Featured image: A promotional image from the documentary film City of Gold, which will screen at Robinson Film Center on May 26.
I try not to get too personal on this blog. It is, after all, the official destination blog of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. Occasionally, however, there’s just no avoiding writing in the first person and talking to 20×49.com readers as friends. Which is fine with me, especially when we’re discussing a subject like the work of one of my favorite writers, Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold.

Gold’s life in food writing is the subject of City of Gold, a new documentary film that I will host a screening of at Robinson Film Center on Thursday, May 26. The screening will also include a family-style meal by chefs Tootie Morrison (of Abby Singer’s Bistro) and Gabriel Balderas (of El Cabo Verde) and a presentation about tacos in Shreveport-Bossier hosted by yours truly. We’ll also talk with Morrison and Balderas about sharing their cultures through the food that they create. Tickets are $30 each and may be purchased here. This screening is the latest in a series of RFC events called Food For Thought, which is presented by The Gannett Foundation. The film is rated “R” for language.
Los Angeles, where Gold covers food for the Los Angeles Times and KCRW, is a long way from Shreveport, Louisiana. But, when I randomly picked up Gold’s book Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles, I was encouraged by Gold’s adventures eating in L.A. taquerias to explore the off-the-beaten path international eateries of Shreveport and Bossier City. Since then, I’ve learned that I love micheladas (Mexican beer cocktails), bibimbap (an amazing Korean dish that 20×49.com covered here) and Vietnamese bún bò huế (see the post here), among other things.
This opportunity to view a film about Gold’s life and enjoy some food and conversation comes along at just the right time for Shreveport-Bossier food lovers. We live in a community that seems to be adding taquerias and Asian noodle houses at a rate of a few per week. Please join me for this movie, meal and conversation about what a diverse restaurant culture says about the soul of a city.
If you’re interested in local food, check out the all-new second edition of Eat Here: A Food Lover’s Guide to Shreveport-Bossier.