Increased interest in “alternative” foods may now be a social movement, or a set of social movements in response to industrial agrifood system.

1. Grits and Gout du
Terroir: The Taste
of Place in
Southern Food
Culture
Devin Yeomans1
Michelle R. Worosz 1,2,3
Auburn University
1Department of Agricultural
Economics and Rural
Sociology
2Alabama Agriculture
Experiment Systems
3Institute for Food Systems
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2. 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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3. 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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4. 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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5. 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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6. 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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7. 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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9. 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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11. Findings: Local Sourcing
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 30%-80% of
ingredients
 Benefits to
producers,
consumers, and
community
 Barriers

12. Findings: Themes
 Defining Local
 Creating the taste of the South
 Seeking Authenticity
 Chef Connections
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13. 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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14. Theme: Taste of the South
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 Identity, place
 Preserving a history
 Gourmet Southern
comfort food

15. Theme: Seeking Authenticity
 Advocacy
 Imagery
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16. Theme: Chef Connections
 Chef Network
 Collaboration
 Birmingham Chefs
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17. Next Steps
 18 interviews
 Analysis of Data
 Black Belt
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18. 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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19. Thank you!
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20. 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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