Chef Jennifer is Headed to Camp . .The James Beard Foundation Chefs Boot Camp that is!
James Beard Foundation Returns to Glynwood for Twelfth Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change Thirteen Chefs to Attend and Learn Food System Policy Advocacy Skills NEW YORK, NY (June 1, 2017)
–
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) is returning to Glynwood in Cold Spring, New York, to host its twelfth Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change.
From June 11-13, 2017
Thirteen civically and politically minded chefs from across the country will participate in an intensive three day program, learning effective advocacy skills while exploring the multifaceted issues around food waste reduction. This is the third time the prestigious program will take place at the agricultural nonprofit’s-225 acre farm.
“This month’s Boot Camp will teach policy advocacy skills while looking at the topic of
reducing wasted food what chefs can do in their own kitchens and how they can advocate for policy change,” said Kris Moon, vice president of the James Beard Foundation. “In keeping with the theme, the chefs will have a chance to cook with ‘ugly produce’ for the collaborative dinner they will participate in on Monday night, June 12.
This element is made possible by JBF’s new partnership with
Hungry Harvest, a Mid-Atlantic based food recovery organization that rescues produce destined for the landfill, and turns it into boxes for consumers to have delivered on a weekly or biweekly basis.”
Since its launch in 2012, more than 150 chefs have participated in the Foundation’s Chefs
Boot Camp program, with a waiting list of more than 800. Chefs who have participated have gone on to become powerful advocates on issues they feel passionately about, both in their communities and nationally.
"At Glynwood, we recognize chefs as important advocates for a better food system," says
Kathleen Finlay, president of Glynwood. "Partnering with the JamesBeard Foundation's
Media Contact
Maggie Beaudouin/
Diane Stefani
The Rosen Group
212 255 8455
maggie@rosengrouppr.com/
diane@rosengrouppr.com
Boot Camp has become one of the most rewarding ways we can help chefs understand sustainable food up close and personal, here on our farm. This is knowledge we know they will parlay into their kitchens and onto their plates."
The upcoming Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change will immerse participating chefs
in sessions led by Katherine Miller, JBF’s senior director of food policy advocacy.
These sessions include:
•Why Chefs Voices Matter and Chefs at Work: What is advocacy, why we
do it, how we do it, what to expect from policy; engaging chefs on food-system issues
•How Policy Happens: Overview of policy change at state and federal levels, illustrated using food waste as an example of a pressing policy issue
•Reducing Food Waste, Reclaiming Value: Outline what national advocacy groups are doing to achieve this goal; discuss how to become a successful advocate on this issue
•A is for Advocacy: Why we need campaigns, how they work, how we build them
•Farm Activities and Collaborative Chefs Dinner: Chefs tour Glynwood and cook dinner together using ingredients harvested from the farm, sourced from local purveyors and donated by Hungry Harvest.
Participating chefs for this Boot Camp include:
1. Jennifer Booker (Lilburn, GA)
2. Lisa Carlson (Minneapolis)
3. Renee Erickson* (Seattle)
4. Sarah Grueneberg* (Chicago)
5. Ben Hall, returning alumni (Detroit)
6. Howard Hanna (Kansas City, MO)
7. Nick Leahy (Atlanta)
8. Jamie Leeds (Washington, D.C.)
9. Jay Lippin (Chappaqua, NY)
10. Anthony Myint (San Francisco)
11. Hugo Ortega* (Houston)
12. Michael Scelfo (Cambridge, MA)
13. Daniela Soto-Innes* (NYC)
14. Katsuji Tanabe (Los Angeles)
*James Beard Award winner
The Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change is generously supported by the Carl M. Freeman Foundation in memory of chef Matt Haley, the Osprey Foundation, and Windstar Cruises. Participating chefs are provided policy advocacy training, which includes classroom work, mock interviews, hands-on activities that engage the chefs with local natural resources, a collaborative dinner cooked by the attendees, and strategic brainstorming about effective action points and next steps. The program is conducted with guidance from JBF Award–winning chef and founder of Wholesome Wave, Michel Nischan, and James Beard Foundation trustee and founder of Arabella Advisors, Eric Kessler.
The 360-degree approach to educating and activating these powerful change makers on important food issues continues with ongoing support from the James Beard Foundation’s Chef Action Network, which provides campaign development, speech writing, media skills and training, policy research, and preparation for visits with policymakers and other leaders.
The Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change is part of the James Beard Foundation's
broader Impact Programs, which engage the culinary community in the ongoing process
of creating a sustainable food system that provides nutritious and delicious food
for all.
Other Impact programs include conducting a national dialogue on food-system issues at Issue Summits in cities around the country; local advocacy trainings in cities around the country; the annual JBF Food Summit, which brings together a diverse group of food-system thought leaders; the annual Leadership Awards, which recognize visionaries helping to create a more healthful, sustainable, and safe food world; Culinary Labs,which engage chefs in hands-on opportunities around food-systems issues; the Blended Burger Project, a joint initiative with The Mushroom Council to make burgers healthier and more sustainable by blending ground meat with chopped mushrooms; and the ongoing advocacy and issue support provided by the Foundation’s Chef Action Network.
Chefs Boot Camp participants are selected to represent regional and topic interest
diversity, with consideration given to the voice that each chef has within their local
community and on a national level. A full list of chefs who have attended the eleven
previous Boot Camps can be viewed at
jamesbeard.org/education/bootcamp. Follow hashtag #JBFImpact and #ChefsLead on Twitter and Instagram to track the chefs’ progress.
For additional information, view the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change video feature on JBF’s YouTube channel.
To apply to or support future Chefs Boot Camps for Policy and Change, please visit jamesbeard.org/education/bootcamp.
About the James Beard Foundation Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.
A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late
James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations
of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful,
and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse
programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary
students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening.
The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs.
For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org.
Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation’s
blog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites.
Follow @beardfoundation
on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation’s Livestream channel.
Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation’s YouTube channels.