Nov. 10: Last weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at the annual conference of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs in Rhode Island. What a delightfully high energy event that was! A wide variety of chefs, farmers, and writers attended my talk on whether climate change is going to redefine what we mean by "sustainable food." […]
Taking the Farm Bill Rhetoric Personally
Politics makes strange bedfellows and even stranger dinner plates. Amidst much controversy, the Farm Bill reached the Senate floor on Monday and created some unusual alliances. As the San Francisco Chronicle put it, “Seldom in Washington do such coalitions develop that unite the Bush White House and the group Environmental Defense on one side, and […]
Sustainabilty Movement is Burning the Candle at Both Ends
I had the pleasure of speaking about sustainability to two very different groups this week. On Monday I addressed a set of business executives who work for companies that have signed the United Nations Global Compact – "a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles […]
You Are How You Eat
An interesting poll from Grist.org asks its readers about an environmentalist’s food choices. Yesterday, more than 1,500 people had voted and the results were as follows: "An environmentalist should be…" a vegetarian (12%) a vegan (29%) mindful but not rigid about diet (47%) concerned with things other than food (12%) I just checked back today […]
The Magic of California Big Ag…How to Make Small Flavors Disappear!
Someone has just brought me a lovely head of Traviso from her CSA box. This is one of my favorite greens and sadly enough the first thought that came to my mind was…how soon before this flavor disappears in California? At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, I’m afraid that we might be on […]
Finding a Can of Beans at the Top of the Beanstalk.
Some months ago, we started toying with the idea of extending business opportunities for our small local farmers by encouraging the local processing of their harvest. Soon enough I ended up with several #10 cans of locally and sustainably grown green beans on my desk to the dismay of my peers and our CEO. The […]
Bigger Is Not Better….So what’s new?
A series of new studies reported in the SeattlePI.com tells us that the bigger the produce the less the flavor and nutrient value. "Big" produce, grown for its yield, size and color is the hallmark of "Big" ag and the reason we can feed more people for less money. But, the fact that these foods […]
Not Your Average Joes
The connection between our food and where it comes is at best loose and flimsy for many people that live the Western World. This is as true for chefs as it is for the average Joe. But not this Joe…Joe McGarry. Joe M is one of our senior chefs in the Northwest Region. Low key […]
Making it real with a cup of coffe and and an ear of corn.
The bite of sweetness from the raw "just picked" corn was a welcomed balance to the bitter black coffee I was drinking. It is 7 AM in Ann Harbor, Michigan (4 am Pacific Time, the zone I’m still on) and I am tasting my way through the farmer’s market with a few peers. We are […]
Time for a New Approach to the Farm Bill
With 400 cafes and restaurants across the country, Bon Appétit chefs must source a significant volume of local foods from sustainable farms to feed our guests every day. As joyfully as we approach this task, the current American agricultural system is unfortunately designed to make our jobs much harder. Despite the recent boom in sustainable […]