Series, filmed in Somerset-Pulaski County and eight other Kentucky cities, will be the subject of a panel titled ‘You Belong Here: Where Food Meets Memory, and Memory Meets Home’
NEW YORK (May 13, 2025) — An eight-part docuseries by actors Steve Zahn and Rick Gomez of Macaroni Art Productions, featuring Somerset-Pulaski County and funded in part by Lake Cumberland Tourism, is an official selection for Tribeca X, Tribeca Festival’s two-day summit celebrating storytelling at the intersection of brands and entertainment.
At the summit, scheduled June 9-10 in New York City, top leaders in entertainment, marketing, and media join to discuss the art and business of storytelling. The docuseries, called “You Belong Here,” is an exploration of memory, generational legacy, and the seasonality of life through the eyes of Kentucky Chef Ouita Michel. The series will be the subject of a panel at the summit featuring speakers Zahn (producer), Gomez (director) and Michel, and moderated by Lucia Moses, senior media correspondent at Business Insider.
“You Belong Here” features nine Kentucky cities — also including Lexington, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Louisville, Paducah, Corbin, Versailles and Northern Kentucky — where Michel delves into universal human themes while celebrating the food, people, and places that are the fundamental ingredients of community. In Somerset-Pulaski County, local viewers will recognize film locations like Haney’s Appledale Farm, Next Level Properties and the Master Musicians Festival, and enjoy conversations between Michel and Somerset barbecue legend Johnny B. Perkins, Get Ur Smoke On owner/chef Josh Anderson, and singer/songwriter Bee Taylor, who also scored all of the music for the series.
“Working with Macaroni Art Productions has been life-changing and proof that dreams do come true,” Taylor said. “I’ve wanted to be involved in music for film and television for some time now, and having my song catalog serve as the guiding voice throughout the ‘You Belong Here’ season is beyond a blessing. Ouita Michel is my spirit chef. Being on camera with her, rolling out pie dough one minute and then performing on the MMF stage later that night in Somerset created core memories I’ll never forget. To all the wonderful folks at Macaroni, Holly Hill, Somerset, MMF, and the state of Kentucky, I love ya more than peach pie. Thanks for making this life so sweet.”
Lake Cumberland Tourism Executive Director Michelle Allen said it was an honor for Somerset-Pulaski County to be invited as a partner in this series, a love letter to Kentucky communities where storytelling lives in the soil. Spearheaded by Visit LEX, funding for the project was available through the Kentucky Department of Tourism and American Rescue Plan Act.
“We are so grateful for the opportunity and the funding to participate in this project,” Allen said. “And now to see that Kentucky’s story — and Somerset-Pulaski County’s story — will be featured on the national stage at Tribeca X is so exciting. I am confident that the film team captured some of the most beautiful, delicious and inspiring stories of our community, and I cannot wait to see it on screen.”
Michel said the project simply wouldn’t be possible without partners like Lake Cumberland Tourism.
“Bottom line — we couldn’t have made ‘You Belong Here’ without our tourism partners across the state,” Michel said. “From the initial application to our first screening, we were constantly aware of their ongoing support and encouragement. And being able to visit such diverse communities across Kentucky was incredible. We knew we could never tell their entire story, so we focused on giving voice to the persons and qualities that we felt made those places unique. And we hope that their humanity and conviction and pride in their Kentucky home comes through in the storytelling; it’s the best testament to our wonderful state that we can think of!”
Learn more about “You Belong Here” by visiting https://www.hollyhillandco.com/ybh.
