Tom Colicchio Sets 'A Place at the Table'

"It's easy to demonize parents and say they're making bad choices, but when a gallon of Coke is cheaper than a gallon of milk, and you have very little money, you'll do anything to keep your kids from crying at night," says Tom Colicchio. The Top Chef head judge has teamed up with his wife, documentary filmmaker Lori Silverbush, and Kristi Jacobson to "change the face of hunger" in their new documentary A Place at the Table, which hits theaters, ITunes and On Demand on March 1st. Tom serves as Exec Producer, while Silverbush and Jacobson co-directed and produced.

Tom points out that while many perceive hunger as a "third-word issue," it's not the case. 50 million Americans, including one in four children, are food insecure. "Too many people want to believe that people are hungry because they're lazy. I don't know of anyone who wants to be poor," Tom says.

The documentary, which features commentary from Jeff Bridges and Colicchio himself, follows three struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader who often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her hardworking mother can afford.

We sat down with Tom to talk more about the project:

'A Place at the Table' with Tom Colicchio

Watch the trailer:

For more about the film and the cause, go HERE.