grits and gout du terroir: the taste of place in southern food culture

Grits and Gout du

Terroir: The Taste

of Place in

Southern Food

Culture

Devin Yeomans1

Michelle R. Worosz 1,2,3

Auburn University1Department of Agricultural

Economics and Rural

Sociology2Alabama Agriculture

Experiment Systems3Institute for Food Systems

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Introduction

Increased interest in “alternative” foods may now be a

social movement, or a set of social movements in

response to industrial agrifood system.

Restaurant chefs may contribute to this movement by

creating meanings and symbols surrounding food.

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Literature

Agrifood

Barriers (eg.,Schmit, 2012; Curtis & Cowee,2009 )

Farm to Table (eg., Pepinksy&Thilmany, 2004)

Terroir (eg.,Bessiere, 1998; Van Leeuwen, 2006)

Social Movement

Framing Processes (eg., Benford & Snow, 2000; McArthy & Zald, 1977)

Collective Action Frames (eg., Polleta & Jasper, 2001; McAdam et. al, 1996)

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Research Questions

1) How do key decision makers within the restaurant industry perceive their ability to influence social change surrounding local food issues?

2) What beliefs and values influence sourcing decisions within the restaurant industry?

3) What barriers do restaurant chefs face as they incorporate local ingredients into their menus?

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Research Questions Cont.

4) How do executive chefs use the idea of terroir

to create a sense of place that is unique to the

Southeastern United States?

5) How might romanticizing Southern foodways

mask historical and current instances of

injustice?

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Methods: Data Collection

Pretest

Snowball Sampling

30 interviews with chefs using local ingredients

Semi-structured interview guide

Observation of signage, website, menus, and wait staff

IRB Approval # 14-050 EX 1402

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Social

Change

Beliefs and

Values

Barriers to

Local

Sourcing Terroir

Collective

Action

Frames

Customer

behavior

Consumer

education

Chef

involvement

in the local

food

movement

Chef beliefs

Chef values

Access

Barriers

Price

Barriers

Supply

Barriers

Ecology

Culture

Production

Quality

Localness

Symbols

Meanings

Language

Methods: Analysis

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Participants

14 are male

Restaurants

12 are privately owned

4 are corporately owned

1 hotel

1 private country club

1 regional chain

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Findings: Local Sourcing

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30%-80% of ingredients

Benefits to producers, consumers, and community

Barriers

Findings: Themes

Defining Local

Creating the taste of the South

Seeking Authenticity

Chef Connections

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Theme: Defining “Local”

Degrees of “localness”

Relationships

“I went in search of making first name acquaintances and looking for how I could attach a

first name to my food instead of a brand name.”-Executive Chef at privately owned restaurant-

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Theme: Taste of the South

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Identity, place

Preserving a history

Gourmet Southern

comfort food

Theme: Seeking Authenticity

Advocacy

Imagery

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Theme: Chef Connections

Chef Network

Collaboration

Birmingham Chefs

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Next Steps

18 interviews

Analysis of Data

Black Belt

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Conclusion

Chefs point of view provides unique

perspective of local food movement

Investigates “celebrity chef” potential to

influence movement

Examines glamorization of Southern food

culture and the consequences

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Thank you!

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Contact Me

Devin L. Walker

Email: DLW0015@auburn.edu

Cell: (334)294-8911

Michelle R. Worosz

Office: 334-844-5682

Fax: 334-844-5639

E-mail: mrw0016@auburn.edu

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