Food Forward Documentary Seeks Funds for TV Pilot at Radius Benefit

By John Birdsall, SFoodie Editor Wed., Jul. 28 2010 at 5:12 PM

Sure, you'd watch Lidia Bastianich pounding up pesto Trapanese in fuzzy-lense splendor Saturday mornings on KQED, but would you TiVo a series about the U.S. food system? That's the hope of folks trying to produce a TV series called Food Forward.

A year ago, producer/director Greg Roden cobbled together enough money to create a trailer for the series that seeks to pick up where the film Food, Inc. leaves off, focusing on positive responses to a searingly industrial food system. Local public broadcasting powerhouse KQED expressed interest in seeing more, if Roden and his collaborators could raise even more dough to realize a whole series.

To that end, next Tuesday, Roden and his Food Forward colleagues will host a dinner fundraiser at Radius, where they hope to realize enough for a 30-minute pilot. Radius chef Kelly Hughett will rustle up a meal sure to teeter on beautifully fragile summer produce. Supporters able to cough up $250 for the ticket will also get a swag bag filled with things from Swanton Berry Farm, Blue Bottle, and Route One Farms, among others.

Or look at it this way: You'll be among the early adopters to have dined at the restaurant half of Radius.

Fundraising Dinner for Food Forward Pilot Episode on Urban Agriculture
When: Tues., August 3, 6-9 p.m.
Where: Radius, 1123 Folsom (at Seventh St.), 525-3676
Cost: $250; purchase via PayPal

Follow us on Twitter: @sfoodie. Contact me at John.Birdsall@SFWeekly.com