As renowned chef Jamie Oliver wraps up his successful Food Revolution TV show in Huntington, West Virginia where he transformed the school lunch menu — and family habits — for thousands in front of a nationwide audience, the revolution continues, this time in a larger city, where a film crew has been following another charismatic chef on a food mission.
Tony Geraci is leading the charge to overhaul the dysfunctional school lunch system in Baltimore serving as the city’s new food service director.
He wants to replace pre-plated, processed foods with locally-grown, freshly-prepared meals for all 83,000 students. Once a passionate chef in New Orleans, Geraci describes himself as a “little bit lunch lady, a lot P.T. Barnum.” His bold vision includes a vegetable garden at every school, student-designed meals, meatless Monday’s, and nutrition education in the classroom. His mission is as audacious as it is practical.
The feature documentary film, now in production, follows Geraci as the central character in his ambitious effort to ‘green’ the public school diet in A Recipe for Change.
As in Huntington, the heroes in this story are the parents, teachers, administrators, food service workers, and students who step forward to support the ambitious change.
Inner city youth have planted and harvested vegetables at the school system’s 33-acre teaching farm. High school seniors are even developing practical job skills through a new citywide culinary vocational training program.
“If Tony makes this happen here the way he wants to, I think you’ll see this happening all over the country,” says best-selling author and food activist Michael Pollan in the film.
The filmmakers of A Recipe For Change are trying to raise money to complete their project. Help get the word out, if you can, at www.arecipeforchange.org/joinus.
WATCH the wonderful film trailer below.