A shift in our regularly scheduled planning: This week’s Fork First looks a little different because it takes place on the silver screen.
The 2025 Coronado Island Film Festival, in partnership with San Diego Bay Food and Wine Festival and Edible San Diego, featured three Culinary Cinema events, each centering around films that have food at the forefront. I was lucky enough to attend “Culinary Cinema: Pairings Savory Shorts,” which consisted of three brief films: “Culinary Art School in Tijuana Celebrates 20 Years of Building Pride and Prosperity,” “Gus Doesn’t Serve Calamari,” and “Lisa Dahl: Blessed by Grace.”
The Sunday afternoon event at the John D. Spreckels Center was lively and full, despite it being the last day of the film festival. Patrons shifted and settled into their seats, snacking on popcorn. The Tijuana film was up first.
Directed by Alejandro Tamayo for the San Diego Union-Tribune, the short backgrounds a culinary school in Mexico and follows one of its graduates to her French-inspired pastry shop. Around five minutes long, the documentary is a compelling account of the power of culinary education and pride.
Javier González, director of Culinary Art School, said he has seen young students’ perception of being from Tijuana shift over the years. “Nowadays, they share it with a lot of pride,” he explained, “even referring to the area code: ‘I am 664. I am from Tijuana. I am culinary.’”
The second film, “Gus Doesn’t Serve Calamari,” rolled immediately after the first one finished. Directed by Isaac Svensson and following executive chef Gus Trejo of Jack O’Neill Restaurant in Santa Cruz, this film touched on the importance of regenerative, sustainable and eco-conscious gastronomy. Out of concern for an inflated carbon footprint, Gus, as the title suggests, does not serve calamari. Even if squid is caught locally, it is often shipped abroad to be processed and then re-imported, creating an unsustainable and unnecessary practice.
Gus asks why we need to transport goods and foods around the world when there is so much in our own backyards.
“Why not do something that is unique to an area or region?” He says, “I want to know where my food comes from.”
Applause carried us into the beginning of the third and final film, the story of a Sedona-based chef and the unfathomable loss of her son Justin, who was stabbed to death at age 24. Directed by Eric Wolfinger, “Lisa Dahl: Blessed by Grace” was an emotional journey into the tenacity, grit and dedication Dahl has shown not only in the kitchen, but in life.
Following the death of Justin, Dahl moved to Seoda to start over, and her illustrious restaurant career became her “new baby.” Over the years she became one of the key players in the Sedona fine dining scene. Dahl is credited with turning Sedonda into a “food destination.”
“You are going up there [Sedona] for Lisa Dahl,” says TV personality Tara Hitchcock.
The nearly 30 minute documentary was met with thunderous applause. After a Q&A with the films’ directors and producers, we got the main course: a feast of Lisa Dahl’s famous soup and empanadas.
Dahl’s “Soup Hope” is a vegan, gluten-free, nutrient-dense stew she created with the intention of distributing it to people who are experiencing food insecurity, and we were lucky enough to try it along with her al pastor empanadas.
Dahl, driven by exceptionalism, passed out every plate to the patrons, ensuring it was up to her high standards. Excitedly, I bit into the empanada. The flaky golden exterior gave way to a juicy, porky interior. No frills, no over justification, just a damn good bite sized snack. The soup was equally enjoyable, drizzled with olive oil and rich with flavor. Lisa said you wouldn’t be able to tell the soup was accommodating to so many dietary restrictions, and I agree. Hearty, filling and creamy, it wasn’t what I would have expected.
The event ended with an announcement and sampling: In collaboration with Montesquieu Winery, Project Soup Hope is releasing a limited edition 2022 Mendocino cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay exclusively for the film festival’s 10th anniversary. All proceeds will go to support Project Soup Hope, in Justin’s honor. Eric Wolfinger shot and designed the label.
I sampled both, enjoying the familiar bright notes of California-grown grapes. Simultaneously pure in flavor and complex, I am always fond of a Mendocino wine. However, I am most excited about a wine with a good cause.
