If you follow along on the Journal, you know that Alabama Chanin is a long-time supporter of the Southern Foodways Alliance. Over the years, we have joined together for countless partnerships, events, and projects: Natalie barbequed dresses for their 2012 Symposium; we created an apron in their honor; we even supplied costumes for their collard green-themed opera. Their values supporting the preservation of Southern food culture and history align with our mission of cultural sustainability in our community. And we always love a good story.

Since the opening of The Factory in 2013, we’ve hosted eight dinners in our community space. Many of these dinners have been, in part, fundraisers for the SFA (along with Alabama Gulf Seafood, The Fatback Collective’s Fatback Fund, and Jones Valley Teaching Farm), featuring guest chefs from all over the South who, themselves, are also avid supporters and members of the SFA—Vivian Howard, Ashley Christensen, and Chris Hastings, to name a few.

On February 25^th, we host a new type of event at The Factory: our first-ever film screening, showcasing some of our favorite SFA documentaries.

Along with a rich musical history, growing local food movement, and burgeoning restaurant scene, Florence is home to the University of North Alabama. UNA has an award-winning Public History Program that collaborates with the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area to help communities preserve and interpret their pasts. The heritage area was officially designated by Congress in 2009 and includes six counties of north Alabama’s Tennessee River water basin. We will host the evening in partnership with the University of North Alabama and its Public History Center. Caroline, a member of our media team (also a senior at UNA), is spearheading the project as part of her Public History program to exhibit the way that food has influenced southern culture and history.

As part of this partnership and with thanks to the Southern Foodways Alliance, Alabama Chanin will show a selection of short documentaries produced by filmmaker Joe York for the SFA. Joe is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and a graduate of Auburn University with a B.A. in anthropology. He received an M.A. in Southern studies from the University of Mississippi and has produced over 30 short films for the SFA.

Join us, on Thursday, February 25, as we celebrate our region’s past, present, and future—and its great food—through film. Tickets are $5 and must be purchased in advance. Beverages and apéritifs will be available for purchase from The Factory Café. Doors open at 5pm. There will be a short introduction, followed by the films, lasting until 7:00pm.

P.S.: You can support the SFA at any time by becoming a member here.