Anna Lappe and the Science Barge

Our last day in New York City and two of our most anticipated stops remained. We headed out to Brooklyn to visit the residence of Ms. Anna Lappe', co-founder of the Small Planet Fund as well as a best-selling author. Anna had asked for her questions in advance, so I knew she was going to bring the thunder in her responses - and did she. Gracious as can be when she welcomed us, she started out the interview by serving us fresh carrot juice in her delightful abode. Bright and lively, both she and her home were a perfect start to the day.

Anna and her mother have traveled around the world documenting the plight of rural, local farmers and her passion and experience came across from the moment we met. Providing us with scientific facts and research she has studied as well as conducted herself, she provided us with the exact info we were needing. While we think this project is most certainly about what "everyman" is doing to live more sustainably, it is when you get people, such as Anna, living and breathing the local, sustainable, organic food movement that give you the insight as to why this mission is so very important. Thank you for a glorious interview and visit - best to you in all you do!

Scott and I headed back to the west side for a visit to the Science Barge - a creation of NY York Sun Works. The barge is a floating educational center, growing food within its greenhouse without so much as one step of a carbon footprint. They use solar panels and windmills for their energy, rain for the water and even have tilapia in a tank creating plenty of fertilizer from its waste. Sarah Hanna, the educational coordinator there, took us on a tour of the behemoth vines of tomatoes and cucumbers that were hidden within the glass structure.

Everything, including the strawberries and basil are all grown organically and hydroponically - which we learned can grow plants much faster than traditional soils! The barge serves to educate the public of New York about what can be done, without any waste, to create more green spaces in the city. With so many rooftops unused (except by our bee friends), Sarah estimated that if all of the rooftops were utilized with gardens, it would create enough food to feed all of New York. It would also help cut down on the heat in the city. The barge travels up and down the west side aiming to educate as many people as possible. It was amazing to see what can be done with zero-waste. The strawberries and tomatoes were DELISH too!!

* Anna'a photo is from treehugger.com

Learn it, Grow it, Eat it and NYC Rooftop Bees!

David Sapphire runs a great program out of the South Bronx called Learn it, Grow it, Eat it. It brings in local teenagers and teaches them about growing their own veggies while also adding the component of bringing it in to a neighborhood who needs the fresh goodies very badly. 5 train and a bus ride later, we grabbed our bags and embarked our on next adventure. It seemed we are around many closed businesses and a lot of apartment buildings, however - in front of us is a pristine, gated garden with a huge bounty. David greeted us and showed us through their setup.

Similar to the East New York Farms, except placed right amongst the buildings. It's amazing they have so much growing with such limited sunlight. The kids started to show around 10a and we headed up to the intersection where they sell their goods. Granted much of it is from farms outside of the city - they help out local farmers by selling it in the Bronx for them - but they also have little baskets of veggies they picked right from their garden as well. At first it was very slow. There was a bus stop right in front of the stand, but people would just come check it out and walk on. Then David brought out the magic - the NYC Council on the Environment supplies $2 vouchers that are handed out to people around the area to bring them over and entice them to get some fresh food.

Many of the kids working the market said they only ate fast food or canned vegetables before this experience. Now they barely eat any of that at all, opting for the locally grown stuff instead. This program has not only put the younger generation in touch with where their food comes from, but once they became aware of what the market had for them, the older folks started heading over too. Pretty soon the market was abuzz and people were coming from all around to see what was being sold. It was inspiring to us to see the younger generation connecting to the earth and to elders as well.

When we wrapped up in the Bronx, we headed down to the Union Square farmer's market and met another David - they abound in this film, I swear! This one, David Graves, travels down from Massachusetts 3 times a week to sell his honey at the local markets. He has created quite a name for himself as he is the one and only "NYC Rooftop Honey" guy. He keeps hives up on hotels, office buildings and brownstones, high above the city streets.

Not many people realize how important bees are to the food system and how they are very much needed to pollinate the cities many community gardens. The particular hive we traveled to was in SoHo 5 stories up on top of a personal residence. So many people think of bees as stinging little guys to be avoided, but I have learned that if you just stay out of their way, they definitely have higher priorities than coming and messing with us - they are on a mission!

David walked us through a beautiful rooftop garden and then we crossed through a door over to the flat, blacktopped part of the roof. A neat little hive sat their buzzing away. As Scott and I suspiciously moved around David as he was working, trying like hell not be stung, we then got so immersed by this awesome set up that we quickly forgot the potential hurt they could cause us. David smoked them out and began removing the pieces of wood that were collecting the honey and wax. Bees will make the honey and then when they have filled up a comb, seal it off with wax to protect it. Bees eat the honey, like we do, for energy. They really only need a small amount so it is very generous of them to share the excess with us.

David stuck his screwdriver into the wax and beautiful amber honey began to flow out. He offered us a taste and I must say, no joke, it was the best I have EVER tasted. He explained it had some Japanese flowering plant undertones and that was why it tasted the way it did. It's amazing to think that honey can have different essences depending on what kind of plant goodies it is bringing back to the hive. We also learned that when you have allergies really badly, by the most local raw honey you can find and eat a tablespoon every day. It has a little bit of all of the plants and flowers that surround you so it helps to build up your immunity to them! I even got to hold a little worker bee who stays inside of the hive always so was never given a stinger for protection! I could just hold him between by two fingers and feel him buzz away - no pain necessary! David closed up the hive and we began the trek downstairs. It gave us a whole new respect for these little guys (girls actually are the ones you see flying around) and we are truly indebted to David for that one of a kind experience!!!

East New York Farms and Laura's Rooftop Garden

After a day of traveling, discovering that our apartment was a fourth floor Hell's Kitchen walk-up and a much deserved night's rest (I could complain about carrying equipment up the flights of stairs, but since Scott and Steve lifted most of it, including my 50 lb suitcase, I have little to say) we headed down to 21st and 1st to meet Laura who, despite her diminutive figure, spends her free time hoisting heavy bags of soil and water up to her rooftop garden on a make-shift pulley system she created utilizing a very fragile ladder and hole in the ceiling of her building. She is amazing - landlord of the building (how else would she be able to get away with the hose coming out of her living room window to the greenery above), gardener extraordinaire and a full-time law student at NYU. Let her be proof that if she can find the time to garden and raise her own veggies, we all can!

She has a variety of tomatoes, squash, and strawberries and raises most of them from seeds herself. Citing her need to be in touch with the earth while living in the city, you can see how just this small change in her life has provided so much fun not to mention fodder for her friends who will come over for dinner parties and admire her green thumb!

We then set off to visit Deborah Greig, the Urban Agriculture Coordinator at East New York Farm. Take the 3 train about as far as it can go, look under the tracks and see the most magnificent urban garden you could find! While kids play loudly in the park across the street and people drive by with music blasting, Deborah runs the afternoon program with a group of interns who grow an outstanding amount of fruits and veggies for the neighborhood. They are so popular, in fact, that their market stand will be extended longer into the fall months.

They grow such a variety of produce that the neighborhood really needs and loves. With a high immigrant population, this garden is one of the only resources where they can find staples such as bitter melon - a vegetable used a lot in Bangladeshi and Caribe cooking. (Steve, eager to try something new, ate the juicy red seeds first not knowing that its the meat you eat and discard the rest - he was relieved to hear that they were safe, just not the tastiest part) The garden, Deborah and the youth interns really cater to the needs of the neighborhood, a true food desert. This puts everyone involved in touch with their food's origin and teaches about the time and energy needed to create something so bountiful.

Her Sun Gold tomatoes were some of the best I have tried (and I am quite the SG connoisseur now). I even put some in my purse to bring back to my friend in the city who had never tried these luscious little golden balls of goodness - 3 made it successfully. The other 3 are still being scraped out... Thanks Laura, Deborah and the kids at ENYF for making this a great first day in the Big (Sustainable) Apple!

Melisse Restaurant & Summer's Apt Garden

The day began by rushing to Santa Monica to get our film permit - NOT my fault! After a holiday weekend, things were a little backed up, but that mad rush to make it down there and get to Chef Josiah at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market gave us the umph to make it through our last day of filming on the west coast.

Chef Josiah is the owner and executive chef of Melisse Restaurant. This high-end popular haunt has made a name for itself not only because the food is divine (and consistent, adds the chef) but also because it has outlasted the dreaded Hollywood restaurant curse and has been around for 10 glorious years. Our visit at the market quickly showed us why. Chef Josiah Citrin heads to the market in a mini-van used just for this purpose, loaded with 3 sous chefs and a huge cart on wheels. The team arrives and looks over the clipboard for a moment and then, without a blink even necessary, they disappear into the fray to find this week's delights. Josiah explains that he likes to walk around and connect with the farmers, tasting their goods along the way, often sending one of the sous chefs back to grab something not on the list - this week: raw (to die for) peanuts. It is easy to tell why his restaurant is so hugely popular and that is because HE IS!

Virtually every step he would take would be another local, a chef or even Amelia Saltsman, author of the "Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook" stopping to talk to him. And though he had places to go and veggies to taste, he stopped and spoke with every last one of them. He and Amelia mentioned it again - community comes together over food. It just seems to unite everyone at the markets. After 3 hours perusing the fresh food, the team just as quickly loaded everything in the mini-van and took off for the restaurant.

We walk into the kitchen and the amount of chefs has exploded from the 4 at the market to what seems to be 14, running around, all set on their tasks of making the night happen. One person preps and sautes onions, another baking up some magical dessert. Chef Josiah then takes us over to a quiet side of the kitchen and shows us how simply combining a few of the fresh veggies picked out at the market in a bowl, tossing with a light vinaigrette and putting neatly on a plate is a way to get a huge color variety in one's diet, and also retains the enzymes and vitamins contained within. Granted he used very special mushrooms and literally 15 different veggies and placed them all on the plate with special kitchen tweezers, but he insists, though presentation is important, that the magic is in the veggies he selected.

Scott was to be dropped off at the airport soon after the interview, but Steve and I made a reservation to come back later that night. We were just so inspired - and REALLY hungry. Let's just say that the 7 courses we ate were so divine that we floated out of the restaurant. The service is impeccable, again, the chef comes out and speaks to every single one of his patrons and the food had the most sinful texture and flavor one could ever desire. This is a restaurant that everyone must try. It is very evident that every single detail is managed by Chef Josiah and his true talent shows through his success.

A quick In & Out burger break after being teased in the Melisse kitchen and we were off to meet Summer Bowen. She is talented in so many ways (an online store with great Green/recycled goodies http://www.btcelements.com/, a blogger, an educator and an environmentalist) but this visit was prompted by a story I had read about on the blog http://www.greenlagirl.com/. Summer teaches people who live in urban environments how to create their very own apartment gardens. While she undoubtedly cannot create all she eats on this cute, tiny and very green balcony, she accents the foods she buys elsewhere and feels it really gives every dish that special touch. She gets amazing reviews from friends she has over for meals and when they realize her green thumb has provided a portion of what they are eating, they leave both full and inspired.

I left enthused as well. Living in LA, I have great options for farmer's markets but long for a better connection to the dirt as I sit 3-stories above the earth. Summer takes wire hanging baskets and puts in a layer of coconut coir (the brown furry stuff). She then inverts a tomato plant (small tomatoes only) and pushes the little vines through the coir and covers the excess space with soil and a little cover crop. The tomato plant grows upside-down and this is a great way to get more stuff growing on your balcony. That saves the pots and boxes for lettuce, herbs and, Summer's not so favorite, kale. You don't have to toss your flowering plants aside, but make some room to try even a few lettuce seeds and you will see what can grow with little to no help!

*Summer's photo courtesy of Green LA Girl

In LA - Santa Monica Co-op & ANIMAL

Last night we ate at my friend Vinnie Dotolo and Jon Shook's new restaurant on Fairfax: ANIMAL. While I think my meal was one of the best in my life, Scott swears it was the finest to ever grace his palate - PERIOD. Great ambiance, handsome and talented chefs and a yummy, local menu. We returned today to interview Vinnie about where their food comes from and why it is so important to buy locally.

They go to the Farmer's Market in Santa Monica once or twice a week and place their orders ahead of time to insure they get the best picks. Apparently, Wednesdays at the market are a haven for chefs across LA and they try to get their orders in early to beat the crowds. All herbs, garlic and produce come right from southern California. You can taste it too! Such a fresh, aromatic meal and its succulence, I believe was derived mainly from the ingredients that were so recently harvested that they maintained all of their original flavor.

We like to ask everyone what their definition of "local" is and Vinnie's was unique to a chef's perspective - "anything from the US". It turns out that so much meat and fish comes from outside of the country that chefs are often forced to buy them from such a distance to make their clientele happy. Vinnie supports the local food movement and buys only sustainable, antibiotic-free meats as well, though they may have to come from outside California. It is amazing to get all of the different sides of the spectrum. Vin is as caring and conscientious about the food that he creates for his patrons as he is well-educated about the sources of the food he brings in his kitchen. Refreshing to meet someone so attached to the food he makes!

Later in the afternoon, we headed over to the Santa Monica Co-Opportunity. It is a local grocery store where members and regular consumers can stop by and guarantee that 97% of the products inside are organic. While their emphasis is on organic over local, being in California, there are many local farmers to choose from and they have created a huge selection because of that. Labeling many of the fruits and veggies with stories about the farmers and the farms from which the produce came, the Co-op allows the consumer to be very connected to the food they buy. Unlike a farmer's market, the Co-op is open all hours of the day, 7 days a week. Bruce, the general manager started out there over 20 years ago as a regular shift worker. It's easy to see why he became to so dedicated to a store that dedicates itself to feeding the community fresh, local, organic goodness!

Chez Panisse and Fast Food Nation

What a day!

We interviewed two of the top people in the slow food movement - Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame and bestselling author of "Fast Food Nation", Eric Schlosser. Of course all this happens on the same day we are set to fly to Los Angeles, but what is a day without a little pressure?!

We met Eric at Fort Mason and listened as he spoke about his quest for information when researching "Fast Food Nation". He loved fast food, ate it often. It was only when he wrote a small article for Rolling Stone that he began learning more about its backwards environment - low wages, machines doing the work humans could do, supporting huge agribusinesses and most importantly, single handedly supporting the ill-protected slaughterhouse workers who literally work in 3rd world conditions to get us our $.59 burger that tastes the same every time. He was so moved, the small article turned into a bestselling book. Eric is an absolute wealth of knowledge and deserves all accolades he receives. He is gracious, HUGELY well-informed and very patient as I approached him no less than 6 times to schedule our meeting. I told him that I was beginning to feel like a buzzard surrounding my prey.

NOTE - not all fast food is horrible, there is one option left - In and Out Burger is the only sustainable fast food restaurant out there. Eric says it's the only place he will eat after writing the book. They are family owned, support smaller farms, pay their workers fair wages and after a crew taste-test on Wednesday, are definitely the best burger and fries out there!

Immediately after that great interview, we found the only side of the pier not decorated by the countless seagulls and put together a fancy little interview station for Alice Waters. This was a moment we had been waiting for. We had eaten at her restaurant in Berkeley a few days prior and it was so flavorful and literally melt in your mouth - halibut with heirloom tomatoes, shoestring potatoes and green beans with pluots and sweet mini grapes for dessert, all grown locally - that we were waiting to meet the goddess that created this meal which gave us the sustenance to carry on the rest of the time only on bags of nuts (read post below).

Alice is surprisingly calm given the fact that her handlers are moving her from venue to venue on a 15-minute basis. She is one of the founders of Slow Food USA and a proponent of bringing Edible Education into our nation's school system. She is hugely protective of children's rights to know what they are eating and to become better informed at a young age of the importance of food. She emphasizes the natural tastes in foods and bringing back a sense of community and fun to growing and preparing one's own food. Truly the magic behind the movement, we were absolutely honored for her to take the time to talk with us. And just as quickly as she came in, she was off - next thing I knew, she was onstage doing a cooking show. Red Bull may give you wings, but fresh, local produce makes you unstoppable like a freight-train. Thanks Alice!!

Slow Food Nation Panels Abound

We have just spent all day yesterday and today sitting in on some of the most inspiring panels at Slow Food Nation. Layla and Naomi at SFN have made it so easy for us to check out all the conference has to offer. We are so overwhelmed by the amazing panelists that we are finding it hard to leave the theatre (except to grab a few cookies in the press room every now and then - may not be from local sources, but considering we have been living off of small bags of nuts for the past 48 hours, they are a welcome change).

Wendell Berry spoke about the importance of establishing a connection with our neighbors again. That we have become so isolated there really is a lack of helping and sharing with one another that we need to bring back. That really struck a cord with the crew as we have been impressed upon so greatly by the community discovered in our shooting this film. The connection people develop with one another when it comes to sharing experiences, recipes, and harvests has made an indelible effect on us. Berry spoke about the importance of rekindling connections to make an impact on our lives in this often disconnected world and that food is a great starting point.

Carlo Petrini, founder of the slow foods movement and Slow Food International, spoke about what he thinks could make the largest change in how we consume - start consuming just a little less every day. We buy so much and use/waste so much that is not needed. His suggestion to people is to quit hording so much stuff in our fridges and freezers and, instead, live and eat on a smaller scale. He spoke about all of the wonders we would find if we dove deeply into our freezers and made a gigantic meal for ourselves, our families and our neighbors with all of the food we gathered from months past. It's much like our little American time capsule, our fridges and freezers.

We also learned that the average meal has traveled over 15,000 miles just to make it to our plates. YIKES! We needed a visit to Lombard Street and Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf to squelch all of the racing thoughts acquired from today's and yesterday's brain overload!

Arrived at Slow Food Nation

After arriving last night at Janie's comfortable cottage in Berkeley, we immediately began the plan of attack to get as much quality footage as possible in such little time. We are to be in San Francisco for a total of 4 nights and have a lot ahead of us. Today we visited the backyard of David Morris, owner of the Bread Garden Bakery, in Berkeley. He has a great chicken coup in his backyard. His main reason for having them is to eat all of his excess food waste from the bakery but then found that their manure has become a great addition to his glorious veggie and fruit garden. It was amazing to be in a very nice neighborhood with houses right next to one another and see how quiet and clean chickens can be. We are all inspired and our respective families might be surprised to find that one day when they walk out back that each of us has found the spare time to construct our own homemade coup. Fresh eggs, great fertilizer and 4 or 5 years down the road - great soup! Crazy fact I learned - did you know that baby chicks are actually sent to hatcheries and people via the Postal Service! Never complain about flying coach again!

After the chickens and a quick visit to David's bakery, we headed to TCHO, a chocolate factory located on Pier 17 in San Fran. John and Timothy taught us all about the importance of eating chocolate that is derived organically and from sustainable sources. This way the natives harvesting the cacao are paid fair wages for their work and the big US companies even come in and teach them cleaner and better harvesting techniques. I love me some Hershey bar, but now I will think twice!

The end of the day found us on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall for the signing of the Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture. There stood the real heroes of the slow food and sustainable movement, unified in standing up for our country's right to good, clean, fair food. It was a great start to the, sure to be inspiring, weekend. To sign the Declaration and read more about its purpose visit http://fooddeclaration.org/

Stone Soup Community Kitchen

Every now and then you find out an organization exists that takes the sentiment of a community and puts it into action. We have spoken to so many people who believe in the local food movement and are taking baby steps to spread the word, but Karyn Moskowitz and SteVon Edwards at the Community Farm Alliance (CFA) have worked with Rae Stroebel to develop the Stone Soup Community Kitchen which brings people of all races and economic backgrounds into one of Louisville's urban community buildings to learn to make all types of dishes with fresh, local food.

Beef from Barr Farms, chicken from Earth's promise and loads of veggies donated by St. Matthews Farmer's Market determined the recipes, but the hands of 50+ people made the true magic happen. The CFA educated the attendees on how they can use food stamps and WIC vouchers for good food instead of boxed, preservative-laced food from the grocery store.

Everyone becomes super enthused and kids get in on the action as they learn how easy it is to cook a homemade meal that is low-fat and tasty in just a short time. There was gazpacho, fajitas, a Greek barley dish, fresh melons, stuffed peppers with meatloaf and green beans. There was so much food donated that everyone got to take a little something home with them. CFA, the farmers and the community help make this monthly event happen!

Earth's Promise

A short distance from Louisville, KY sits Shelbyville - the home of Claudia Sanders' Restaurant, serving the KFC secret recipe friend chicken...

A few miles down the road from that tasty and genetically modified meal is Earth's Promise Farm. Sandy and Jason gave us a tour of their grounds today. They have free range chicken all over the place - literally! In one area the hens lay their succulent eggs high in beta carotene and omega-3s. There may be a fence around their large area, but trust you me after seeing those little girls go right under them and wherever they please, you learn quickly the soft fencing is not so much for them as it is for the naughty woodland creatures ready to feast on all of Sandy and Jason's hard work. The chickens get spray showers set up for them, can eat all types of weeds, foliage and organic feed that Jason so generously took a mouthful of just to show us how good for you it is!

These, seriously, look like happy chickens doing what they do best - eat and poop. This wonderful cycle gives the soil necessary nutrients back and then they can grow super-dooper veggies on that land next year. It's really when you get out on the farm that you see how cyclical the sustainable system really is. Chickens feed us, they also feed the land (where the poop comes into play), the land then grows the good, nutritious food and the cycle continues.

We are very proud to say that as hungry as we were when we left the farm, we decided to pass up White Castle (the first restaurant we saw after leaving) because even though we were craving chicken - odd I know - I figured that the chicken rings I love so dearly are really sacrilege compared to the beautiful, well cared for birds we saw today.