Independent Lens
Breaking the News
A group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists, bucking the white male status quo, launch The 19th*—a digital news startup that asks who has been omitted from mainstream coverage and how they can be included.
The Grocery List Show
Host Chrissy Camba, former Top Chef contender, and guests visit international grocery stores across the U.S. and cook together, illustrating how cuisine can forge cultural connections.
- Series
- Independent Lens
- Premiere Date
- May 28, 2025
- Length
- 5 episodes x 10 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Short-Form Open Call
Producer/Director
Emily Strong
Emily Strong is an award-winning filmmaker who tells unique stories that express humanity through food and culture. She was a DOC NYC 40 Under 40 honoree, produced Keep Moving Forward (Big Sky Documentary Film Festival) and A Letter for Sang-Ah (Loni Ding Award for Social Justice). Her directorial debut is Tasting Heritage.
Producer
Diane M. Quon
Academy Award-nominated Diane Quon is an independent producer, whose documentaries include: the Oscar-nominated Minding the Gap, aka Mr. Chow, Emmy Award-nominated Finding Yingying, Emmy Award-nominated Wuhan Wuhan, Oscar short-listed Bad Axe, Breaking the News, and Surf Nation. Diane is a member of AMPAS and the PGA.
- Other ITVS Films
- Breaking the News
- Minding the Gap
- Untitled Scientist Project
We fund untold stories for public media.
Learn more about funding opportunities with ITVS.
The Film
The Grocery List Show explores international grocery stores and the communities they serve throughout the U.S. The series features former Top Chef contender Chrissy Camba who joins special guests as they shop for ingredients, chat with food enthusiasts, and cook together—celebrating global food traditions in a shared meal.
The series is comprised of five episodes, each beginning with a brief history of a selected neighborhood, spanning Chicago, Brooklyn, and New Jersey, looking at the migration and formation of immigrant communities. The focus then shifts to the chosen stores, whose specialties include Filipino, Caribbean, Latin American, Italian, and halal food. Chrissy and guests meet store owners, employees, and customers before returning to the guest’s home with their newly bought ingredients. As they prepare food together, camaraderie and intimacy develop that continues in a meal shared among friends and family. They relay personal stories and family histories while discussing their heritage and traditions around food.
The Grocery List Show celebrates the varied communities and cultures that make up the United States, bridging divisions of politics and class. Viewers can learn regional history, observe the creation of new dishes, and develop kitchen skills. The series also allows audiences to discover new places, explore different cultures, and deepen their comprehension of the world around them. Food can be a reminder of similarities among people and serve as a means of connection and understanding.
