Launched in 2008, the Gulf Coast Food Project (GCFP) is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Center for Public History and the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston. Its mission is to bring food studies research into the classroom and community. The GCFP believes the meaning and importance of food is so woven into quotidian rhythms of every passing day that we often miss what it can tell us about who we were, who we are today and what we might become.

Since 2013, the GCFP has developed short documentaries and other video projects to highlight the diversity of this incredible region we call home. We are constantly expanding our projects and horizons, and later this year we plan to launch a new series, “One Great Dish,” which will highlight — dish by dish — the diversity and richness of the Houston food scene. We are excited that our partnership with My Table magazine will feature some of our students’ work. Please feel free to contact us through our website with feedback, ideas or suggestions — we’d love to hear from you. — Temple Northup, Ph.D, co-director of the Gulf Coast Food Project

Farm to Table focuses on the local/slow food movement, which centers on local farming and knowing where the food you eat comes from. In this video, owners of local restaurants talk about supporting each other in the local market and keeping local money in Texas.