Group Hug to Everyone Who Made the Common Ground Film Premiere a Huge Success

Naturally Chicago hosted the local premiere of the Common Ground regenerative agriculture documentary at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre on November 18, and we will fondly remember it as one of the very best events in our organization nearly five-year history.

The film was inspiring and moving, and the post-screening panel of experts — which included filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell, who traveled to Chicago for the viewing — advanced the message of the movie . The attendees in the packed theater were filled with dedication to advancing the cause of better-for-people-and-the-planet natural products, and with the joy of community.

And the pre-screening VIP reception was replete with delicious food from Steingold’s of Chicago, Windy City Mushroom and Theo’s Plant-Based Beet Jerky; refreshing libations from Judson & Moore and Silver Tree organic distilleries and Greenstar Organic Brewery.

Without further adieu, here is our shoutout to the supporting hosts, partners and promotional partners who made the event such a success.

Poster on display at the Music Box the night of the Common Ground premiere

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t say thanks again, the amazing world-changers who participated in the panel discussion.

Josh and Rebecca Tickell: The filmmakers, a married couple, have been producing impactful documentaries about environmental protection and destruction since 2007. Kiss the Ground, their 2020 prequel to Common Ground, helped educate people from all walks of life about why regenerative agriculture is better for people and the planet (and it was based on Josh's 2017 book, Kiss the Ground: How the Food You Eat Can Reverse Climate Change, Heal Your Body and Ultimately Save Our World).

Chef Rick Bayless is best know for helping popularize regional Mexican cuisine through his Chicago-based Frontera Restaurant Group and his Mexico One Plate at a Time TV cooking show. But Rick is also one of the nation's leading supporters and benefactors of small farms. Over two decades, his Frontera Farmer Foundation has made millions of dollars in outright grants to small Midwestern farms. He was also a founding Board member of Green City Market, Chicago's most influential farmers market, and for many years has been a primary customer for the pasture-raised meats produced by Indiana rancher Greg Gunthorp.

Dr. Silvia Abel-Caines pursues her passion for regenerative agriculture at her Garlic eScape farm in Woodstock, Illinois. Silvia, who grew up in Dominican Republic, came to the U.S. to obtain advanced degrees in veterinary medicine, settled in the Chicago area, and for the past dozen years has been ruminant nutritionist for the Organic Valley dairy products company. Her desire to grow using regenerative practices prompted her to start a tiny garlic farm that is expanding thanks to a partnership with The Conservation Fund's Working Farms Fund.

Rick Clark, who is featured in the Common Ground film, is a 5th generation farmer from Williamsport, Indiana. An early convert to regenerative farming practices, his main goal is to build soil health and achieve balance with Mother Nature. He is most proud of incorporating regenerative farming practices with all acres being certified organic. He calls it regenerative organic stewardship with no tillage. He also cares deeply about human health, as it is another important driver behind the organic no-till style of farming, and he is building a system that will be viable and profitable for generations to come.

Stephanie Dunn is founder and executive director of Star Farm Chicago, a non-profit urban farm and landscaping service located in the under-resourced Back of the Yards neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. She brings a wealth of skills to the organization as a licensed general contractor and farmer. In addition to managing just shy of an acre of urban space, she helps build and maintain the farm's infrastructure, and is a staunch advocate for disability rights and the inclusion of women in positions of leadership in the sustainability field.

Jim Slama is managing director of Naturally Chicago, a growth-focused Good Food and Natural Products association co-founded by the CEOs of three industry leaders: KeHE, SPINS, and Presence Marketing. Naturally Chicago recently launched Locally Made, a program to give local companies access to major retailers and get promoted on shelf. He previously founded and ran the Good Food Expo, which created markets for many local and sustainable farms and brands; played a key role in facilitating the start of Whole Foods Markets' Local program in 2006; launched the first food financing conference in America in 2009 in partnership with University of Chicago Booth School of Business; and with Whole Foods created the Good Food Accelerator to support numerous early-stage companies, many of which are women owned and/or minority owned. 

Naturally Chicago looks forward to producing more impactful events such as these as we work together to build a healthier and more sustainable food and natural products system.

Last but not least, the amazing VIP reception menu from Steingold’s of Chicago.