Indie Documentaries on Food & Drink surge in 2015

2015 has been a banner year for indie documentaries about food and drink, chefs and mixologists.

Case in point, Caffeinated, which recently premiered.

Also hitting the screens and circuit, Kickstarter fundedThe Birth of Sake, by Erik Shira. ‘The Birth of Saké’ is a documentary film that explores how sake is handcrafted at a family-owned Japanese brewery named Tedorigawa.

Description: In a world where most mass produced goods are heavily automated, a small group of artisans must brave unusual working conditions to preserve a 2000-year-old tradition that we have come to know as saké. THE BIRTH OF SAKÉ is a cinematic documentary that reveals the story of passionate saké-makers and what it takes to make world-class saké at Yoshida Brewery, a 144-year-old family-owned small brewery in northern Japan. The workers at Yoshida Brewery are an eclectic cast of characters, ranging from 20 to 70 years old. As a vital part of this cast that must live and work for a six-month period through the brutal winter, charismatic veteran brewmaster Yamamoto (65) and the brewery’s sixth-generation heir, Yasuyuki Yoshida (27), are keepers of this tradition, and are the main characters who bring the narrative forward. As craftsmen who must dedicate their whole lives to the making of this world-class saké, their private sacrifices are often sizable and unseen.

From what the TASTE AWARDS can see, this is more than a short-term trend, this is the tip of a very large list of food & drink-based films. More on this topic soon.

Fashion documentary Dior and I continues Film Release Circuit

FYI Channel’s New Culinary TV Series – Man vs Child: Chef Showdown

CAFFEINATED Documentary releases in Theaters, Streaming and on Cable

The documentary CAFFEINATED is enjoying a multi-platform national release in select theaters and iTunes, Amazon, googleplay, Xbox, vudu and all major cable providers including Time Warner, Comcast, directv and more.

CAFFEINATED copy

Film Synopsis: Learn the story behind your morning Joe. From seed to mug, coffee, and the process by which it is created, has shaped the lives of thousands of individuals worldwide. Working with Geoff Watts, famous green-buyer, the filmmakers travel to America’s most populous coffee-drinking cities and to producing countries, interviewing connoisseurs and farmers alike. With a focus on the social and cultural landscape of coffee, Caffeinated gives the coffee consumer unprecedented access to the farmers responsible for growing that perfect bean, and the producers responsible for brewing that perfect cup.

 

Twitter:@TheCoffeeMovie
#CaffeinatedMovie, #TheCoffeeMovie

Website: http://caffeinated.vhx.tv/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caffeinatedthemovie

YouTube Star MoreZoella Cookie Recipe video hits over 650K Views in 3 Days

Reinforcing the star power and appeal of YouTube stars in all of their various endeavors, comes proof that this applies even to cookie recipes made by non-chefs.

Case in point, MoreZoella, with over 3.4 Million Subscribers on YouTube. Her video, “Baking Cookies & Louise Live” soared past the half million viewers mark within 3 days, or in other words, in about 78 hours. Ironically, she’s not even famous for her cooking, but for her beauty and other vlogging topics.

It is obvious to state that most major networks, cable channels, and media outlets would be thrilled with this type of immediate impact and viewership.

Recently it was announced that Zoella (Zoe Sugg) is releasing a new line of beauty products, as well as has at least two book deals in the works.  (see announcement video below).

What is clear is that if she did decide to expand into the food realm, both fans and sponsors would be lining up.

Either way, Zoella is a good candidate someday for a TASTE AWARD.

 

 

Chef Robert Bleifer named ICC Adjunct Dean of Food Media

icc_logoThe Food Network’s Executive Chef Robert Bleifer has just been named the International Culinary Center in New York’s new Adjunct Dean of Food Media, reports culinary trade organization, Culintro.

In an interview with Culintro, it is reported that:

How essential has food media become in the culinary industry? So important that the International Culinary Center (ICC) just named a Dean of Food Media. Robert Bleifer worked as a line cook before starting at the Food Network in 1996, where he would spend nearly 20 years..

They also ask: “Why did the ICC feel the need to create a Food Media program?

FN_FNK-Bio-RobertBleifer.jpg.rend.sni18col

He gives a great response, and one that reinforces not only the school’s mission, but also that of the TASTE AWARDS.

Read more here