By Todd Manley
Breaking Bread, a three-part interview format documentary exploring the relationship between top Sacramento-area chefs and the region’s farming community, was recently re-released on YouTube. Originally airing last year, the program opens with chefs discussing how local agriculture influences the menus crafted in their restaurants. It also takes the viewer out to local farms to show how the food is cultivated and harvested with care to ensure that it will have the desired quality and flavor. The program shows the significance of all the inputs – water, soil, plant quality and care – to growing quality food.
The three episodes in the series are titled “The Land,” “The Chef,” and “The Meal,” which tracks the process of cultivation, harvest, and preparation as food travels from the farm to the table. The documentary provides insight into how the passion, care and love that is infused into each step of the process results in a flavorful meal that is enjoyed by the diner.
Sacramento area chefs who were interviewed for the program include Taro Arai (Mikuni), Christopher Barnum-Dann (Localis), Q Bennett (Q 1227 Restaurant), Dane Blom (Grange Restaurant and Bar), Tyler Bond (Chu Mai), Brad Cecchi (Cannon), Santana Diaz (UC Davis Health), Suzette Gresham (Acquerello), N’Gina Guyton (Jim Denny’s), Ginger Elizabeth Hahn (Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates), Molly Hawks and Mike Fagnoni (Hawks), Byron Hughes (Last Supper Society), Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou and Deneb Williams (Allora), Patrick Mulvaney (Mulvaney’s B&L), Billy Ngo (Kru), Oliver Ridgeway (Camden Spit & Larder), and Alice Waters (Chez Panisse).
Local farmers participating in the program were Thaddeus Barsatti (Capay Organic), Michael Bosworth (True Origin Foods; Rue & Forsman Ranch), Jim Durst (Durst Organic Growers), Mike Madison (Yolo Press), and Craig McNamara (Sierra Orchards).
If you enjoy dining, food preparation, farming, or all the above, I highly recommend watching this program. It celebrates the work that goes into growing and preparing food and the unique opportunity provided to consumers by the diverse agricultural products grown in the region surrounding our state’s capitol. The program is also a healthy reminder about the importance of reliable and affordable water supplies to grow this wonderful food and create habitat for fish and wildlife.
