Food and Country
In Food and Country, Ruth Reichl — trailblazing NY Times food critic, groundbreaking Gourmet Magazine editor, best-selling memoirist, and for decades one of the most influential figures shaping American food culture — grows concerned about the fate of small farmers, ranchers, and chefs as they wrestle with both immediate and systemic challenges as the pandemic takes hold.
Reichl reaches across political and social divides to discover innovators who are risking it all to survive on the front lines. As one person leads her to the next, she follows the unfolding stories of ranchers in Kansas and Georgia, farmers in Nebraska, Ohio, and the Bronx, a New England fisherman, and maverick chefs on both coasts. As she witnesses them navigate intractable circumstances, Reichl shares pieces of her own life, and in doing so, begins to take stock of the path she has traveled and the ideals she left behind. Through her eyes, we get to know the humanity and struggle behind the food we eat. As Reichl says: “How we grow and make our food shows us our values – as a nation and as human beings.”
Press
“Food and Country is a balm but also a map.”
- Variety | Lisa Kennedy
“Reichl and Gabbert suggest that there’s a more compassionate, equitable and sustainable path forward for farmers, restaurants and consumers.”
- The Hollywood Reporter | Justin Lowe
“In filmmaker Laura Gabbert’s revelatory documentary Food and Country, Reichl examines that issue and the impact our broken food system has had on farmers, ranchers and chefs and how they have coped with its challenges, particularly during the pandemic.”
- San Francisco Examiner | James Ambroff-Tahan
“Found Food and Country unexpectedly moving. At the apocalyptic, revelatory moment of the first pandemic year, Ruth Reichl examines America's very broken food system, with the help of restaurateurs, farmers, ranchers, and CITY OF GOLD director Laura Gabbert.”
- Vox | Alissa Wilkinson (via Twitter)
“[Food and Country] explores a bit of Reichl’s past, and her views have evolved since her idealistic days as a restaurant worker in Berkeley, California in the 1970s.”
- Eater (Austin) | Erin Russell
“Food and Country thrives as an intriguing, vital exploration into the need for everyone in America to champion sustainability and social justice in the food and restaurant industry.”
- Cinema Daily US | Karen Benardello
“Food and Country will offer inspiration and hope to work toward a healthier nation from within and above ground with every living animal, human, and plant.”
- Film Threat | Sabina Dana Plasse
“…stands out as the first substantive look at the emerging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and shift in awareness about the country’s food system.”
- The Utah Review | Les Roka