Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners is happy to announce that it will serve as the exclusive wine partner of the award-winning documentary, A Fine Line, during its nationwide Screening & Tribute Tour. Directed by filmmaker Joanna James, A Fine Line chronicles the challenges faced by female chefs in the male-dominated culinary industry. The screenings will take place throughout March, during Women’s History Month, and will pay tribute to the accomplishments of women heroes changing the world through food. The tour will kick off March 1st at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where Emmy-winning TV host Lidia Bastianich will be honored for her contributions to the culinary industry.
The timely documentary explores why less than 7% of head chefs and restaurant owners are women, while addressing important issues about equality in the culinary field, and beyond. In addition to screening A Fine Line, the March events will include mouthwatering food and wine receptions, as well as inspiring panel discussions featuring prominent chefs, including Cat Cora, Lidia Bastianich, Tanya Holland, Tiffany Faison, Leah Chase, Carrie Nahabedian and Mashama Bailey, as well as women farmers, winemakers and food activists. As the film’s exclusive wine partner, Distinguished Vineyards will be pouring wines from MacRostie Winery and Vineyards and Markham Vineyards during receptions for each screening. In addition, MacRostie Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen will be on the panel for the kick-off March 1st screening, and also at the March 29th screening at the MacRostie Estate House in Healdsburg. Markham Winemaker Kim Nicholls will be on the March 8th panel in Washington D.C. and the March 30th screening at Markham Vineyards in Napa.
“A Fine Line is an important film that grapples with themes at the heart of our national conversations right now, including workplace harassment, equal pay, paid parental leave, and gender equity in relation to career advancement,” said Steve Myers, Distinguished Vineyards managing director, North America. “As a company committed to equality and social equity, we are honored to help bring awareness to these issues. Our hope is that these screenings will facilitate meaningful conversations about gender diversity and women leadership within the workplace, while also sparking real change.” To drive this change, Joanna James has launched MAPP, the film’s impact campaign designed to champion mentorships, affordable and accessible childcare and paid parental leave, with the overall goal of increasing women in culinary and hospitality leadership.
Screenings for A Fine Line will take place in the following dates in the following cities, and tickets are available on Eventbrite.com for all dates, except as noted below:
March 1st – The Culinary Institute of America, honoring Lidia Bastianich, Hyde Park, NY
March 3rd – New England Food Show, featuring Tiffany Faison, Jody Adams, Joanne Chang & Valerie James, Boston, MA (Tickets through the New England Food Show)
March 7th – Vermont Women’s Fund, Burlington, VT (Sold Out)
March 8th – Ana G. Mendez University, honoring Amy Brandwein and Amelia Ceja, Washington, D.C.
March 9th – Independence Gardens, honoring Cat Cora, Dallas, TX
March 12th – Johnson & Wales University, Denver, CO (Tickets through Johnson & Wales)
March 21st – National Hellenic Museum, honoring Carrie Nahabedian, Chicago, IL
March 25th – The Historic Savannah Theatre, honoring Mashama Bailey of The Grey, Savannah, GA
March 26th – Nicholls State University, honoring Leah Chase, Kristen Essig & Ann Milnek, Thibodaux, LA
March 29th – MacRostie Estate House, Katina & Kyle Connaughton of Single Thread and Heidi Bridenhagen, Healdsburg, CA
March 30th – Markham Vineyards, Kim Nicholls, Napa, CA
April 1st – Tanya Holland and The Slow Food Movement, Airbnb Headquarters, San Francisco, CA
In addition to Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners (MacRostie and Markham), partners of A Fine Line include The James Beard Foundation, Les Dames d’Escoffier, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, Cookgirl Nation and SheChef.
Visit www.afinelinemovie.com to view the movie trailer, and to learn more about the MAPP initiative. For screening updates, you can also follow @afinelinemovie on social media.
