• The Skinny Pancake in Burlington

More than two years ago, Vermont PBS partnered with Burlington-based crêperie the Skinny Pancake to produce a six-part docuseries exploring the current state and future of Vermont's local food system. Now, after 24 months of research, filming and postproduction, "The Local Motive" will make its public debut later this week.

Pulling information from more than 60 interviews with Vermont farmers and food workers, the filmmakers take a deep dive into the issues and innovations shaping Vermont's local food system, from on-farm production to processing to distribution to institutional consumption and waste.

What's the takeaway? "Each episode kind of builds to an aha moment," says Skinny Pancake co-owner Benjy Adler. One of the more inspiring things he noticed during production, he adds, was the sheer force of will it takes to move food from farm to plate. "Sometimes there is a bulkhead of work that [has to happen] to put a project or organization over a hurdle or hump, [before] it can operate successfully," Adler says. "[So] often, making that happen came down to individual passionate people."

Stoked to check it out? PBS and the Skinny Pancake will host the series' premiere screening this Thursday, January 19, at 7 p.m., at Main Street Landing Film House in Burlington. At-home viewers can catch episode 1 on Vermont PBS (broadcast or online) at the same time; on Friday, January 20, at 1 a.m.; or Thursday, January 26, at 9:30 p.m. on Vermont PBS Plus.