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As sustainable farming gains a higher profile, the public television series, “Chefs A’Field,” comes at an opportune time. The half-hour program travels to different regions of the country and follows the relationship between a chef and a vendor–be it farmer, cheesemaker, cattleman or fisherman–committed to artisanal products and sustainable farming. The focus is on seasonal foods; each program concludes with a visit to the chef’s kitchen and a demonstration of dishes using the day’s bounty.
The Midwest trip starts in Madison, Wis., where Odessa Piper of L’Etoile stops at the Dane County Farmers Market and then travels north to visit dairy farmer Grant Burdick and artisanal cheesemakers at LoveTree Farm. Viewers spend a typical day at the farm, starting with milk gathered from the gentle Jersey cows, then on to LoveTree’s cheesemaking room and eventually into the deep recesses of the caves where the cheese is aged. A lot of technical information is imparted in a palatable manner. (After watching this show, you will never fear cheese mold again.) Piper’s recipes–roasted vegetables in parchment and poached pears in riesling–look easy and scrumptious.
Though “Chefs A’Field” is the first cooking program produced in high definition television, we were more impressed with the subject matter, skillful camera work (apparent even without HDTV) and leisurely pace that celebrates its subject without getting preachy.
“Chefs A’Field” will air at 12:30 p.m. Sundays beginning March 16 on WYCC-Ch. 20, the station operated by City Colleges of Chicago. (WYCC may appear on a different channel in some cable systems.) The show’s Web site is chefsafield.com.
PHOTO (color): Among the Midwestern stops of “Chefs A’Field” is the Wisconsin dairy farm of Grant Burdick, pictured with a Jersey cow.