Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Food & Film


Taste What You See!


When you live in New York City, the film world seems ubiquitous.  Actors are everywhere, production crews and trucks seemingly inhabit all the streets (often to the chagrin of the neighborhood locals), there is always an industry insider, without exception, at every dinner party, and you can explore every genre of film at the thousands of movie theaters peppered throughout this sweeping metropolis.  For movie enthusiasts, like myself, it is one of the many reasons New York is an exciting place to live. 

There are a bunch of film festivals that make themselves at home in New York City;  some are quite famous -- like De Niro's Tribeca Film Festival or the New York Independent Film Festival.  But, my favorite, somewhat lesser-known festival, is happening this week  -- The Food Film Fest. This four-day event showcases short films solely dedicated to stories about food and its preparation. Interesting, right? But, what makes it a real night out is that a sample of the food being presented in the film is served to the audience while the film is being screened. Ingenious! And so much fun! 

What's more is the Food Film Fest helps to support The Billion Oyster Project, an ecosystem restoration and education program. The project is working to restore one billion live oysters back into the New York Harbor, through the help of New York City school children. You may not have known that oysters are a valuable natural water filter -- they help to keep water clean, and the New York Harbor needs cleaning.  But, sadly, oysters are near extinct in these waters. The Billion Oyster Project hopes to reverse that trend, to bring back the ecosystem that existed for thousands of years prior to the development of our city.  


So, The Food Film Festival is more than just a publicity show for newly released films.  It's an all-ecompassing night out, complete with entertainment, food, beverages and a deserving nod to a respectable charitable organization. 


If you are in New York this week and want to check out the Festival, tickets are on sale now for the 10th Festival: 




Always preparing for my own little food
festival!