Laurie Berger
Chef Tyler Florence Is ‘Uncrushable’
By Laurie Berger, Food + Drink Editor
You’ve seen him on the Food Network, 16 cookbook covers, California tourism commercials, maybe even in the kitchen of his Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco. Now, Tyler Florence is going behind the camera to tackle a topic close to his heart – global warming.
In his new documentary Uncrushable, the celebrity-chef-turned-activist brings to the screen a gripping story about the Napa/Sonoma wildfires, and the unbreakable spirit of Californians in the face of disaster. With graphic shots of burning houses, walls of fire surrounding Highway 101, and residents fleeing at 2 a.m., the film is both a wakeup call and message of hope.
Florence, who was born in South Carolina, worked in New York City and now calls northern California home, fed thousands of firefighters as they fought one of the deadliest blazes in the state’s history. He also orchestrated a Thanksgiving Day “relief feast” for 500 victims and first responders in partnership with pop-up producer Outstanding in the Field: The “crescendo at the end of the film,” he calls it.
Warning that wildfires are the “new normal,” Florence hopes Uncrushable inspires viewers to take action against global warming. “I’d like you to do two things this week,” he told a sold-out crowd at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. “Do a random act of kindness in your community, and have a conversation with someone about climate change.”
The film is a turning point for the 48-year-old Florence, who’s going on his 23rd year as a Food Network star. In addition to shooting new seasons of The Great Food Truck Race and Bite Club, he’s also working on a feature-length movie with Harry Potter director Chris Columbus, video partnerships with lifestyle brands, and a new steakhouse for the Golden State Warriors.
We sat down with the multi-hyphenate chef to talk about the making of Uncrushable, and get the inside scoop on his “second act.”
How did you come to the Uncrushable project?
Tyler Florence: The movie fell into our lap. The State of California tourism arm reached out to us and paid for it. They wanted the human-interest side of this story to be told.
We shot it in 30 days for $500,000.
The first half of the film is very graphic. How did you get that footage, and how hard was it to interview residents while their homes were burning down?
TF: Our access was unprecedented. The firefighters let us go (behind the fire lines) to film. We also tweeted out requests for cell phone footage and received first-hand video of people evacuating their homes at 2 a.m. and driving down highways surrounded by 20-foot-high flames with trees falling all around.
It was terrifying. The PTSD is still there—and still pretty raw.
The film’s storyline changed during shooting. Can you explain what prompted that?
TF: We always planned to do an event called “The Grateful Table,” to counterbalance the message that California burned down. But (as we filmed), what became important was the heart and spirit of people who rallied around their neighbors. The Grateful Table ended up being a spoke in the wheel of the 2017 wildfire story.
California is your adopted home. Why was this film so important to you?
TF: Although this was about a natural disaster, there’s a positive message. It’s the story we really wanted to tell: Here in California, we’re strong and resilient, and we’ll be there for each other.
You went back to northern California in 2018 during the Camp Fire that devastated the town of Paradise. What did you do there?
TF: I brought a handful of chefs from my restaurant, rented an Airbnb and cooked for 10-12,000 people a day in the shelters. We filmed that, too, because from a historical standpoint, these stories should be chronicled and told.
What needs to happen to prevent another fire in 2019?
TF: We have to do something about California’s power poles. They’re an antiquated form of energy and a death trap that needs to be fixed right away. It could take a century to bury them underground, but that has to happen.
Is there an interim solution?
TF: Yes, we also need to create an effective emergency warning system. In San Francisco, alarms sound when the fog rolls in. We should have alarms when fire rolls in, too. These systems need to be placed in remote, fire-prone areas, signaling everyone to “get out now.”
According to Cal Fire, 14,000 people signed up for the state’s emergency response text notification system in 2016. After the 2017 fires, more than 350,000 people signed up. That’s a huge tech advantage. We need to prepare because this can happen every year now.
You’ve talked about the increase in domestic climate refugees. Can you explain what that means?
TF: When a disaster hits, people get displaced. It happened in Florida, North Carolina, Texas, the Midwest, and now California.
At any time, there could be 30-40,000 people from neighborhoods just like yours, who don’t have a place to live anymore. We need to mobilize quickly and be (on the scene) in less than 12 hours. That means putting up tents, creating villages and mobile kitchens, and creating a sense of calm for those communities.
My dear friend Chef Jose Andres, who started World Central Kitchen, had a team on the ground within 72 hours feeding evacuees of the 2017 fires (and again last November with a Thanksgiving meal for Camp Fire victims).
As a chef, do you feel a social responsibility to helping people in need?
TF: Chefs and restauranteurs are social connectors. We serve a lot of food every day and can organize quickly. When a natural disaster hits, there’s no economy class; fire could care less if you’re rich or poor. So, as caregivers, we provide a positive and beneficial expression of love.
Switching gears now…what do you predict will be the top food trends in 2019?
TF: Korean food is going to become really, really hot. Filipino food will be popular, too. It’s a mix of Chinese and Spanish, a pretty special hybrid of cuisines.
Let’s talk about the emergence of young chefs. What’s driving this trend, and are they worthy of their craft?
TF: There’s definitely a new generation of young people, age 10, 11 and 12, who have a serious interest in food. Media, tech and access to information has produced the youngest new generation of chefs America has ever seen. And these teen chefs are just killing it. They’re coming from YouTube and Instagram.
So, what’s next for you?
TF: I was so fortunate to be at Food Network in 1996, when everything started to ignite. Now, it’s becoming more of competition-reality network. They no longer cultivate a single chef for 4-5 years of seasons. I’d have a hard time replicating my success if I had to start today.
Now, I’m trying to make a graceful transition from front to back of camera. I feel that gravitational pull.
Where do you plan to distribute Uncrushable?
TF: We’re talking to Netflix and HBO now. That’s the new pipeline if you want to get into a lot of homes quickly. Since this is my first film, I’m also doing the festival circuit because I want those laurels on my poster. But it’s not my last movie.
Do you have a specific film in the pipeline?
TF: Ten years ago, I optioned the movie rights for a book called Death in the Truffle Wood. It’s a dark comedy with truffles, murder and sex that takes place in a small village in Provence around truffle season. It was written by French crime writer Pierre Magnan in 1978. Chris Columbus, who directed the first three Harry Potter films, has signed on to do the project.
What other projects are the works?
TF: We just signed a deal with the Golden State Warriors to do a steakhouse in San Francisco’s new Chase Arena; that will take up most of 2019. I’m also shooting new seasons of The Great Food Truck Race and recently launched a Food Network show called Bite Club.
Through my Monarch Collective production company, we’re also creating lifestyle content for 12 California-based clients including Williams Sonoma, Rocky Rosie Chicken and a huge salad company with national distribution.
So, we’re evolving into an idea factory. That’s where I see myself, going forward. I’ll be 48 in March. I’m thinking about the “second act,” and how to manage the back 9.
