“Food and Country” Screening, Interview with Ruth Reichl, and More!
So much has happened since the lockdowns at the height of the pandemic that it can feel like the distant past. But those days exposed a range of vulnerabilities in our culture that persist today—nowhere, perhaps, more acutely than in our food system. At WRFI, we understand that our beautiful Finger Lakes Region is home to an innovative and renowned farm and food scene, and our community is deeply invested in helping usher in change and progress when it comes to ensuring healthy and sustainable food is available to everyone in our area.
Listen to our interview with Ruth Reichl:
In her new film, Food and Country, legendary food writer Ruth Reichl explores the vulnerabilities in our food systems that were highlighted during the pandemic. Through intimate and honest conversations with farmers, ranchers, restaurateurs, policy advocates, and others, Reichl makes a strong case that we have a collective opportunity—even a responsibility—to pursue structural solutions and individual actions to strengthen our food system for good.
You’re invited to a very special, pre-release screening and panel discussion of “Food and Country” September 17, 7PM at Cinemapolis in Ithaca. Get your tickets here.
Plus, as part of our deeper dive into our regional food system and the issues raised in the film, WRFI will be broadcasting two on-air events ahead of the screening:
Interview with Ruth Reichl
Tues. 9/3 and Thurs. 9/5 at 5:30pm on WRFI
Tune in for our exclusive interview with Ruth Reichl, producer and nine-time James Beard Award Winner and Rachel Bezner-Kerr, professor of Global Development at Cornell. The interview will be posted on our website following the broadcast.
Food Security Panel and Call-in Show
Thurs. 9/12 at 6pm on WRFI
Call in to join an on-air conversation on local food security. Ask questions and share your experiences with our panel, including Ana Ortiz of No Mas Lagrimas, Lorena Mendoza of West Haven Farm, and Debbie Branker-Livermore of Loving Farms, and Katie Hallas of Tompkins Food Future.
WRFI Community Radio is hands on, home-grown, non-profit community radio that serves Ithaca and the Southern Finger Lakes. We are only able to bring news, information, and important events and discussions like these to the community because of generous giving and support from our listeners. Proceeds of this pre-release screening will help support radio station operations while also elevating the good work of our partners. Many thanks to our members and sponsors for their partnership and support of these events: Tompkins County Food Policy Council, Moosewood Restaurant, and Cinemapolis.
We’re committed to ensuring our event is accessible to all in our community. Thanks in part to our partners, we’re happy to be able to keep the ticket price to only $12. If you’d like to attend and the cost is prohibitive, please contact us about pay-what-you-can admission (available while supplies last). If you’d like to “pay it forward” and help support accessible admission to the event for all in our community, you can make a donation here. Make sure to refer to the “Food and Country” in the comment section.