By: debbie lynn elias
I know it’s been a pressure cooker for myself and filmmakers Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker since Los Angeles Film Festival 2008 waiting to see if a distribution deal would come along for one of my “Must See Festival Films” – PRESSURE COOKER. Receiving a special commendation for Best Documentary at LAFF, I knew it was only a matter of time before things would get cooking for this little gem.
Philadelphia has a strong presence in this festival and PRESSURE COOKER is one of the reasons. All you need to do is take a look in room 325 of Frankford High School and watch the woman known as Wilma Stephenson. A culinary arts teacher for the past 38 years (as far back as when Culinary Arts was known as “home ec”), Wilma Stephenson is a whirlwind, a force of nature; a force that has propelled her students into earning millions of dollars in college scholarships over the years, with $750,000.00 being earned by 11 students alone in 2006 and over $500,000 in 2007. This statistic is staggering at any school but at Frankford High where over 40% of the students never make it to their senior year, this is mind-boggling.
Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a national nonprofit organization which as been added to the curriculums in economically deprived high schools in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Tidewater, VA and in Arizona. It provides a program for preparing students for careers in the food service industry, in part by providing scholarships through its independent culinary scholarship program, the largest in the US. It is through C-CAP that Stephenson saw a way for “her kids” to get out Northeast Philly. And it is because of director Jennifer Grausman’s father , Richard, who founded C-CAP in 1990 that Grausman became enthralled with the program and stories of excellence and achievement her father would bring home from work. One such story was Wilma Stephenson and Frankford High.
PRESSURE COOKER follows on the apron strings of Stephenson’s class for a full year. Starting with the first day of school, we learn Stephenson’s mantras, her non-nonsense demeanor, her striving for excellence and perfection, and her love and devotion to her students. From prom dresses to homecoming games, there is nothing that she won’t do for her kids. And there is nothing that they won’t do for her. She is as tough as nails but she is one of the most beloved and dedicated teachers I have ever seen.
As with any class, there are always a few standouts and C-Cap is no different. Although the class is limited in size to 13, Grausman chose to focus on three unique stories – the lives of Erica Gaither, Tyree Dudley and Fatoumata Dembele – in and out of the kitchen. Erica helps raise her younger sister who is legally blind and physically disabled. It is Erica with whom Stephenson is perhaps the closest, clearly taking on a maternal mentoring role in the girls’ young life. At the time of filming, Tyree was named to the Pennsylvania All-Star football team and although it was in the cards for him to get a football scholarship (which he did to Bloomsburg), Tyree was well aware of the pitfalls of the game and potential for injury and wanted a career. His talent and career choice are in food service. Fatoumata came to the US from the Ivory Coast four years ago speaking no English. In that short time, she learned fluent English, maintained a 4.0 GPA and hoped for an education to take her away from her family and its old customs and allow her to thrive in the America.
With cameras in the classroom, Grausman kept the crew to a minimum of 3 people so as not to interfere with Stephenson’s instruction or get in the way of the student’s training. For events like homecoming, the prom, the C-CAP finals and high school graduation, two crews were used. Each day, during class, before school and after school, the main focus was to hone the student’s skills preparing them for the C-CAP scholarship competition. Intent on capturing the complete C-CAP student experience, Grausman also shot the three primary targets in their homes, providing a well rounded look at the character and class of each of the three, building the emotional connection for the audience to each of them. You want to see each and every one of these kids do well. You want to see them win the C-CAP scholarships. You want to see their dreams fulfilled. But through it all, there is life, love and laughter and above all, hope, encouragement and inspiration. By the time the cooking finals roll around in June, Grausman has built her own pressure cooker as I guarantee you will find yourself on the edge of the seat awaiting the announcement of the winners at the Philadelphia Four Seasons Hotel as anxiously as Wilma Stephenson clutching and twisting her white linen napkin.
Directors – Mark Becker and Jennifer Grausman
