PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release

June 11, 2012

Nelson – Today marks the launch of an important online fundraising campaign, which, if successful, will support the production of a six-part Deconstructing Dinner online-accessible television series.

Titled Deconstructing Dinner: Reconstructing Our Food System, the anticipated series is being billed as the on-screen reincarnation of the popular Deconstructing Dinner radio show and podcast that aired on over 50 Canadian and US radio stations between 2006-2010.

In its early years, David Suzuki had offered his words of support to the radio show and having now viewed the pilot episode for the TV series, Suzuki has once again offered his support to Deconstructing Dinner’s on-screen reincarnation; “One of our big problems today is that we live in a world that is shattered. We no longer see the interconnectivity of everything in the biosphere. Food is a way to reconnect with the planet. That’s why I feel this series is an important one,” writes Suzuki.

Utilizing the popular Kickstarter online fundraising platform, the campaign is seeking to raise $60,000 of the project’s production budget by July 13. Like all Kickstarter campaigns, the fundraising is ‘all-or-nothing’ – which means projects must raise their goal or go home with nothing! Beyond the eventual creation of the important series, there are some great rewards too which all donors will receive – from pre-released copies of episodes to a personal visit from host Jon Steinman at your very own private catered screening of un-released episodes for you and your friends.

Alongside the James Beard award-winning filmmaker Declan O’Driscoll, Deconstructing Dinner’s Jon Steinman is thrilled with the prospect of seeing the popular radio show evolve into something new. “Our hope is that this series will become a critical resource to inspire the growing interest in the US and Canada to cultivate more resilient and vibrant local food systems,” says Steinman. “Each episode will feature one food and go behind the scenes of the food system to identify some of the key issues to consider when purchasing that food.” As with the radio show, the episodes will also look to encourage each of us to develop more personal relationships to the source of those foods and empower us to become more involved in our local food communities.

The popular farm-to-table restaurant movement will also play an important part in the series, with each episode featuring a notable chef. The chefs will offer tips and tricks on how to turn our kitchens into the most important tools we have to effect positive change within our food systems. For the series’ pilot episode produced earlier in the year, Canadian culinary icon Michael Stadtlander of Eigensinn Farm lent his talents to an episode on pork. Other culinary wizards have already committed to being a part of future episodes including; New York City’s Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez of Print, and Blaine Wetzel of Lummi Island’s Willows Inn.

A link to the Kickstarter campaign can be found on the Deconstructing Dinner web site at www.deconstructingdinner.com

“There’s nothing like this out there yet,” says Steinman. “Over the years, the radio show and podcast carried far-reaching impacts and translating Deconstructing Dinner onto the screen is one way to see those positive impacts significantly multiply. It’s high time we stop viewing our food purchases as expenses and instead see them as long-term investments. This series will be a visual reminder of what investment options we have available.”