Christmas Miracles..

Christmas miracles came early for My Delicious Revolution – who would have thought that I would meet chef Alice Waters in person? It was a wonderful surprise to meet her at The Redford Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco.

Attending the event was a last-minute decision, largely because of both financial and carbon-footprint challenge. The cash problem, surprisingly, turned out to be easier to solve thanks to airline miles leftover from God-knows-when, back when I used to fly weekly, and to my dear friend Anji, who hosted me.

I knew I would see Jonathan and Lisa from The Redford Center, but I had no idea who else might be there. While waiting in line – despite the darkness and dim streetlights, I spotted chef Alice Waters just a few people ahead of me. My heart leapt.

I managed to catch Lisa, whom I have not seen since Copenhagen Doc Festival in 2024 before she was swept away into the crowd. That’s when I saw the chef again.

I really wanted to speak to her – not only because she is the legendary chef who led the farm-to-table, organic, and seasonal food movement in America through her iconic restaurant, Chez Panisse; because she is a fierce advocate for the school food movement through her nonprofit organisation, Edible Schoolyard; or not even because she was recently featured in latest Chef’s Table: Legends.

I wanted to speak to her because the name of my film – and my company – was inspired by her. She coined the term Delicious Revolution and uses it frequently to close an article, or interviews. I said yes to that revolution, joined it and made it my own. I had previously emailed her and her organisation to let them know I am using the name even though there wasn’t any IP attached to it. Judging by the look on her face when I explained this in person, I don’t think those emails reached her.

But being able to tell her in person was so much better.

Despite the noise of the lobby, she spoke like a warrior when she talked about the school food movement – how schools should source produce directly from local farms, and how she is currently writing a book about it. I cannot wait to read it!

I first learned about the farm-to-table movement while studying at hotel school at Cornell. At the time, I didn’t fully understand why it mattered. I noticed more restaurants listing the sources of their ingredients, and assumed it was simply a way to differentiate themselves and charge more until I came across chef Alice Waters. For her, it began with a search for the most flavourful produce. She worked with farmers to grow what she was looking for, and sought to elevate their contribution by putting their names on the menu.

My favourite story of her is her fruit desserts. In season, she serves fresh fruits, whether peaches or a bowl of berries – simply as they are. It is her way of demonstrating that she cannot not create anything sweeter, more complex and complete than what nature already offers. As a chef, her role is to choose the best produce at its peak ripeness and put it on the menu.

I have not yet been to her restaurant, but I have tasted peaches, strawberries, figs, blueberries, raspberries, apples, pears, oranges and more that offer what chef Dan Barber calls jaw-dropping flavours. Why do I even bother adding sugar only to ruin their extraordinary flavours…?

Where do these kinds of flavours come from? The answer lies in the healthy soil and seeds (often open-pollinated, land-raced or bred for flavour). Not hydroponics. Not agrochemicals. Not labs. Not breeding for looks, yields, pest-resistance, uniformity and transportability.

I met Jonathan through the Redford Center when he interviewed me for the fiscal sponsorship program for My Delicious Revolution. During our call, he kindly shared that making films with Jamie Redford helped him understand the challenges of independent documentary filmmaking, and how it was important for him to offer support through the organisation. Although it wasn’t a grant, I felt deeply grateful to be welcomed into the solution-oriented environment activist filmmaking community. I wanted to thank him in person.

Finding him at the event wasn’t easy – most of the men were wearing dark suits. After the main ceremony, as the crowd thinned, I finally spotted him. I may have monopolised his time for a while, but it was so wonderful to speak with him, catch up on everything from life to film. I even got to showed off my photo with Chef Alice Waters and the story behind the film’s title.  Taking a photo with him on the red carpet, with the Redford Center backdrop, was truly special.

Like many people, I once knew the  late Robert Redford only as an actor, until I became interested in environmental filmmaking. He was not only an activist himself, but he and his late son Jamie founded the Redford Center to support independent filmmakers. This year marked the Center’s 20th anniversary! Robert Redford passed away just a few months before the celebration, and Jamie Redford a few years earlier, but their legacy clearly lives on throughout the organisation.

I am also deeply grateful to Anji, my maid of honour and her husband Gaurav. Without them, this trip would not have been possible - they hosted me for five days and helped with ground transportation. We haven’t seen each other since 2018, and despite her busy family and work life, Anji made time for us to reconnect. I told her that dyeing hair gives me headaches, and she replied with twinkles in her eyes, “You can just deal with the headache for one day.” I love this girl!

With lots of love and wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season!

Bumjoo