THEASTER GATES & THE BLACK MONKS OF MISSISSIPPI

Street Meditations: Theaster Gates and the Mississippi Monks perform at the 2010 Southern Foodways Symposium from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.

SFA SKILLET BRIGADE: DINE AMERICA ON DEC. 1

SFA Skillet Brigade Supports the Gulf Coast
Join Dine America on December 1

On December 1, over 225 chefs and restaurateurs will participate in "Dine America," serving Gulf Seafood quality to diners, friends and family. This communal activity, “America's Night Out for Gulf Seafood ” is a chef and restaurant statement supporting the Gulf Coast fishing families and their Gulf seafood catch. SFA supports this initiative and is asking you -- our friends and members in the restaurant industry -- to consider participating in Dine America 2010. It can be your holiday Skillet Brigade. And you'll be in good company with other SFA member restaurants, including Bayona, Cochon, and Restaurant August. For a complete list of participating venues, click here.

For more information on Dine America, including a sign-in page where you can declare your participation, please visit www.dineamerica2010.com. And, if you do participate, please e-mail sfamail@olemiss.edu with a brief report from your dinner, or a copy of your menu, so that we might share news of your good work with other members. Your participation will support Gulf Coast fishing families still impacted by the recent oil spill.

If you're not a chef or restaurateur, but you like to eat (who doesn't?) we ask that you choose to dine out at one of the participating venues in your local area. To find one, visit www.dineamerica2010.com.

Questions? E-mail sfamail@olemiss.edu. Thank you for supporting Gulf Coast communities this season.

FOODBLOGSOUTH

FoodBlogSouth, regional food blogging conference, will be held on January 22 in Birmingham, AL.

The day-long conference has a line-up of speakers including:
*Kim Severson, columnist for NY Times and author of Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life, will teach food writing
*Ashley Hall--SFA blogger--will sit on a panel discussion on blogging about Southern seafood after the Deepwater Horizon explosion
*John-Bryan Hopkins, a.k.a. the "Foodimentary" guy, will share how to make the most of social media
*Southern Living food photographer, Jennifer Davick, and sylist, Marion Cooper Cairns, will host a session on how to take great food photos
*Christy Jordan, blogger and author of just-released cookbook, Southern Plate, will share secrets to marketing your blog
*and many more!

Registration is $135. If you register in November, you get $15 off. Register at foodblogsouth.com.

All proceeds will support Desert Island Supply Company (DISCO), a new non-profit writing center for children in Birmingham.

SPECIAL GULF COAST EDITION OF OKRACAST: JOHNNY RICHARDS

Photo by Ashley Hall

This summer, Ashley Hall, SFA member and freelance writer, embarked on a journey to collect stories relating to the effects of the Gulf oil spill. She traveled the coast from Biloxi, MS, to Apalachicola, FL, as a field correspondent for Gravy, the SFA foodletter, revisiting oral history subjects whenever possible. She collected some new voices, too--voices like Johnny Richards'.

Johnny Richards has been in the seafood business for over sixty years. Just before his eighth birthday, he started helping his dad out on the family boat in Apalachicola Bay, Florida and has spent his summers shrimping and his winters oystering ever since. Today he works with his wife, Janice Richards at Tommy Ward's oyster house, 13 Mile. In this interview, he displays his optimism for the future of the Bay and his trust in the healing powers of Mother Nature.

We will be featuring all of Ashley's Gulf Coast interviews here on Okracast, so check back each week for new installments. For a short documentary about 13 Mile Oyster Company, please view Joe York's film Working the Miles.

Grab some headphones and go!

2010 GLOBAL SOUTH SYMPOSIUM: POSTCARD BENEDICTION, BY DR. JESSICA HARRIS

"Postcard Benediction" by Dr. Jessica Harris - 2010 Southern Foodways Symposium from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.

SPECIAL GULF COAST EDITION OF OKRACAST: TERESA FAGAN AND JOY HATFIELD

Photo by Ashley Hall

This summer, Ashley Hall, SFA member and freelance writer, embarked on a journey to collect stories relating to the effects of the Gulf Coast oil spill. She traveled from Biloxi, MS, to Apalachicola, FL, as a field correspondent for Gravy, the SFA’s food letter, revisiting SFA oral history subjects whenever possible, but also collecting some new voices—voices like Teresa Fagan and Joy Hatfield’s.

Joy Hatfield opened Perdido Bay Seafood Company in western Pensacola with her husband and son in 1988. Her granddaughter, Teresa, has worked in the family business nearly all her life. Like so many others in their area, the future of Perdido became a depressing mystery after the oil spill. However, as of October 2^nd, the folks at Perdido were happy to report that after months of uncertainty, they were fishing once again.

We will be featuring all of Ashley’s Gulf Coast interviews here on OKRACAST, so check back each week for new installments.

Now grab some headphones and go!

SFA SYMPOSIUM PODCASTS ARE ONLINE

Didn't get to attend the symposium, but wanted to hear the lectures? Did attend, but want a recap? The SFA has posted podcasts from the symposium presentations online. Visit our iTunes page and click the tab for the 2010 Global South Symposium to download lectures and performances. Here's a catalog of what you'll find:

• Diane Roberts on Havana and Alabama
• The Gulf and the Spill: A Panel Discussion
• Greg Brownderville and Meredith Abarca on Tamales as Text
• Judith Carney and Valerie Erwin on Rice in the Global South
• Kevin Kim and Amy Evans on Chinese Grocers in the Delta
• James Peacock on Grounded Globalism
• Francis Lam on Cajuns, Croats, and Vietnamese in Biloxi
• Andrea Nguyen on Viet-Cajun in Cali
• Chingo Bling!
• Robb Walsh on Houston as the New South Creole City
• Tom Hanchett on the Salad Bowl Suburbs of Charlotte
• Jessica Harris, Theaster Gates, and the Mississippi Monks doing a Benediction and Street Meditations

Grab your headphones and learn about the Global South with SFA. To see the full schedule of symposium events, click here.

STIR THE POT IN RALEIGH, NOVEMBER 14 & 15

STIR THE POT -- NOVEMBER 14 & 15

On Sunday, November 14, Poole's Diner in Raleigh, NC will host a third helping of STIR THE POT, a seasonal dinner and discussion to benefit the Southern Foodways Alliance's documentary film initiative. The dinner and discussion will feature John Currence of City Grocery Restaurant Group in Oxford, MS.

John and Ashley will be coordinating at five-course dinner with wine pairings, compliments of Eliza Olander. The evening will begin with a sparkling reception with snacks at 7:00 PM. Cost of dinner is $150++ per person.

A potluck on Monday, November 15, is for everyone--restaurant industry folk, writers, beverage enthusiasts, home cooks, and people with a general love for food and its history. For the potluck, Ashley will provide--with the help of a favorite shepherd, Craig Rogers--a main course of spit-roasted leg of Border Springs lamb (Patrick Springs, VA) and wine to match. Our friends at Fullsteam Brewery (Durham) will be pouring delicious craft brews and the cocktail rockstars at Neptunes Parlour (Raleigh) will be stirring a signature cocktail. There will be music selections and stories from our guest of honor, "Johnny Snack."
Please bring a $35 check for the Southern Foodways Alliance and a dish to share that celebrates your sense of place, wherever that may be.

100% of the proceeds from both events will benefit the SFA documentary film initiative. Please call Poole's for reservations, as seating is limited for both events. 919.832.4477

FOODWAYS PROFESSORSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE APPROACHES

Foodways Professorship at University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture Announced

APPLICATIONS DUE NOVEMBER 15

The SFA is pleased to report that the University of Mississippi has publicized an announcement for a new adjunct assistant professor of Southern Studies. The post-doctoral teaching position will formalize food studies in the Southern Studies curriculum. Interested applicants should visit the UM Human Resources departmental Web page, and click "search job postings" to find the job listed under the "Center for Southern Culture" department.

FRANCIS LAM AT THE 2010 GLOBAL SOUTH SYMPOSIUM

Cajuns, Croats, Vietnamese: On Land and Sea in Biloxi
presented by Francis Lam
Saturday, October 23, 2010

SFA 2010: "Cajuns, Croats, Vietnamese: On Land and Sea in Biloxi" presented by Francis Lam from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.

SPECIAL GULF COAST EDITION OF OKRACAST: JIMMY MCNEILL

Photo by Ashley Hall

This summer, Ashley Hall, SFA member and freelance writer, embarked on a journey to collect stories relating to the effects of the Gulf Coast oil spill. She traveled from Biloxi, MS, to Apalachicola, FL, as a field correspondent for Gravy, the SFA’s food letter, revisiting SFA oral history subjects whenever possible, but also collecting some new voices—voices like Jimmy McNeill’s.

Jimmy McNeill is the owner of Indian Pass Raw Bar in Port Saint Joe, Florida. With the help of his parents, Jimmy turned the former convenience store into a raw bar in 1985 after Hurricane Kate destroyed the area’s wholesale oyster business. The McNeill family has continued to bring simple and good food to Port Saint Joe, despite the threat of oil this past summer.

We will be featuring all of Ashley’s Gulf Coast interviews here on OKRACAST, so check back each week for new installments.

Grab some headphones and go!

BLACK FARMERS & URBAN GARDENERS CONFERENCE, NOV. 19-21

Growing Health, Wealth & Justice in Our Communities

November 19-21, 2010

Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY

Going Green
Most analysts agree that “green jobs” in a variety of fields—from energy to agriculture—will offer growing career opportunities in the future. Workshops at the 2010 Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference will highlight how our nation’s growing awareness of ecological issues is creating opportunities for food and farming-related professionals.

Opportunities in the growing green economy will only benefit those who get the training and support necessary to take advantage of them. Conference workshops will focus on building awareness and resources to help prepare African Americans for food and farm-related careers.

For more information and to register, visit www.blackfarmersconf.org.

SQUARE TOAST FOR SCHOLARSHIPS: NOV. 8 IN OXFORD, MS

Proceeds from the silent auction, as well as ticket sales, go to scholarships for Hospitality Management students. FOR MORE INFO, visit here.