It was June of 2012.
Chef Mike Moore of Seven Sows Bourbon and Larder approached me with an idea about a documentary which in his words would- “Capture stories that drive home the importance of local foods, culture and history of our region.” The goal would be to capture footage during the summer and have the film ready to present at a Blind Pig dinner in November. The dinner would feature Chef John Fleer of Rhubarb and be a fundraiser for The Heritage Food Committee and Slow Foods Asheville.
I thought it sounded like a wonderful opportunity the try my hand at some themed narrative documentary work. So in early July, the truck hit the road and the cameras started to roll.
Along our journey we had the amazing opportunity to meet some stalwart personalities. They’re continuing, against the odds, to meet the challenges of operating small family owned operations. Not only did their experiences enrich the film we were capturing, but served to create in me personally, an even deeper appreciation for living simply, working hard and being satisfied.
The whole process made me constantly think of my own Grandfather working in his garden. Tending the white-washed Bee boxes and churning hand-made Ice Cream on a hot summer weekend. Those memories hummed softly in the background while we experienced these stories. Working during the summer of 2012 to create these films is an experience I’ll treasure for all the years to come.
With that I present “Preserve”.
Folks involved in the film can be found here-
Chef John Fleer- Rhubarb | Chef Mike Moore- Seven Sows | Ferguson’s Store | Gaining Ground Farm |Benton’s Bacon | Cruze Dairy | Imladris Farm | Chef William Dissen- The MarketPlace | Chef Mark Rosenstein- The French Broad | Chef Suzy Salwa Phillips | Mackensy Lunsford- Food Writer | The Heritage Food Committee and Slow Foods Asheville.
