The phrase "farm to table" is used a lot in foodie circles. In this Sky Full of Bacon two-part podcast, I'll show you what it really means-- from the farm to the slaughterhouse to the kitchens of five of Chicago's top restaurants.

Mike Sula of the Chicago Reader has been writing about the rare mulefoot pig for the last year and a half. (See here: chicagoreader.com/wholehogproject) Now the Reader has enlisted award-winning chef Paul Kahan, of Chicago's Blackbird, to plan an elaborate six-course dinner showcasing the meat of these pigs and the sustainable, humane way in which they're raised. In Part 1, Mike Sula and I visit the farmers and consider the paradox of why eating an endangered pig breed could be the key to saving it. And we talk to several of the chefs about why raising pork humanely and using the whole animal matters to them. (Warning: video does contain vivid footage of meatcutting.) More info at skyfullofbacon.com/blog (19:57)

Update 3/23/09: The two There Will Be Pork videos have just been nominated for James Beard Foundation Awards, in the multimedia category along with the "Whole Hog Project" Chicago Reader stories they accompanied.