Show Your Support | A Chef's Life

A Chef's Life, a foodie documentary soon to be aired on PBS USA, follows North Carolina chef, Vivian Howard, as she meets with locals, friends, farmers and more to discover and educate the PBS viewers on North Carolina regional delicacies and traditions.  Vivian and her husband Ben have both worked in NYC as chefs previously as well, which in itself is a substantial accolade for their talents.  Now sourcing and supporting local artisan's in their hometown Kinston, NC, with their restaurant, they are helping to regenerate a local economy whilst creating jobs and demand for their communities produce and they want to highlight the importance of this to you.

I've not met the gang behind A Chef's Life and I've not eaten at their restaurant, A Chef and a Farmer, either BUT I can tell you that the girl that introduced me to them is reason enough to get behind this group and their endeavours.  Hayley of Tiptoes in the Kitchen, is so good at picking out interestingly incredible places to eat, along with dabbling in her own recipes too that I have officially put her on a facebook warning - if she continues to recommend places I can't get to because of being in the UK and publishes her latest meals that I can't eat too, then she is blocked.  That's how awesome she is at making any of y'alls mouths water!  And by extension why I trust this recommendation implicitly and want to encourage others to support them too.

Although I may not have eaten at A Chef and a Farmer, I have eaten in North Carolina.  My visit was a flighty weekend, over way before it began but whilst there I sampled one of my most loved and memorable meals (again thanks to Hayley).  The hearty southern fare, with eccentric culinary quirks and a heavy influence of locally sourced products was rife and it was utterly charming, which is exactly how I envision Vivian's restaurant to be also.

Vivian is petitioning for our help to support their passionate but young documentary by donating to their fund in order to complete season one and get started on season two.  The funds will also facilitate the broadcast of this documentary and therefore the "revitalisation of a local economy".  My family are huge on local produce and supporting the independents in our area in the UK.  We have numerous bottles of wine from our local vineyard stashed in our pantry, my mother recently went and helped make cheese with local carbon-neutral cheese makers Winterdale Shaw and pork is very often purchased from the farm just a stones throw away.  Vivian and co's mission, therefore, is very close to my heart and so with that I wanted to further distribute their message.

They have a target of $50,000, of which they have 37 days to reach.  Hear exactly what this projects all about straight from Vivian herself here and see what perks you can pick up for donating, even as little as $25.

After you've supported A Chef's Life and if you do happen to be local to Durham, North Carolina then I'd also suggest you take the opportunity and join Hayley on her almost sold-out secret DishCrawl.  The reason?  Hayley's picking!

*Main image taken from A Chef's Life funding page