Cafeteria Man (Richard Chisolm 2011) : USA

Review by : Bethany Burns. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Metro Theater.

 This film was exactly what I was hoping for an expecting. A man with a plan and the drive to pursue his goal to help other people.  Tony Geraci, known as a “rebel chef” took on the Baltimore public school food system and pushed for a drastic change in what the children were being fed.  Starting with one school, and moving forward at as quick of a pace as bureaucracy allowed him to.

These under funded inner city schools were feeding their students overcooked, frozen, and then recooked pre packaged meals delivered to them in plastic tubs. There were even children featured in this film who had never tasted or seen a peach before that didn’t come in a can. Toni came in and inspired an entire city to reform their system and to purchase produce from local farms to feed to the children. He organized field trips to these farms, and encouraged parental involvement within every aspect of the changes he was making.

He made quality not only affordable but desirable.  He brought in portable green houses for students to grow their own lunches. He taught the students how to prepare their own food, and gave them a better understanding of why it is so important to take care of your body.  He fought through the red tape, the let downs, and the ignorance of others. He was even disinvited to the White House for creating “meatless mondays” within the schools.

Above all he formulated a plan and stuck to it until it was finished. He made promises to students and kept them. He showed a group of children who were so used to being ignored, that they had a voice and that their opinion mattered too. I don’t think there are many things more important than fostering a child’s dreams. To have the ability to be that shining example, and to open new pathways for youth to follow is a blessing Tony zero’d in on and has since created a ripple effect. If only there were more chef’s who shared his passionate drive.