slow food usa

HRN was proud to work with Slow Food USA as a media partner for the Slow Seed Summit, which took place on May 13 - May 15, 2022.  For three days, hundreds of people from around the world gathered virtually to discuss the regeneration of our world’s foodways to advance good, clean and fair food for all. Each day focused on a new lens through which attendees listened, shared and planned the future of our climate, health and food justice. 

We took a moment during this rousing Global Slow Seed Summit to pause, slow down and reflect with some people in our network who have done much reflection on the key theme of this summit: Regenerating our Climate, Health and Connection. Our featured authors  have written about so many aspects of this theme, and today we put a special focus on Women, Seeds and Community.  You'll hear from John Hausdoerffer, Kaylena Bray, Heather Swan, Anjanette Wilson, and Katherine Kassouf Cummings. 

John Hausdoerffer is the editor of What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be? and  Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations. His books “Catlin’s Lament“ and “Wildness“ ​imagine how environmental health must come from and result in the healing of deep histories of social injustice and cultural trauma.  

Kaylena Bray (Haudenosaunee/Seneca)  is Turtle Clan from the Seneca Nation of Indians whose work throughout the Americas has served to educate and strengthen vital links between Indigenous food systems, local economies, and climate change adaptation.  

Heather Swan is the author of the poetry collection A Kinship with Ash (Terrapin Books), the chapbook The Edge of Damage (Parallel Press), and the creative nonfiction book Where Honeybees Thrive: Stories from the Field (Penn State Press), which won the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award.  

Anjanette Wilson (she/hers) is a first-generation college student and first-generation Filipino American who found community in seed saving through traditional Filipino practices and currently serves as the Development Coordinator at Global Seed Savers where she works to aid the dismantling of systems of oppression by preserving the Filipino Culture through seed saving. 

Katherine Kassouf Cummings is a Lebanese-American writer and editor born to and living on the ancestral homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires (Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa) as well as the Menominee, Miami, and Ho-Chunk nations. She co-edited the book What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be? (University of Chicago Press, 2021) and serves as Managing Editor at the Center for Humans and Nature, where she leads the Questions for a Resilient Future and the Editorial Fellows program. 

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HRN was proud to work with Slow Food USA as a media partner for the Slow Seed Summit, which took place on May 13 - May 15, 2022.  For three days, hundreds of people from around the world gathered virtually to discuss the regeneration of our world’s foodways to advance good, clean and fair food for all. Each day focused on a new lens through which attendees listened, shared and planned the future of our climate, health and food justice. 

Returning seed to their communities of origin is important for maintaining biodiversity, ownership and security.   In this talk, hear from Dr. Rebecca Webster, Shelley Buffalo, Kirsten Kirby-Shoote, and Rosebud Bear Schneider. 

Dr. Rebecca Webster is an enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation and a founding member of Ohe∙láku (among the cornstalks), a co-op of 10 Oneida families that grow 6 acres of traditional, heirloom corn together. She and her husband also own a 10 acre farmstead where they primarily grow Haudenosaunee varieties of corn, beans, and squash. They started a YouTube Channel called Ukwakhwa (Our Foods), and their family formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Ukwakhwa Inc.

Shelley Buffalo is an enrolled member of the Meskwaki Tribe, also know as the Sac & Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa. Shelley served her community as Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Coordinator and now offers consultancy for food sovereignty and local foods initiatives. She is an advocate for indigenous foodways, food justice, and rematriation. The Meskwaki are unique in that their land based community is a settlement, not a reservation. 

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HRN was proud to work with Slow Food USA as a media partner for the Slow Seed Summit, which took place on May 13 - May 15, 2022.  For three days, hundreds of people from around the world gathered virtually to discuss the regeneration of our world’s foodways to advance good, clean and fair food for all. Each day focused on a new lens through which attendees listened, shared and planned the future of our climate, health and food justice. 

We took a moment during this rousing Global Slow Seed Summit to pause, slow down and reflect with some authors in our network who have reflected on the key theme of this summit: Regenerating our Climate, Health and Connection. In this talk, hear John Hausdoerffer, Dr. Devon Peña, Dr. Enrique Salmon, and Dr. Lindsey Lunsford. 

John Hausdoerffer is the editor of What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be? and  Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations, and his books “Catlin’s Lament“ and “Wildness“ ​imagine how environmental health must come from and result in the healing of deep histories of social injustice and cultural trauma.  Dr. Devon Peña is Co-Founder and President of The Acequia Institute,  manages the foundation’s 181-acre ‘almunyah’ in the bottomlands of Viejo San Acacio, CO, and is the author of Mexican-Origin Foods, Foodways, and Social Movements: Decolonial Perspectives. Dr. Enrique Salmon is author of “Eating The Landscape,” a book focused on small-scale Native farmers of the Greater Southwest and their role in maintaining biocultural diversity.  He has also recently published “Iwígara: The Kinship of Plants and People,” an ethnobotany of 80 plants important to American Indians.  Dr. Lindsey Lunsford is a scholar activist and agriculture advocate. Dr. Lunsford’s doctoral research focused on the restorying of African American food systems and foodways for the pursuit of cultural justice and food sovereignty.

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HRN was proud to work with Slow Food USA as a media partner for the Slow Seed Summit, which took place on May 13 - May 15, 2022.  For three days, hundreds of people from around the world gathered virtually to discuss the regeneration of our world’s foodways to advance good, clean and fair food for all. Each day focused on a new lens through which attendees listened, shared and planned the future of our climate, health and food justice. 

The focus for May 13 was Seed Preservation and Food Security, where they explored the question: "Can the act of seed preservation ensure food security?" In this opening keynote, Slow Food Vice President Edie Mukiibi talks about the state of Slow Seeds globally.  While living and working in Uganda, Mukiibi has focused his career on advancing ecological and organic agriculture and food systems throughout rural and urban areas in Africa. He serves as the executive director of Slow Food Uganda, has been a key stakeholder in the Slow Food Gardens in Africa program, and is an agronomist, food and agriculture educator, and social entrepreneur. Mukiibi is an advisory board member for Agro Ecology Fund and Food Tank. He was also included in the Forbes’ The Next 50 Awards: The Future of Gastronomy list.

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Paul Willis is the Founding Hog Farmer at Niman Ranch. He and Caity Moseman Wadler discuss his journey as a fourth generation Iowa hog farmer who became a game changer in the sustainable meat market. They also explore the importance of agricultural issues in rural elections, the ecological impact of industrial agriculture on our waterways, and the importance of supporting young farmers. Earlier this year, Paul Willis was inducted into the Heritage Radio Network Hall of Fame for his work improving our food system and his passionate work making humane and environmentally friendly pork accessible to consumers.

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We're back from Slow Food Nations – a festival of flavor, culture and exploration organized by Slow Food USA. This year's gathering focused on identifying tangible solutions to problems in the food system and developing specific actionable items for positive change.

Towards the end of the festival, the Slow Food International press office sent an email with the subject line “Slow Food Nations embraces equity, inclusion and justice in food.” It outlined Slow Food USA’s formal commitment to food justice and dismantling structures that perpetuate inequity and exclusion. It just so happens that it intersects nicely with HRN's mission of making the world more equitable, sustainable, and delicious….

Today, we bring you three interview excerpts that embody the new Slow Food USA manifesto:

EQUITY: John Ikerd holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and spent much of his career at Land Grant Universities. He believes that there is a way to solve the issue of equity. It requires us to view food as a public utility and place a larger emphasis on human relationships.

INCLUSION: Adrian Miller served as the Deputy Director of President Bill Clinton’s Initiative for One America – the first free-standing White House office in history to examine and focus on closing the opportunity gaps that exist for minorities in this country. After leaving the White House, Adrian became a writer focusing on soul food – using his expertise to elevate voices of color in the food world.

JUSTICE: Tara Rodriguez Besosa participated in the Slow Food panel, When Disaster Strikes, that grappled with topics like vulnerable communities, food waste on a large scale, and devastation. Tara speaks with HRN about her efforts to decolonize Puerto Rico’s food system and help farmers rebuild after last year’s devastating hurricanes.

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Our theme song is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Photo via slowfoodnations.org
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Sheila Bowman is the manager of Culinary and Strategic Initiatives at Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Sheila was trained as a marine scientist and works with chefs, media, and industry to help make environmentally sustainable seafood the norm when sourcing “better food.” In 2014, the National Audubon Society recognized Sheila as one of their “Woman Greening Food.” For eighteen years, Seafood Watch has been the leading source of science-based recommendations for the seafood found in the U.S. market. They’ve distributed over 60 million of their popular pocket guides and nearly two million copies of their app have been downloaded, making it easy to choose ocean-friendly seafood.

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Mona Esposito is co-founder of Noble Grain Alliance, a non-profit aimed at restoring heritage grains to Colorado and supporting and recreating the network of farmers, millers, and makers needed to make a regional grain economy thrive. She is currently working with growers, chefs, bakers, and consumers as a heritage grain consultant. With degrees in art history and linguistics, a career in photography, and an Italian mother, Mona was perfectly poised for a life of travel, food, and wine. She is as at home in the garden as in the kitchen and was raised with the notion of food and place. She has been an avid baker for over ten years and is passionate about the use of 100% heritage whole grains in her baking and an advocate of the superior nutrition and flavor you find in whole grains.
Find out more at, www.thegrainlady.com

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Peter Ruddock is Coordinator at the California Food Poilicy Council. He is also an active in a number of grass-roots non-profits like, Slow Food, Slow Money, Transition Palo Alto, and the San Mateo County Food System Alliance. He is the Coordinator of the California Food Policy Council.

Meighen Lovelace is the founder of Mountain Harvest Consulting which is a community farm and four season greenhouse for the Vail Valley Salvation Army and providing year round fresh produce for the food bank. Meighen also serves on the National Advisory Committee for the Alliance to End Hunger.

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With over twenty years of experience at the helm of his three-Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, and thanks to his innovative energy, chef Massimo Bottura is considered one of the world’s leading culinary figures. In the last years, Massimo decided to apply his creativity and social sensitivity to the issue of food waste, and dedicate himself to the creation of community projects around the world by founding, in early 2016, the non-profit organisation Food for Soul.

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Julie Schaffer is the newly elected co-chair of Slow Food USA and Heritage Foods USA. Julie is also the liaison to the Network of Governors. Having lived in Georgia for 35 years, Julie founded Slow Food Atlanta in 2000. She served as leader of the Atlanta chapter for ten years, and went on to serve as regional governor for the SE region before being elected to the board of directors of SFUSA.

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Andrea Spacht is a sustainable food systems specialist for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). NRDC works to make America’s food system more efficient and less wasteful. Andrea focuses on making our food system more efficient, sustainable, and equitable. She is working to create strategies that can be implemented at various stages throughout the supply chain, including on farms, within cities, and by companies.

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John was raised on a small dairy farm in southwest Missouri and received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri. He worked in private industry for a time and spent thirty years in various professorial positions at North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Georgia, and the University of Missouri before retiring in early 2000. Since retiring, he spends most of his time writing and speaking on issues related to sustainability with an emphasis on economics and agriculture. He is author of six books which are available for purchase online. In 2014, Ikerd was commission by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations to write the regional report, “Family Farms of North America,” in recognition for the International Year of the Family Farming. John is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project.

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Executive Chef Chris Starkus helms Urban Farmer, Sage Restaurant Group's modern farm-to-table steakhouse, in lower downtown Denver. At Urban farmer, Chris focuses on in-house whole animal butchering and sustainable practices like his rooftop bees and window-grown micro greens, along with soul nourishing sides, soups and salads inspired by each season's abundance. Chef Chris also operates his own micro-farm with his family nearby in Lakewood, CO.

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Alon Shaya really loves food. He loves cooking it, being around it, learning about it, and teaching others about it. Born in Israel and raised on cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, Alon now calls New Orleans his home.

In 2017, Alon formed Pomegranate Hospitality to create a space where meaningful, lasting relationships are created, community engagement prospers, and cultural differences are celebrated. Pomegranate Hospitality hopes to foster opportunities for colleagues, partners and friends in a comfortable environment, helping all involved to achieve their personal and professional goals.

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Adrian Miller is a food writer, attorney and certified barbecue judge based in Denver.
Adrian served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton and a senior policy analyst for Colorado governor Bill Ritter Jr. He has also been a board member of the Southern Foodways Alliance. His first book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time won the James Beard Foundation Award for Scholarship and Reference in 2014. His second book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas was a finalist for a 2018 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Literary Work—Non-Fiction,” and the 2018 Colorado Book Award for History.

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Christa Cotton is the owner of El Guapo Bitters in New Orleans. She stopped by the HRN tent at Slow Food Nations with her dog, Winston, to talk about the history of El Guapo and share how her team's getting ready for the upcoming Tales of the Cocktail.

Prohibition era cocktail ingredients made by hand with love in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally founded by a local bartender at a popular upscale (but since shuttered) restaurant in the French Quarter, El Guapo began commercial production in 2014. All ingredients are locally sourced and traceable to the farm level, or third party certified organic. The entire line is non-GMO and vegetarian, too. Winners of two 2018 Good Food Awards; El Guapo products can be found behind upscale bars and restaurants across the US and abroad, as well as on store shelves at fine independent retailers and national partners like Whole Foods. Recently featured in Coastal Living, Southern Living, Cooking Light and Edible, El Guapo is growing beyond its roots in the Gulf South region.

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David Shields is known throughout the American South as the “Flavor Saver.” Chairman of the Board of the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation, he undertook the historical research that enabled the restoration of many of the region’s historic crops. Author of Southern Provisions; the Creation and Revival of a Cuisine (2015) and The Culinarians; Lives and Careers from the First Age of American Fine Dining (2017), he won the Southern Foodways Alliance’s Keeper of the Flame award and was a finalist for this year’s James Beard Book Award in food scholarship. He currently holds the Carolina Distinguished Professorship at the University of South Carolina and chairs Slow Food’s Ark of Taste Committee for the American South.

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Mitchell Davis is the Executive Vice President of the James Beard Foundation, a cookbook author, a journalist, and a scholar with a Ph.D. in Food Studies from NYU. With the Beard Foundation for almost 24 years, Davis has created and overseen many of the organization’s most impactful initiatives, including the JBF Annual Food Conference and the JBF Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change. In 2013, Davis led the team that was selected by the U.S. Department of State to create the USA Pavilion at the World Expo Milano 2015, for which he served as Chief Creative Officer, receiving commendations from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and First Lady Michelle Obama.

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For the past eleven years, Michael Hurwitz has served as the Director of Greenmarket, a program of GrowNYC that operates 51 producer-only farmers markets throughout New York City. In 2011, he created the FARMRoots Technical Assistance Program, providing marketing, business, and succession planning assistance to Greenmarket growers. Michael was also integral in forming Greenmarket Co., New York City’s only food hub. Additionally, with Teachers College at Columbia University, Michael co-developed Seed to Plate, a standards-based food curriculum for 5th and 6th graders.

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