Tell your story

One of my top-5 movies is American Beauty with Kevin Spacey.

(Probably because it arrived in 1999, about the time I realized my middle-aged high-profile professoring life with four daughters was falling apart and divorce would inevitably ensue — it did).

american.beautySpacey has long shown his form as actor, but got it particularly right when he told a conference recently,It begins with knowing what story you want to tell. Everything else will follow.”

Southwest Louisiana farmers were urged to become more effective leaders and better spokespeople for agriculture Tuesday during the Jeff Davis Parish Chamber of Commerce’s annual Farmers Appreciation Breakfast.

Bobby Soileau, director of the LSU AgCenter’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program, shared experiences from the program with the group of 150 farmers and agribusiness leaders.

“If we get people who are better spokespeople for Louisiana agriculture, I guarantee you can make a difference whether it’s in your community or your commodity, whether it’s in the state or nationally,” Soileau said.

“We have people who have been through our program that can make that kind of difference.”

Most of the program comprises lecture-based seminars on communication skills, but the most fun part is getting people out of their comfort zones and thinking about their passions, Soileau said

“Because if you tell your story, it makes a difference,” he said. “People will believe you.”

Sure, this guy is no Kevin Spacey, but tell your story.

Ice can cause food safety headache; Savannah vendors pay a hefty price

Amy and I were talking about Savannah, Georgia, yesterday – the self-proclaimed home of southern charm and hospitality — and how we stopped and walked around town while traveling in 2009, did some sightseeing, and left unimpressed.

Curt Bridgett likes the place and decided to open an Italian ice cart.

The Savannah Morning News reports that in a town teeming with tourists, especially during the sweltering summer months, Bridgett thought Little Jimmy’s Italian Ices would be a hit. What he hadn’t counted on was that getting a business off the ground takes a lot more than a good idea and the willingness to work hard.

Dealing with zoning ordinances, health codes, licenses and permits and a host of other paperwork has become a job in itself. He’s realizing what many small and micro-business owners have learned — that entrepreneurship comes with a price.

Bridgett said, "I don’t understand why my business is illegal. Why can’t I just make a living?"

According to the Chatham County Mobile Food Service Unit Checklist, Bridgett must have:

— A hand-washing sink with hot water
— An electric cooler/freezer
— A bricks-and-mortar home base such as a restaurant or commercial kitchen in which food containers or supplies are kept, handled, prepared, packaged or stored for transport, sale or service elsewhere

Bridgett currently has a solar-heated gravity water tank, an insulated cooler and a storage facility for his product, but those don’t meet the standards.

"It’s just flavored ice," Bridgett said. "It has no dairy, nothing to spoil."

C. Todd Jones, Chatham County environmental health director said,

"Just because something isn’t cooked doesn’t mean that it isn’t prone to cross-contamination or harboring bacteria. The rules apply equally, whether we are inspecting a large, well-known restaurant or a small mom-and-pop operation. Although it may seem like a blanket approach, it is our job to make sure that anyone selling food items — and ice is considered food — is taking the proper steps to avoid contamination."

And he argued there have been cases where something as innocuous as ice has caused harm including outbreaks involving hepatitis, E. coli, norovirus and salmonella