Food for Thought
Celebrate our community and food connections. Through learning the stories of farmers, ranchers, and fishermen, we develop a deeper relationship with our community and our food. Healthy food production and consumption plays a role in fostering healthy communities and developing a sense of place. This project celebrates the hardworking people who help make Humboldt the very special place we have all come to love.
With the trend toward a world food system and disintegration of local food cultures, there is more of a need than ever to learn the stories and have a connection to local food production. Whether it is the fishermen and women who bring in the seafood; the rancher raising animals for meat; the farmer raising the finest fruits and vegetables in the state; or the people who process the food by smoking, brewing, distilling, canning, dehydrating, or otherwise turn the raw materials into something more complex and often more delicious – the stories are what can connect us.
Jennifer Bell and Jessica Eden co-produce a radio show featuring local food producers (also entitled Food for Thought). For over 10 years this program has been a weekly radio show and podcast. Over 300 interviews have been recorded and aired. This show is dedicated to developing a relationship between the food producers and the consumer, develop an understanding and respect for the hardworking women and men in this industry, break down barriers to connecting with and buying food from local producers, and to encourage youth to consider food production as an option for their future.
Jennifer Bell has directed and co-produced a feature length film, High Water Mark: Stories from the ’64 Flood, that involved over 60 interviews with local survivors and experts. Jessica Eden is a multi-media producer and sound recordist. Together they have completed two Food for Thought films. Going With the Grain describes the resurgence of locally grown grains in Humboldt County including wheat and quinoa. Several entrepreneurs describe how they have incorporated local grains into their products. Coastal Foods: Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability explores Humboldt’s coastal local food movement including Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), Native community health, and how important young people are to the future of local foods. They are currently completing a third film, Albacore Tuna: The Tale of a Fish.
Jennifer Bell and Jessica Eden are committed to ensuring that the films will be shown in a variety of venues and with people of various socio-economic backgrounds.
DVD – $20, $6 shipping
Pre-order today!
Contact: Jennifer Bell
Email: bell@humboldt.edu
From family fishing operations to sport and commercial fishing, this Food for Thought production explores the past and present of the albacore tuna fishery along the Pacific Northwest, including albacore tuna biology and fish processing.
Joe Tyburczy, from University of California Sea Grant office, explore the biology of this fascinating top predator that roams much of the worlds oceans. Fishermen Candee Mooslin, Tom Fulkerson, Kathryn Vanderpool, Tyler Buxton, and Ken Bates share their exciting and challenging lifestyle earning a living from the sea as commercial albacore fishermen. Mark Cortright and Dennis Rael talk about their passion for sports fishing with friends and family and appreciating a bountiful local harvest.
From large scale processing to home canning, albacore tuna has historically been enjoyed on the north coast. Bill Carvalho from Wild Planet discusses commercially canned tuna and Scott Bradshaw from Fish Brothers talks about smoked albacore. Economics Professor Steven Hackett explains how local foods convey a sense of place and are important to local economies. Joyce Houston, Master Food Preserver with the University of California, shares about canning tuna as family tradition in the Pacific Northwest. Runtime 37 minutes.
Directors/Producers: Jennifer Bell and Jessica Eden. Associate Producers: Ted Okell and Montel Vanderhorck.
Seeking Refuge, a photographer finds peace amidst personal loss at a local nature refuge.
This film celebrates the photography of David Thomson at the Humboldt National Wildlife Refuge, and his relationship with the refuge. From stunning images of landscapes and waterscapes to the intimate and sometimes comical lives of the local wildlife, David has captured the very essence of this Humboldt County gem.
Runtime: 23 minutes.
Food for Thought productions
Jennifer Bell is a local filmmaker and media producer. Constantly intrigued by the stories that everyone carries within them, she stives to bring them out in a way that they can be appreciated, respected, and enjoyed by the wider community.
Ted Okell is a sculptor, filmmaker, and sound artist. He has taught at the University of Oregon and the College of the Redwoods and has taught various workshops at colleges and art centers.