Local Food Workshops
Local Food Workshops
Workshop One: Beyond the Passive Cooking Demo: The Revolution is in the Kitchen, Cooking: Food Justice & Education in Action!
Speaker: Nadine Nelson, Global Local Gourmet
Workshop Description:
Effective teachers are equipped with a repertoire of teaching strategies designed to meet the educational needs of all students in the classroom. Through modeling activities, showing good practices, and sharing resources, we will show how interactive cooking classes and experiential wellness programs bring families together, improve sustainability outcomes in the community, and facilitate a better understanding of other cultures, self care, food justice, and policy.
Speaker Bio:
Chef Nadine Nelson, Green Queen of Cuisine, is the eco chef and social entrepreneur of Global Local Gourmet, a roving community supported kitchen. Chef Nadine was born in Toronto, Canada of Jamaican Heritage. She has always loved cooking and her vegetables. She has studied the culinary arts in Paris at the Ritz Escoffier, has a certificate in food styling from the New School and a certificate in fundraising and philanthropy from New York University in New York, and earned a teaching degree from Tufts University in Boston, consequently she brings a worldly perspective to seasonal food. She is a social activist, cooking instructor, chef, writer, recipe developer/tester, food consultant, experiential epicurean event producer and culinary artist. She has worked all areas of food and is most proud of creating a train the trainer program called Master Cooks Corps that empowers community cooks to teach healthy cooking to their peers in their spheres of influence. In her free time she likes to cook with her daughter, garden, go to art museums, hike, go to the beach and swim.
Speaker: Nadine Nelson, Global Local Gourmet
Workshop Description:
Effective teachers are equipped with a repertoire of teaching strategies designed to meet the educational needs of all students in the classroom. Through modeling activities, showing good practices, and sharing resources, we will show how interactive cooking classes and experiential wellness programs bring families together, improve sustainability outcomes in the community, and facilitate a better understanding of other cultures, self care, food justice, and policy.
Speaker Bio:
Chef Nadine Nelson, Green Queen of Cuisine, is the eco chef and social entrepreneur of Global Local Gourmet, a roving community supported kitchen. Chef Nadine was born in Toronto, Canada of Jamaican Heritage. She has always loved cooking and her vegetables. She has studied the culinary arts in Paris at the Ritz Escoffier, has a certificate in food styling from the New School and a certificate in fundraising and philanthropy from New York University in New York, and earned a teaching degree from Tufts University in Boston, consequently she brings a worldly perspective to seasonal food. She is a social activist, cooking instructor, chef, writer, recipe developer/tester, food consultant, experiential epicurean event producer and culinary artist. She has worked all areas of food and is most proud of creating a train the trainer program called Master Cooks Corps that empowers community cooks to teach healthy cooking to their peers in their spheres of influence. In her free time she likes to cook with her daughter, garden, go to art museums, hike, go to the beach and swim.
Workshop Two: NH Farm to School: Beacon Communities & The Farm at Stonehill
Lead by Stacey Purslow (NH Farm to School) & Bridget Meigs (Farm at Stonehill)
Workshop Description:
This is a split workshop. During the first half of this workshop, participants will lean about the NH Farm to School Beacon Communities project, a three year pilot project engaging schools and their communities to align around farm to school as a way to increase access to local and healthy foods for all. The NH Farm to School program coordinator and representatives from the Beacon Communities of Nashua, Colebrook and Somersworth, NH will share the concept along with tools and strategies used to build the local networks and engage the broader community.
During the second half of the workshop, participants with learn about The Farm at Stonehill, a solutions-oriented program that seeks to cultivate a just and equitable food system by growing and distributing organic produce to increase access to affordable and healthy food. Participants will learn how The Farm serves as a living classroom to spark and sustain interest in food justice for all. Speakers will share how The Farm has developed partnerships in the community to distribute and educate about the food that we grow to those who need it the most (ex. adding a flourishing Mobile Market and continuing to serve our original community partners (food pantries, etc). Speakers will also share about how The Farm serves as a career incubator and inspires alums to choose careers that address inequity and environmental challenges.
Speaker Bio:
Stacey Purslow has been the NH Farm to School program coordinator for 8 years. Stacey has a culinary degree, nutrition degree and an art degree. She also volunteers as a Master Gardener and NOFA NH board member. In my free time, Stacey enjoys gardening, swimming, cooking, and working on various art projects.
Bridget Meigs’ passion for farming and food security has it roots in experiences studying, working and volunteering in Kenya. Bridget was hired to start The Farm at Stonehill in January of 2011 to help the college live out it’s mission “to help our students grow into global citizens who value knowledge, integrity and compassion as they seek to create a more just society. Bridget received her B.S. in Biology from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in 2001. She then traveled, volunteered and studied Spanish in Central America before completing a Masters of Professional Studies in Sustainable Agriculture from Cornell. She is passionate about growing nutritious vegetables using sustainable methods, working with our students and community to develop a strong sense of place and stewardship to the natural world, and all the while working to address global issues of poverty and hunger relating to climate change, food production and food distribution.
Lead by Stacey Purslow (NH Farm to School) & Bridget Meigs (Farm at Stonehill)
Workshop Description:
This is a split workshop. During the first half of this workshop, participants will lean about the NH Farm to School Beacon Communities project, a three year pilot project engaging schools and their communities to align around farm to school as a way to increase access to local and healthy foods for all. The NH Farm to School program coordinator and representatives from the Beacon Communities of Nashua, Colebrook and Somersworth, NH will share the concept along with tools and strategies used to build the local networks and engage the broader community.
During the second half of the workshop, participants with learn about The Farm at Stonehill, a solutions-oriented program that seeks to cultivate a just and equitable food system by growing and distributing organic produce to increase access to affordable and healthy food. Participants will learn how The Farm serves as a living classroom to spark and sustain interest in food justice for all. Speakers will share how The Farm has developed partnerships in the community to distribute and educate about the food that we grow to those who need it the most (ex. adding a flourishing Mobile Market and continuing to serve our original community partners (food pantries, etc). Speakers will also share about how The Farm serves as a career incubator and inspires alums to choose careers that address inequity and environmental challenges.
Speaker Bio:
Stacey Purslow has been the NH Farm to School program coordinator for 8 years. Stacey has a culinary degree, nutrition degree and an art degree. She also volunteers as a Master Gardener and NOFA NH board member. In my free time, Stacey enjoys gardening, swimming, cooking, and working on various art projects.
Bridget Meigs’ passion for farming and food security has it roots in experiences studying, working and volunteering in Kenya. Bridget was hired to start The Farm at Stonehill in January of 2011 to help the college live out it’s mission “to help our students grow into global citizens who value knowledge, integrity and compassion as they seek to create a more just society. Bridget received her B.S. in Biology from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in 2001. She then traveled, volunteered and studied Spanish in Central America before completing a Masters of Professional Studies in Sustainable Agriculture from Cornell. She is passionate about growing nutritious vegetables using sustainable methods, working with our students and community to develop a strong sense of place and stewardship to the natural world, and all the while working to address global issues of poverty and hunger relating to climate change, food production and food distribution.
Workshop Three: A Community Campaign to Eat More Local Foods
Lead by Liza Burkin and Bevan Linsley, Aquidneck Community Table
What will you learn?
Workshop Description:
In this workshop, participants will learn about the Aquidneck Food Challenge and the impacts it's had on the Aquidneck Island community. Presenters will share the story of how person's decision to challenge her community instead of only herself created a fun and engaging program for a fledgling local food organization. Presenters will share recipes, photos, news stories, feedback from participants, and as well as personal budgets and headaches from eating ONLY from Aquidneck Island and Narragansett Bay for 10 days.
Speaker Bios:
After four years as a professional bike advocate and community organizer in Newport, RI, Liza Burkin is currently pursuing her Masters in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University.
Bevan Linsley is the Project Director for Aquidneck Community Table and is a lead organizer of farmers' markets and food systems initiatives in southern Rhode Island.
Lead by Liza Burkin and Bevan Linsley, Aquidneck Community Table
What will you learn?
- How to launch a community challenge that encourages more consumption of local foods
- How to get local food artisans, farmers, and producers to supply products they may not have known were in demand
- How to use social media, earned media, pre- and post-surveys, and other communications techniques to ensure wide community engagement in a food challenge
Workshop Description:
In this workshop, participants will learn about the Aquidneck Food Challenge and the impacts it's had on the Aquidneck Island community. Presenters will share the story of how person's decision to challenge her community instead of only herself created a fun and engaging program for a fledgling local food organization. Presenters will share recipes, photos, news stories, feedback from participants, and as well as personal budgets and headaches from eating ONLY from Aquidneck Island and Narragansett Bay for 10 days.
Speaker Bios:
After four years as a professional bike advocate and community organizer in Newport, RI, Liza Burkin is currently pursuing her Masters in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University.
Bevan Linsley is the Project Director for Aquidneck Community Table and is a lead organizer of farmers' markets and food systems initiatives in southern Rhode Island.
Workshop Four: Care and Feeding of Educational Community Gardening Projects
Lead by Leora Mallach (Beantown Jewish Gardens), Jess Gerrior (Antioch University), & Tori Dahl (Antioch University)
What will you learn?
Workshop Description:Community gardening is a practice that takes place in many different settings and for many different reasons. Garden education can contribute to larger goals around wellness, sustainability, climate change, food justice, spirituality, connection to the land, and many other issues. Sometimes the balance between education and production can be a real challenge! Networks of gardens and gardeners present unique opportunities for learning and growth. Learn about two kinds of educational community garden projects in an interactive format that allows for exchange of resources, creativity, and support.
Speaker Bio:
Leora Mallach has been working with experiential education programs for the past 20 years. She completed a self-designed interdisciplinary Masters in Education degree at the University of Vermont. In 2011 she co-launched Beantown Jewish Gardens, building community through experiential food and agriculture programs rooted in Jewish text, tradition and culture. Along the way she has developed gardens at schools and synagogues, led month long backpacking trips for teenagers, coordinated summer youth Conservation Corps programs, lived and traveled abroad, created a batik art business, embarked on numerous kitchen experiments, and developed a taste for olives and a love of tea. She has never tried surfing.
Jess Gerrior is a Doctoral Fellow and Director of the C&S Workplace Organic Gardens Project. She is a former Board member of the Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition, former Sustainability Coordinator and Educator for Franklin Pierce University, and currently is am proposing a dissertation research project involving community gardening as a practice of food empowerment.
Tori is the Education Lead and Production Assistant at Farmer John’s Plot in Dublin and Peterborough and is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Education. Her interest in community-based sustainable agriculture and agricultural education began during her time at EarthDance Organic Farm School in Ferguson, MO coordinating a six-month, part-time apprenticeship program for 33 apprentices. After graduation, Tori plans to open her own educational farm to train future farmers and also to educate youth about healthy eating and care for the environment and community. Through her work, Tori aims to teach skills that allow communities the resilience to care for themselves, each other, and our shared world.
Lead by Leora Mallach (Beantown Jewish Gardens), Jess Gerrior (Antioch University), & Tori Dahl (Antioch University)
What will you learn?
- Explore your community's food challenges through a lens of larger social, cultural and ecological contexts
- Develop ideas to improve access to the benefits of food gardening in terms of wellness, connection and resilience
- Access resources for sustaining participants’ own work in community gardening and related efforts, with opportunities to network, exchange feedback, and learn from the successes and challenges of existing community garden programs.
Workshop Description:Community gardening is a practice that takes place in many different settings and for many different reasons. Garden education can contribute to larger goals around wellness, sustainability, climate change, food justice, spirituality, connection to the land, and many other issues. Sometimes the balance between education and production can be a real challenge! Networks of gardens and gardeners present unique opportunities for learning and growth. Learn about two kinds of educational community garden projects in an interactive format that allows for exchange of resources, creativity, and support.
Speaker Bio:
Leora Mallach has been working with experiential education programs for the past 20 years. She completed a self-designed interdisciplinary Masters in Education degree at the University of Vermont. In 2011 she co-launched Beantown Jewish Gardens, building community through experiential food and agriculture programs rooted in Jewish text, tradition and culture. Along the way she has developed gardens at schools and synagogues, led month long backpacking trips for teenagers, coordinated summer youth Conservation Corps programs, lived and traveled abroad, created a batik art business, embarked on numerous kitchen experiments, and developed a taste for olives and a love of tea. She has never tried surfing.
Jess Gerrior is a Doctoral Fellow and Director of the C&S Workplace Organic Gardens Project. She is a former Board member of the Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition, former Sustainability Coordinator and Educator for Franklin Pierce University, and currently is am proposing a dissertation research project involving community gardening as a practice of food empowerment.
Tori is the Education Lead and Production Assistant at Farmer John’s Plot in Dublin and Peterborough and is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Education. Her interest in community-based sustainable agriculture and agricultural education began during her time at EarthDance Organic Farm School in Ferguson, MO coordinating a six-month, part-time apprenticeship program for 33 apprentices. After graduation, Tori plans to open her own educational farm to train future farmers and also to educate youth about healthy eating and care for the environment and community. Through her work, Tori aims to teach skills that allow communities the resilience to care for themselves, each other, and our shared world.