There’s a local movement in the world of dining, with people wanting to shake hands with the farmer that grew the crop, or see the land where the cow roamed pre-hamburger with a side of fries.
The local magazine-style TV show Living Culture bridges that gap for those who don’t have the time to drive out to the countryside to investigate their growers, or at least points them in the right direction to explore their local food markets.
Living Culture has aired on CCTV for about five years, and as of January, the farm-to-plate TV program hit a milestone. They can now reach viewers from Longview to Eugene on the commercial station KWVT, DTV channel 17.2, and the television series’ content will soon be expanded to reflect the changes.
“I definitely want viewers in Portland to see that there are really good things happening in the mid-Valley but I do need to cover more farms and chefs in the Portland area,” says Living Culture producer and host Nate Rafn, who creates a new episode each month.
“We want to expose people to some of the local farms that they might not know about,” says Rafn. “There are farmers and ranchers out there who are producing things in a very innovative and wholesome, responsible way, and we really have access to a cornucopia of different foods here.”
Some of Living Culture’s latest episodes include Pringle Creek’s urban gardening classes, EZ Orchards’ new hard sparkling cider (a growing trend in the Willamette Valley), and the latest on Salem’s raising of chickens since they were legalized. Typically, each episode will cover three different topics.
In his years covering the Willamette Valley, Rafn has become an expert on the local food market.
“It has changed the way I eat. I’m much more interested in purchasing directly from farmers. I’ve learned that local food is great!” says Rafn, who gets his chicken, eggs and beef from McK Ranch in Dallas, which “is not certified organic but they’re going above and beyond. They don’t use any drugs or chemicals and all the animals are grass-fed.”
He recommends people to do the same: build connections with producers and get their food straight from the farm.
“If you have a chance to visit a farm or a ranch and really get to know the people who are growing your food, you can be comfortable they’re growing it in a healthy and responsible way. It’ll give you peace of mind, knowing you can trust that person,” says Rafn.
Living Culture was Rafn’s way of combining his knowledge of video production and his interest in food, which began with his family’s backyard garden and home-cooked meals but became more serious in 2003 when he started working at Caruso’s Italian Cafe in Keizer, a restaurant featuring lots of local products.
“Food is a universal interest. Food is the topic that can bridge a lot of gaps. It overlaps borders, Republicans, Democrats, religions, it doesn’t matter, everybody likes food. We can use food as a way to connect with each other,” says Rafn, inviting all kinds of food producers, from artisan bakers to fisheries, farms and chefs to the show.
“If someone is doing something innovative and contributing to the local food movement, absolutely, we’d like to go talk about it.”
For more information and to watch previously made shows, visit livingcultureonline.com. Living Culture also has a blog, featuring local food news and lots of recipes (livingcultureonline.blogspot.com).
Schedule:
KWVT Willamette Valley, DTV 17.1
Portland/Vancouver, DTV 17.2
Wednesdays 2:30 p.m.
Saturdays 4:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Sundays 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m.
CGN7 Columbia Gorge, Charter Cable 7
Mondays 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Thursdays 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Fridays 8:30 a.m.
Saturdays 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Sundays 8:00 a.m.
PCM TV Portland Metro, Comcast 29
Tuesdays 6:00 p.m.
Fridays 10:30 a.m.
Sundays 2:30 p.m.
CCTV Salem/Keizer, Comcast 22
Thursdays 8:00 p.m.
Fridays 5:30 p.m.
Sundays 1:00 p.m.
