Foodie Film Fridays

Starting July 3:

As a ramp up to their Eat Local Challenge and Fall Farm Crawl, Neighborhood Co-op Grocery is hosting free screenings of foodie films on Friday nights in July at Scratch Brewing Company in Ava, IL.

The films were chosen to inspire and inform the public about the value of small-scale farms, the history of co-ops and all things local. Whether it's craft breweries, heirloom vegetables grown on small farms, handcrafted wine or specialties like grass fed beef or free range bison, Southern Illinois has local in spades! We want to celebrate our region by getting people excited to shop local markets, eat dishes at local restaurants that include locally grown ingredients and get to know their farmers by going on the 2015 Fall Farm Crawl. 

Lisa Smith, Brand Development Manager at The Co-op, said, "I am looking forward to these screenings at Scratch. They have something kind of magical going on out there and we are thrilled to be a part of it! As a matter of fact what they embody is the essence of what we are trying to get across with the screenings - that local businesses and makers of all sorts is what makes the tapestry of Southern Illinois so rich! We need to invest in our local food systems and be willing to see the products made or grown here as something special, something exceptional! 

Small businesses, like our local farms and restaurants are working hard and doing great things that are an expression of who they are and what they are about. I hope the folks who come out to see these films and are so inspired that they want to more actively help us reclaim some of the $1.8 billion that we spend on food here in Southern Illinois. It's important to know that right now much of that money is leaving the area because it is spent on foods grown elsewhere and because it is spent with retailers who are based far away from this region. Shopping local first will make all the difference for our region's economy and our food system."

Links to the trailers are below and can also be found at www.Neighborhood.coop.

July 3

Women Who Brew: Breaking the Glass Ceiling for the Love of Beer

This program follows a large number of women who have found success and fulfillment as brewery owners, pub owners, hops farmers, home-based and large-scale beer artisans, and other positions in the industry. Focusing on the Pacific Northwest’s burgeoning craft beer market, the film introduces thriving entrepreneurs and highly valued employees who have defied the assumption that beer is just for men. Award-winning brewmaster Tonya Cornett, celebrated publican Sarah Pederson, respected hops producer Gayle Goschie, and craft brewery pioneer and Pink Boots Society founder Teri Fahrendorf are among the many industry luminaries featured.