re not cooking or waiting on customers, they’re busy tweeting about their specials and collecting fans on Facebook.

Food carts at Hawthorne & 12th are open late night as is one of our featured heroes, The Grilled Cheese Grill (watch Matt make a mean Jalapeno Grilled Cheese). While most carts don’t have seating, Matt’s idea to purchase a Partridge family-style bus, have a local artist paint a mural on the ceiling and turn the bus into a dining car is pure genius.

The carts downtown are plentiful and cater to the business crowd. Hero Nancy Ettinger from Savor Soup is in this neighborhood and ladles out soul-satisfying soups for all like the Potato Leek Soup we filmed.

Mississippi Ave is open every day except Monday and that’s where our friend Kir from The Sugar Cube hangs in her adorable pink cart and bakes up treats like Mom used to make. She shared her spicy, crunchy Gingersnap Cookies recipe with us which I think you’ll all love. There aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the year to try all the food carts but it certainly inspires me to try some more next time I’m in town.

The restaurant scene in Portland is pretty incredible. The way Portland is laid out, it feels more like a bunch of hip neighborhoods instead of one big city. And that’s what makes it fun. Each has its own amazing restaurants, independent boutiques and coffee shops everywhere (I think it’s the rainy weather that creates a big need for coffee!). We hit the SE and the NE of Portland for 2 outstanding shoots at restaurants that really know how to make people happy: Screen Door and Toro Bravo.

Screen Door is owned by New Orleans natives David and Nicole Mouton. Chef Widmayer is originally from Ohio but has mastered Southern cooking. All you have to do is watch his Creamy Grits or Grits & Grillades videos and you will see that he is in his element. Customers wait (again, in the rain) upwards of 2 hours for the chance to sit down and bite into his friend chicken, crispy praline bacon or any of a number of above-and-beyond brunch items on their menu. And above all, he’s a super nice guy. We like to see good people being rewarded for their incredibly hard work.

Chef John Gorham’s restaurant, Toro, Bravo has received virtually every award including “Restaurant of the Year” from Willamette Week and “Chef of the Year” from Portland Monthly Magazine. They even received an award for “Waitress of the Year” from Portland Monthly Magazine. Now that’s full service. Chef John combines his love of Spanish tapas with his commitment to local ingredients. You’ll see in his Bacon-Wrapped Dates w/ Warm Paprika Honey video that he gives a shout-out to a local honey maker, Hood River. He also told us off-camera where we could find local duck eggs for his Spanish comfort dish, Basque Piperade with Duck Eggs. Toro Bravo also usually warrants a wait for a table but it’s absolutely well worth it. They smoke their own bacon and meats which in my book is enough. But try these 2 dishes he created for us on video and you will be booking a ticket to Portland.

Just as much excitement seems to be going on in the kitchens of Portland homes as in the restaurants and food carts. And some dream kitchens these folks have. Nice and open and perfect for entertaining while cooking. We visited with Nike exec by day, Brian Fairben, who welcomed us into his wonderful kitchen with stellar views of Mount Hood. Originally from Long Island, Brian not only shared his Fairben family Shrimp Scampi with us but he also bought his Alaskan shrimp fresh from Seattle just for the occasion. Now that’s hospitality.

Across town, Jason Callough, former chef turned IT professional at HP, had us over to his kitchen he designed himself (beautiful!) and shared his recipe for Brussels Sprouts w/ Roasted Chestnuts & Caramelized Shallots. He has a great way of taking his professional expertise and showing how you can put some of those techniques to practice at home. This is a side dish that just may trump the entree.

After all the gratifying shoots we tackled, there were 2 things we wanted to take in while in Portland. 1 – Voodoo Donuts. Basically, a punk rock donut shop unlike anything you’ll probably ever experience. My Portland friend and field producer Carla Arriaga was up to the challenge of helping me sample the crazy array of donuts they create. When it comes down to it, the maple-glazed bacon donut will change your life. Long & rectangular to accommodate a whole strip of bacon, there’s nothing quite like it. I thought at the time, “I could die right now eating this thing but I just might be okay with that.”

The second thing that was a must on the list was a visit to Willamette Valley where stellar Pinot Noirs are produced. A short 1-hour trip from Portland and we were standing in wide open vineyards taking in beautiful scenery, breathing in fresh air and sipping lovely wines. We visited 4 wineries and it was a fantastic wine education experience because it was focused. Just 2006 and 2007 Pinots. What I learned is that I enjoy the 2006s better as they are a bit more robust. Apparently 2006 was a warmer year and made what, to me, was a more full-bodied wine than your typical Pinot. The vineyards we visited were: Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, Archery Summit and a nice family winery, De Ponte Cellars. My hands-down favorite wine was the Domaine Serene “Evenstad Reserve” 2005. I’m not an expert on wine copy so I will quote The Wall Street Journal’s description of this wine: “Big, gutsy Pinot, with black pepper, earth and body to spare. Serious wine, made with integrity.” Right. What he said. All I know is that it was damn good!

On the way back to Portland, we spotted a walnut and hazelnut stand. Coming from the East Coast, this was a special treat so I made Carla pull across a busy highway so we could sample and purchase some fresh nuts. The woman who ran the stand was incredibly friendly and patient as we mulled over the options. I got as much as I knew I could stuff in my suitcase to bring back for holiday baking and to share with mom. You can’t forget mom when you take a trip, right?

I would like to thank all the heroes in Portland who were so kind and accommodating to us on our whirlwind tour. In particular I would like to thank our Art Director turned Producer for the week, Carla Arriaga, who did an absolute stellar job lining up all the shoots, introducing me to great Portland people, schlepping me around everywhere and humoring me with a donut binge. Portland is probably the friendliest city I’ve ever been to and I recommend everyone pay those great people a visit.

Cheers from Boston, Lynne

How we often end up choosing what videos to shoot is by asking ourselves what we’d like to know. The History of Thanksgiving was one of those videos. We are based in Massachusetts and all of us had a feeling that turkey was not at the first Thanksgiving. But what did the first settlers in the new world eat? We thought perhaps a lot of seafood – clams, quahogs, oysters, lobster. It’s not exactly clear but it appears that venison was the entree of choice. I wouldn’t mind that either frankly. So when did the turkey-centered Thanksgiving we now celebrate come about? Well I don’t want to steel our hero’s thunder so I’ll let you watch Kathleen Wall, Colonial Foodways Culinarian at Plimoth Plantation, share her knowledge with you. Watch this fascinating video.

Another thing we were pretty curious about were the turkeys themselves. We only see them in shrinkwrap a the supermarket. We wanted to know more. How are they raised? What do they really look like close up and running around? So once gain, we found a hero who could enlighten us. The most interesting we learned involved herding. Enjoy this scenic Turkey Farm video with Walter Gowey.

As I’m sure you do, we all love this holiday and all the wonderful possibilities that can be part of your Thanksgiving spread. We hope that you enjoy all the Thanksgiving how-to videos and recipes that we have created to help inspire you. If you haven’t had a look yet, please visit our Thanksgiving section for recipes that cover the perfect turkey, a variety of stuffings, sides, desserts and of course a plenthora of pies and some terrific ideas for your leftovers.

Best wishes to you and your families and let us know what you’d like to see on the site for the holidays! Cheers.

Following is a guest article from Louisa Kasdon, Food Editor of STUFF magazine and how2heroes board member. Louisa recently organized a screening of Food, Inc. along with a panel discussion featuring Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farms who is featured in the film. The video here features highlights of the panel discussion.

Last Spring, I went to a press screening of the documentary Food Inc. “Wow”, I thought, “This is going to be huge”. A tipping point for the food safety and responsibility discussion. I invited everyone I knew (admittedly, I don’t know that many people), to a preview for the movie. And then, like an old beech that quietly dies in the backyard, there was dead silence. Little conversation, few viewers for this very provocative, and excellent movie.

Get the Flash Player to see this player. I was stunned. I started on my own little campaign to get people talking about this movie. Called the director, Robby Kenner, spoke to the distributor, met with others like chef Jody Adams who had seen the movie and been equally riled up, trying to arrange a time and venue for a screen to get people who work in the food business to join in the conversation.

Thanks to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and the Museum of Science (MOS) that moment came the last day of September. The movie was screened to a full house with a waiting list for tickets, rarities at the MOS for an adult event on a weekday afternoon. And the audience was full of chefs, food service workers, community people, mothers, scientists, concerned physicians, restaurant owners, and serious corporate professionals who are responsible for the link between health and work.

After the screening, the lights came up and the audience remained in place, as an invited panel discussed the movie and its call to action. I was honored to be the moderator, along with panelists Gary Hirshberg, the Chairman and CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farms (a central character in the documentary), chef-owner Jody Adams of Rialto, Jessie Banhazl from Green City Growers (producer of backyard farms in Boston and Metro West Boston), and Judith Frampton, an RN and VP for Medical Management for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. The conversation could have continued for hours, or until all the dinosaurs in the museum began to come alive and look for dinner. School lunch. Urban gardens. Who is the secretary of Agriculture? Backyard chickens and organic cows. All this and more. A tip of the iceberg lettuce.

We all understood that this was a first step, a first community discussion in Boston of the issues surrounding the industrialization of our food.

Good news. This is not the end. MOS and Harvard Pilgrim plan to come together twice more this fall to discuss food issues in a community setting. Two dates are on the calendar – November 12 and November 19, both a 7 PM. TO register, visit www.mos.org/forum. And get a copy of Food Inc. when it comes out on DVD in November. Invite your friends over to watch but remember:

Food Inc. is not a fairy tale with a nice neat ending. It is a deeply provocative film that invites free-ranging discussion. Where do we get our food? What do we choose to eat? Is organic sustainable? Is industrial food all bad? What is the appropriate role for personal responsibility? For government responsibility? And at the end, how much change is both sustainable and scale-able? Our hope is that the movie today will provoke thought and action, and possibly set a path to personal action. But it all begins with questions…. and very few pat answers.”