Meet the Local Food Leaders

The idea of “being a Food Leader” can be a bit abstract and confusing. It is definitely different from being a Food Entrepreneur, which is a leader who takes the initiative to create something that does not currently exist in their society. Being a Food Leader is more diverse, it is something everyone can be.

How to become one? Well… You don’t have to “startup” your own food project–even though that would be really awesome! Food leaders first focus on their relationship with food, make changes as they feel needed, then share and learn with others their experience. It requires is one understand why we eat the way we do and then have the motivation to make improved food decisions everyday. Every bite, every dollar, every hour has an impact on our food system.

Now don’t get me wrong, we need entrepreneurs and change makers greatly in society. Many of them begin the dialog, ask the initial question (Why doesn’t UT have an academic program to study food?!)… But not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Great teams are full of leaders with unique and individual skill sets.

Being a Food Leader doesn’t mean you have to make all of the decisions, but you will to have to understand how you play an important role in changing the food system. So begin to ask yourself, why do I eat the way I do? Am I ok with that? Why? Why not?

These were some of the questions UT Food Studies Alumni Alejandra and I decided to ask some of the Local Food Leaders at the 2012 Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) Conference. We wanted to understand what do “Food Leaders” do and more importantly why. So, we created a short video for you, the next generation of food leaders, to help inspire your food studies and projects. Share it with your friends, teachers, mentors, co-workers and everyone who loves food, because we can all become Food Leaders simply by beginning to use food as a lens to understand ourselves and the world around us.

Great thanks to all the Food Leaders that participated in the video and sharing their story.

Jerry Cunningham, Proprietor of Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill
Alexandra Maria Landeros, Writer and Editor for Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Nick Latham, Founder of My Country Co-op
Brandi Clark, President of Austin EcoNetwork
Marla Camp, Publisher of Edible Austin
Ronda Rutledge, Executive Director of the Sustainable Food Center
Michael Olson, Author of Food Chain Radio and MetroFarm.com
Patty Lovera, Assistant Director of Food & Water Watch
Dustin Fedako, CEO of East Austin Compost Peddlers
Aurora Porter, Marketing & Communications for Vital Farms
Scott Price, Consultant for Slow Money Austin and SRP Consulting
Kathryn Hutchison, Marketing for Greenling.com & VP Austin Food Blogger Alliance
Judith McGeary, Executive Director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Pamela Walker, Author of Growing Good Things to Eat-Texas A&M
Kelsey Coto, President of Food Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
Ellen, Blogger/Educator for The Homegrown Revival
Heather Frambach, Outreach Manager for HOPE Farmers Market
Evan Driscoll, Farm Hand at Green Gate Farms
Jessie Griffiths’, Chef/Owner of Dai Due Supper Club

Special thanks to Edible Austin, Slow Food Austin, Greenling, UT Food Studies and Alejandra Spector for sponsorship and support producing this video.

Video Produced by Daniel “Asiago” Heron

For Those Concerned About Eating Right: Where Can You?

If you are reading this blog, you most likely have done some research into the issues that currently plague the American food system. A person who starts with a concern over the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that our foods are grown with, might then learn of the hormones and antibiotics given to the animals we breed, after which they hear word of the genetic modification of organisms (GMOs), and finally end up panic stricken by the understanding of the harmful chemicals in the packaging that seep into our food. With this knowledge, how can we eat anything at all? Starting this last January, I began my own quest to eat right, or what some food advocates describe as “real food”, and found that while it can be trying, it’s more about finding the good in our food system than simply making a complicated diet with a list of foods you can’t eat.

Photo courtesy of In.gredients

How to prepare a Food Entrepreneur

Reflecting on the success of the Food Studies Project (FSP), I am happy to call ourselves “Food Entrepreneurs”. Less than year ago, I did not have a real understanding of what the word “entrepreneur” meant. Then, at the beginning of the Spring 2012 semester, I caught myself in front of a panel of judges at the Dell Social Innovation Challenge pitch stating that I am a “social entrepreneur” for food.

We, the undergraduate students, initiated some really neat programs and resources with no financial support. We did it because we are passionate about improving the world’s relationship with food. Some of us want to create businesses, some want to educate, and others want to simply share the joy of food. In my mind, all of these students taking the initiative to create websites, food carts, magazines and journals, food tours, gardens, and campaigns, are Food Entrepreneurs. As a graduating senior, my role now in Food Studies is to inspire these students to act and create their own amazing food projects and help them connect with others in UT Food Community.

So what does it take to innovate as a Food Entrepreneur?

To make a Food Entrepreneur, you first will have to learn how to deal with ambiguity. Things change so quickly and it can be scary navigating an unknown path. You must be willing to commit to the cause and be flexible to change because creating something new brings unpredictable results. The key is to be curious about the complexity of your project and never fear the unknown; make it your mission to enjoy the journey of learning and applying your studies. Prepare yourself for change because when you can move beyond your bias and old thought process, you will find a bounty of opportunities and connections.

1) STUDENT PASSION:

We have to sacrifice for belief in the outcome. UT students can become the next generation of food entrepreneurs. We must have intensity for things that matter: health, culture… College seems to promote individualism over collaboration, which is great for self-drive, but it is a flaw to believe we can tackle everything alone. We must unite all the food initiatives on campus and share our knowledge about food. Food Studies is interdependent. We connect and share ideas, help motivate and support each other to actively engage. Together we can beneficially impact our world food system.

2) ACTIVITY ENGAGEMENT:

Get involved. We all have different understandings of food, so it is difficult to appeal to all students’ tastes, but whatever your food studies interests are in, whether it is engineering, health, government, or the arts, we all must learn about the world we have created around food in order to improve the way we eat. Food Studies is the space for food leaders to come together to EAT, LEARN, and DISCUSS about our relationship with food and the world we have created around it. We must set big goals and build a community to challenge each other’s conceptions, share our food studies projects, and research. We are the immediate future; the time to act is now.

3) SUSTAINING MOMENTUM:

Food Studies receives wonderful fan mail from both professors and students. It is really rewarding to hear a freshmen mention that our Educated Eater program arose their consciousness about the relationship they have with food. Watching students engage in discussion about food systems, expanding their conceptions about food, and sharing their food culture has been such a rewarding experience. It was undergraduate students that started connecting the dots and built the foundations of an interdisciplinary food studies program at UT; we, the students, will create the demand for food studies at the University of Texas at Austin. However, faculty & staff have the power to create the actual academics, and it is their responsibility to keep the student voice involved in the conversation and decision-making. We are the next generation of food leaders; it is important to provide us with professional opportunities to apply our food studies and create the education we want.

As Student Food Entrepreneurs, our passion comes from our studies, our experience comes from actively improving initiatives on and around campus. In the Food Studies Project’s case, we have created the foundations of a food studies program at UT and helped bring together the UT Food Community. The project has led us to a new path full of opportunities to improve our food systems. Several of graduating seniors of FSP and I have introduced our new venture, The Food Lab. The Food Lab is a non-profit organization that will develop and support innovative businesses focused on reinventing our global food system. Meanwhile, we will continue to sustain the momentum of Food Studies at UT Austin. In order to tackle world food challenges, I believe college students are the first stage of the incubating solutions. They are the immediate future… full of passion and desire to change the world. Investing into their food education will produce new and improved attitudes towards food and make for the best Food Entrepreneurs.

Soy: Not Fit for a Boy?

Much of my food-related writing is pretty light-hearted and very sarcastic, but be warned that this article is going to be pretty weighty and personal. Enjoy! No pictures, unfortunately.

It is a treat that you get to learn about what a “foodie” eats when not on the job, so I am providing a little snippet about my eating style when I’m not eating out, and I eat out a lot. I actually binge-eat—not in the sense of overeating outrageous amounts of food—but in the sense of eating a whole lot of the same item. I have had binges of sweet potatoes, corn, popcorn, whole wheat crackers, chips… not at the same time, mind you. One item that I had a bout of binging stopped me dead in my tracks. In my freshman year of college, I was daily eating handfuls of dried soybeans a day, edamame pods (“fresh” soybeans”), and chunks of tofu in dining hall salads. This was by no means all of my nutrition, but essentially, soy filled the gaps for a lot of my meals and snacks. I figured it was healthy, and heck, it tasted good.

We often find ourselves taking what we learn in academia, specifically in the science field, for granted. It is hard to understand many concepts such as hormones or physiological maladies until they become tangible. For me, that is exactly how I felt about my nutrition and anatomy curricula. Then, in the winter of 2010, everything learned in my science courses became all too personal and real.

Just in my sophomore year of college, I felt that there was seriously something wrong in my body. I was constantly feeling cold, I would fall asleep randomly due to fatigue, and my skin was developing a yellow tint. At one point, I fell asleep during a DUB-STEP concert! My emotions were in a constant state of instability.

Sure of my own knowledge of the endocrine (hormone) system, I diagnosed myself with low thyroid. The thyroid gland produces thyroid hormone, which stimulates metabolism, energy production, and pretty anything that keep your motor running. I was certain that I was deficient in this hormone. Worst case scenario would be to remove my gland and take life-long supplements. After finals concluded for the semester, I went home to see my friend’s mother, who is a nurse practitioner with her own practice. She ran some blood tests and called me back with wonderful news: my thyroid hormones were within normal levels. Then came the life-changing news: my testosterone levels were abysmally low, far lower than any healthy males’ levels, regardless of age.

Reverence and Love

In December I had the opportunity to attend a talk given by Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson. Though the discussion covered many topics, it was essentially about humanity’s place and influence on the natural world and how our need to control it is doing us more harm than good. Agriculture may be the biggest culprit. Wes Jackson said, “The problem with agriculture is 10,000 years old.” That is to say that it is an inherently flawed way of feeding humanity.  This may come as a surprise to some, and it certainly did for me, but this was precisely what sparked my own interest in agriculture. It was the moment I personally realized that a change in the agricultural system was our best hope for the future, and that a profound change in the way we grow food will result in profound changes in our world and how we relate to one another. We currently live in a society that values efficiency over decency and profit over people. Progress. Efficiency. Results. These were the things that were supposed to save our species, but as I look around me, I see crumbling economies, wars, hunger, and the decimation of natural resources. Is this what progress looks like? Can a machine replace a human? Does the outcome justify the means no matter how cruel? These are the questions I ask myself as I try to navigate through this insane society we have created.

(source:http://www.123people.co.uk/s/wes+jackson)

Wendell Barry linked the rise of drug abuse and addictions to the ever-increasing mechanization of the work force, especially the agricultural sector. He argues that when thinking is taken out of work, the place we spend much of our time, life has a tendency to lose meaning. We become drones filling our unsatisfying lives with substances and consumer goods. In the documentary “King Corn” the filmmakers document the typical life of American corn famers. They demonstrate exactly what Barry is talking about; the planting can be done in the span of a few hours by one or two farmers, a tractor, government subsidized seeds, and heavy pesticide use. The farmer, who is entrusted with one of the most vital jobs in the nation is so undervalued and under paid that he seeks other employment opportunities in mostly unskilled labor to supplement his income. He works in monoculture so he cannot feed his family from the farm and he becomes, in essence, a puppet of the state.  Those who pick the fruit and vegetables suffer an even worse fate. The great majority of them are undocumented, uneducated migrant workers who are often housed in near confinement, perform back breaking, monotonous labor in fields sprayed with pesticides, which causes them to suffer much higher rates of certain cancers and respiratory illnesses.

GMOverdramatic

Its a common axiom among some people interested in food that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are a bad idea. This sentiment ranges in intensity from those who think organic food is simply more nutritious to people who believe GMOs are destined to destroy the human race. Much like Brittany’s post about local food, I think this opinion might need a closer look. The following is by no means the whole discussion on GMOs, but hopefully it will raise some questions and lead to some good discussion.

I think the biggest reason people mistakenly demonize GMOs has nothing to do with the crops themselves, but rather the companies that produce them. The predatory nature of companies like Monsanto has been lamented by farmers and activists around them globe. Perhaps these business practices could be a topic of another post (or five or six posts!), but they really have nothing to do with the product.

It is also likely that the incredible rise in the popularity organic foods might have led some to dislike or distrust genetically engineered (GE) foods. The logic here seems valid at first glance: organic food is better, so GE food must be worse! But a closer look reveals several inconsistencies. Consider the Bt pesticide. Bt is a bacterium that has insecticidal properties but is considered safe for humans. Because Bt is naturally occurring, it can be used on organic crops without risk of losing organic certification. Not long ago, scientist discovered a way to insert genetic information from Bt into the genome of certain crops like corn and cotton. These “Bt crops” produce the same insecticide as the Bt bacterium and have been very successful since becoming available in 1996. Bt crops cannot be considered organic because of this genetic modification. So which is really better? Humans are still ingesting the Bt byproducts that have been proven safe (even the Europeans use Bt as a pesticide!), but the Bt crops do not require the additional environmental burdens of using water and burning fossil fuels that are required for pesticide application.

Waste Not Want Not: Lessons from My Grandparents

 A typical Mexican Jewish meal with my family

This Thanksgiving I reflected on the hundreds of times I have gathered around my grandparents’ dining room table.  I thought of the all the meals we had prepared and eaten together, the homework assignments tackled, and the hot cups of coffee enjoyed while sharing stories of the past.  Their early experiences with food have shaped the way I view food and waste, and the lessons they gave me as a child are still the most valuable I have ever received.

My grandfather was born to an upper-middle class Jewish family in New York City a few years before the stock market crash of 1929. When he was still a toddler his father died unexpectedly, and his mother was left to care for four children. The stress, compounded by the failing economy, was too much for her and she descended into madness. My grandfather and his siblings were left to fend for themselves. He would tell stories of growing up on the streets of Brooklyn, but mostly he spoke about being hungry. These childhood experiences with hunger would shape him. He was an excellent cook, spoke of his favorite foods with religious zeal, would eat crumbs off the table, and became very upset if food was thrown away. He was also the most thorough chewer I have ever met. He chewed everything at least forty times (including Jell-o!), believing it was both good for digestion and that it made the eating experience more enjoyable. He died last year at the age of 85 and I am sure his appreciation for good food was responsible for his longevity.

My grandmother was born to poor farmers in Northern Mexico. Their knowledge of the land combined with thriftiness meant she never experienced hunger. She taught me how to cook and the only time she scolded me was when I wasted food. “You cook like you’ve never been hungry,” she would say if I cut too much off the end of a chili or tomato. One time I cleaned a knife that still had some chopped onion on it and she said, “Chefs waste so much food…better to be a cook.” Her inability to say anything directly has always frustrated and fascinated me, but the message was clear: Food is sacred and cooking is an act of love.

Local Food: Consider the Consequences

From: http://bit.ly/v3hH2c

Eat local? Eat organic? Eat meat? Eat imported?

The food choices that we make can have long-term — and often unintended – consequences. Simply look to the history of agriculture, rife with examples of (occasionally) well-intentioned policy gone bad. Farm subsidies in America, for example, began during the Depression era and were meant to help farmers stay in business during years when supply was low. The producers of America’s food supply would stay in business even during a drought and the government could have a hand in keeping consumer prices in check. Seems like a good idea, right? Unfortunately, government subsidies do not work miracles; instead of their intended effect, subsidies have given us our current food production system. Subsidies have fostered the emergence of crony capitalists –  lobbyists from agriculture companies who snuggle up with Congressmen to ensure continued financial support –  in the food system. Subsidies allow for artificially low-cost junk food, the burning of food for fuel (which could lead to food shortages), and the damaging practice of growing monocultures on the same acreage, year after year, with no thought given to the long-term viability of the land.

With the serious consequences of food choices and the policies that we advocate, it’s vital to think critically about any potential food philosophy. So how does the locavaore view hold up?

The followers of the “Eat Local” philosophy are often environmentalists looking to do their part to contribute to a healthier planet. They want to cut back on the use of oil and fossil fuels, reduce their “carbon footprint,” and control the pollution that often comes from large-scale farms and CAFO’s. While this certainly isn’t representative of everyone who buys their groceries from local farms and business, it is the prevailing view of the activists of the movement. Those with their eyes set on the future and involved in policy initiatives. They envisage a smog-less skyline and healthy, nutrient-rich soil. They pine for the food that our grandparents ate and the days when nature could be free to be nature, free from human intervention.

Two of their platforms may, ironically, be two of the least environmentally friendly. The concept of “food miles” and the anti-GMO stance.  I’ll look at food miles in this post and save a discussion of GMO for my next.

The Scientist

This video has been out for a while, but I only just saw it. It took me by surprise while I was at the movies a few nights ago. I was having a nice conversation with my roommate when this video came on before the previews, and we both fell silent. I was eager to see where the video was going, what the point of it was. I knew it had something to do with sustainable farm practices, ethical treatment of animals, or organic food or something. The suspense was daunting, but when the end finally came, I was confounded. I was expecting to see an advertisement for PETA or Slow Food, something of the sort, but instead, I saw Chipotle.

I always knew Chipotle was different from other fast food restaurants, but I didn’t know it was such an advocate for naturally raised food. I was intrigued. After visiting the Chipotle website, scavenging through their links, and reading through their history, I found out a few interesting things about Chipotle I hadn’t known before. Maybe you haven’t either.

The carnitas at Chipotle is probably my favorite item to order on the menu, and now I know why. Turns out Chipotle sources 100% of their pork from farmers who follow these guidelines: raise animals in a humane way, feed animals a vegetarian diet, never give animals hormones, and allow the animals to display their natural tendencies. To add to that, 85% of their beef is sourced from farmers who follow the same guidelines, and they won’t stop until they reach 100%. Chipotle also tries to buy locally (within 350 miles from the store) when it can. Overall, I was just very impressed as I read through their facts and philosophies. There are many other initiatives Chipotle is taking to make the world a better place. Take a look for yourself here.

I was equally impressed with the video as well. I felt it went through the evolution of industrialization of food in a simple and understandable manner. I especially liked the part at 1:10 when the video shows the farmer’s remorse of how he raised his animals. I’m sure a lot of farmers feel the same way and are conflicted between providing for themselves and raising good, respectable food.

I think Steve Ells, the founder of Chipotle, is on to something good. Maybe his business model can act as a catalyst of change, and other restaurants will start doing the same. Until then, support your local Chipotle.

FYI: McDonald’s doesn’t own Chipotle. McDonald’s was an investor until 2006. Chipotle is now it’s own public stock on the NYSE.

Pulling Mozz

Andrea, il casaro. Photo by: J. Agyemang

This is Andrea. He is probably one of the happiest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He’s a very generous man, and always gives his customers generous samples of cheese, even though he knows they have already had a taste. His cheese is the best cheese I have ever tasted in my life, and it’s probably because he himself put in the blood, sweat, and tears to make it (not literally). Along with fresh ingredients and a happy spirit, I think any food can be just as tasty as his cheese.

His philosophy: Ask questions, listen to the answers, and enjoy life with the people you love most.

When I was in Italy this past summer with the UT Nutrition program, I had the opportunity to help the local cheese maker make mozzarella cheese. It was by far one of the coolest and most fun experiences I’ve had in life.

Cheese making in Syracuse, Italy starts at 4am, when Andrea, the cheese maker or casaro, drives up to his little cheese shop in his little van full of milk. Every morning, he makes the one and a half hour journey to Ragusa to get milk from some of the best, and happiest cows in the country so that his mozzarella will be extra fresh and extra tasty. I remember almost being run over when he finally arrived that morning. I think he was in a hurry because he was running behind schedule. Upon his arrival, we began to help unload all the various cheese products he brought from Ragusa such as pecorino (sheep) cheese, little cheese wheels, and a whole lot of other cheese products, obviously. When the time came to pump the milk from the van to the back of the shop, he stopped us and began to tell us the most important trait of the milk that was sitting and waiting only a short distance away from where we were standing. “Il latte è vivo!” “The milk is alive!” he said as he flashed his hands at us as if they were flashing lights. This means, that the milk is unpasteurized and still contains the original bacteria in it that comes from the cow. The bacteria in the milk helps in the fermentation process and gives the cheese a distinct and fresh flavor.

After hours of inoculating and stirring large containers of milk, sticking our hands in boiling water, and pulling mozzarella, we were finally done, and he sent us all home with a small package of pecorino cheese and thanked us for our help. On my walk home, (by this time, it was 7am) I began thinking to myself, “Why is the food system is so much different here than it is in the states?” Every city I visited in Sicily had a fresh market that was open daily with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, bread, and cheese, all very affordable too. I can’t ever remember spending more than €10 ($15) at the market for a few days worth of food. I think the majority of it has to do with lifestyle and life views. The views of success in the states and in Sicily are quite different. Most people I spoke with in Sicily preferred a slow and humble lifestyle viewing success as living a long happy life with friends and family, while most people in the states are fast paced and want to be recognized for anything and everything, viewing success as having money, and a lot of it (in general of course). I know a lot of different factors come into play when it comes to our current food system other than just philosophical views, but ultimately, I think that’s what it comes down to.

The people get what they ask for.