
At “Let’s Talk About Food” Evening Salon
We had some really great speakers last night that were all obsessed with one idea… bringing truly fresh and sustainable foods into our hands (and bellies!). Being a new resident of Los Angeles, it was wonderful to learn of the ways that people are pushing to make a more healthy future, and all in strikingly creative ways. By popular demand, I will end this blog entry by providing some website links for our speakers. But, for those of you that couldn’t make it to the evening salon, I will give a little extra information about each person out of my own excitement for their projects. I’d like to also give a special thanks to the moderator, Michael Pinto from Project Food LA, for bringing all of the ideas of the panel together for successful discussion on great food.
Megan Hanson, Root Down LA
Rootdownla.org
She runs a non-profit business to not only get kids to eat their veggies, but to spread love and a sense of community. She established an after school program for high school students to take pride in the food they grow in their garden and teach them how to cook in a fun, home setting.
Meg Taylor, Large March Sustainables
Largemarchsustainables.com
On top of running a sustainable foods catering and picnic company, Meg and her staff set up a free food service where they cook up delicious meals from loads of donated produce and then distribute it via bike cart, feeding anybody that is hungry. Amazing!
David Rosenstein, EVOfarm
Evofarm.com
It’s not often you find someone who calls himself a farmer in LA, but this guy takes it to a whole new level. He uses aquaponics for high-density urban farming, mostly in unsuspecting neighborhood backyards (If you have a large backyard, you two might be able to make a deal!). He is in the process of designing and developing home aquaponics systems for purchase so you can easily grow your own produce, so be sure to keep an eye out!
DeKoven Ashley, Thrd Place
Thrdplace.com
This guy is the one that takes all the efforts of community members and brings it to one place that we can all get our hands on… an app! He developed a means for sustainable community members to come together through a an interactive mapping system and organize towards common goals. Definitely worth checking out on your computer or on downloading to your phone!
Kerry Clasby, California Family Farms
She provides for an unbelievably long list of farmers markets and fine dining chefs as a self-proclaimed forager. She seeks out the freshest and most specialized foods that can be found by driving up and down the coast and using her finely tuned detective skills to find what is truly fresh and organic. Us urbanites that have been blinded by the convenience of market produce could really benefit from visiting her farmers markets… check them out nearby in Culver City and Santa Monica.