grits and gout du terroir: the taste of place in southern food culture
DESCRIPTION
Increased interest in “alternative” foods may now be a social movement, or a set of social movements in response to industrial agrifood system.TRANSCRIPT
Grits and Gout du
Terroir: The Taste
of Place in
Southern Food
Culture
Devin Yeomans1
Michelle R. Worosz 1,2,3
Auburn University1Department of Agricultural
Economics and Rural
Sociology2Alabama Agriculture
Experiment Systems3Institute for Food Systems
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Introduction
Increased interest in “alternative” foods may now be a
social movement, or a set of social movements in
response to industrial agrifood system.
Restaurant chefs may contribute to this movement by
creating meanings and symbols surrounding food.
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Literature
Agrifood
Barriers (eg.,Schmit, 2012; Curtis & Cowee,2009 )
Farm to Table (eg., Pepinksy&Thilmany, 2004)
Terroir (eg.,Bessiere, 1998; Van Leeuwen, 2006)
Social Movement
Framing Processes (eg., Benford & Snow, 2000; McArthy & Zald, 1977)
Collective Action Frames (eg., Polleta & Jasper, 2001; McAdam et. al, 1996)
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Research Questions
1) How do key decision makers within the restaurant industry perceive their ability to influence social change surrounding local food issues?
2) What beliefs and values influence sourcing decisions within the restaurant industry?
3) What barriers do restaurant chefs face as they incorporate local ingredients into their menus?
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Research Questions Cont.
4) How do executive chefs use the idea of terroir
to create a sense of place that is unique to the
Southeastern United States?
5) How might romanticizing Southern foodways
mask historical and current instances of
injustice?
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Methods: Data Collection
Pretest
Snowball Sampling
30 interviews with chefs using local ingredients
Semi-structured interview guide
Observation of signage, website, menus, and wait staff
IRB Approval # 14-050 EX 1402
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Social
Change
Beliefs and
Values
Barriers to
Local
Sourcing Terroir
Collective
Action
Frames
Customer
behavior
Consumer
education
Chef
involvement
in the local
food
movement
Chef beliefs
Chef values
Access
Barriers
Price
Barriers
Supply
Barriers
Ecology
Culture
Production
Quality
Localness
Symbols
Meanings
Language
Methods: Analysis
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Participants
14 are male
Restaurants
12 are privately owned
4 are corporately owned
1 hotel
1 private country club
1 regional chain
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Findings: Local Sourcing
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30%-80% of ingredients
Benefits to producers, consumers, and community
Barriers
Findings: Themes
Defining Local
Creating the taste of the South
Seeking Authenticity
Chef Connections
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Theme: Defining “Local”
Degrees of “localness”
Relationships
“I went in search of making first name acquaintances and looking for how I could attach a
first name to my food instead of a brand name.”-Executive Chef at privately owned restaurant-
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Theme: Taste of the South
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Identity, place
Preserving a history
Gourmet Southern
comfort food
Theme: Seeking Authenticity
Advocacy
Imagery
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Theme: Chef Connections
Chef Network
Collaboration
Birmingham Chefs
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Next Steps
18 interviews
Analysis of Data
Black Belt
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Conclusion
Chefs point of view provides unique
perspective of local food movement
Investigates “celebrity chef” potential to
influence movement
Examines glamorization of Southern food
culture and the consequences
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Thank you!
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Contact Me
Devin L. Walker
Email: [email protected]
Cell: (334)294-8911
Michelle R. Worosz
Office: 334-844-5682
Fax: 334-844-5639
E-mail: [email protected]
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