Add Passion And Stir

In an excerpt from Conversations on Food Justice, a collaboration between Share Our Strength and the Aspen Institute’s Food and Society Program, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-1) moderates the discussion with former Obama Administration Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King Jr. and former Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD-4) on systemic racism in food policy. “Systemic racism operates to create structural barriers… This is the system that we created over 400 years. If we want something different we have to actively work to dismantle those systems,” explains King. “The system suggests that there’s something wrong with trying to figure out how to feed yourself and your family, that there is something negative about doing all that you can to access food,” notes Edwards. “We could center healthy eating and nutrition in our public policy. We choose not to,” says King. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why is it so important to restore Native American autonomy? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof and Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health Director Allison Barlow talk about poverty, education and the struggle for social justice in Native American communities. “The Bureau of Indian Education schools only have a 53% high school graduation rate! We are failing them way before they fail us,” suggests Kristof. “We as a country have had this narrative that when people struggle, it’s because of a lack of personal responsibility and bad choices... It’s because we as a society are making bad choices about healthcare, education and jobs."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How can science inspire better cooking? James Beard award-winning food writer J. Kenji López-Alt explains what drew him to explore the science behind cooking, find his voice as a writer and write two New York Times bestselling books. “Some people think cooking with science is the opposite of cooking with soul. I think it’s the opposite. The more you understand the science and technique behind it, the better your ability to get out what’s inside you,” he suggests. “No matter what you’re writing about, whether it’s a restaurant review or a culture piece or a recipe piece, it has to be a story first.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do each of us measure success? Bigger Bolder Baking chef and host Gemma Stafford talks about hosting an online Bake-A-Thon for No Kid Hungry and how her views on success have changed during the pandemic. “We’ve been very fortunate with Bigger Bolder Baking and we wanted to give back… It was really important for me to be a part of something that is going to make such a big difference,” she says. “We set out to create a baking brand and we’ve created a community. This is exactly what we would have hoped to do."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In an excerpt from Conversations on Food Justice, a collaboration between Share Our Strength and the Aspen Institute’s Food and Society Program, human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader and former political prisoner Ericka Huggins and FoodLab Detroit Executive Director Devita Davison share their thoughts on the history of the food justice movement and the systemic inequalities that stand between a hungry child and healthy meal. “There is a Somalian proverb that says, ‘poverty is slavery,’” says Huggins. “These inequities are in every institution of society because it was set up intentionally.” Davison recalls the collective memory of her family who endured the Greenwood Food Blockade. “We cannot free ourselves until we feed ourselves,” she says. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you get kids from juvenile detention on track for success? Chef and Café Momentum Executive Director Chad Houser talks about building a new model for juvenile justice that develops career and life skills to overcome recidivism and reincarceration. “The juvenile justice industry calls them ‘throw-away’ youth. We need to be pushing as hard as we can to change that narrative and eradicate that stereotype,” says Houser. He created Café Momentum, a full-service Dallas restaurant that provides year-long internships for young people coming out of juvenile detention. “For the first time in their lives, they’re getting to learn positive things about themselves,” he explains. "The young men and women in our program can and will rise to whatever level of expectation is set for them, as long as we’re giving them the tools and resources and opportunity to do so.". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you raise $1M to feed hungry kids? Celebrity trainer, choreographer and Broadway dancer Isaac Calpito explains how he amplified support for childhood hunger during the pandemic by developing a daily workout on Instagram TV and encouraging his followers to donate to No Kid Hungry. “So many wonderful things are happening because people are showing up, not only for their bodies and their minds, but with this beautiful connection that we have for giving,” he explains. “There’s something so intrinsically basic about a child eating. It’s deeply important to me and clearly deeply important to my followers."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do we overcome our country’s systemic racism? Bakers Against Racism co-founder and Washington DC executive pastry chef Paola Velez (Maydān, Compass Rose) joins Billy Shore and Share Our Strength Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Pamela Taylor to talk about finding the courage to speak out against racism and other forms of injustice. “We didn’t think this was going to go viral. We launched on Thursday night around 7pm and by 10pm we had 200 participants around the world ready to bake… We were able to raise almost $2M in less than 2 weeks,” recounts Velez. “Whenever I think about race relations in America, I think it boils down to one common thread. We need to love harder than we’ve ever loved before. We need to truly transform our nation with the action of caring for others as if they were ourselves,” she says. At the beginning of the pandemic, Velez was furloughed and forced to file for unemployment benefits. “I was scared and I was broken. I realized that if I’m feeling this way and I have

How do we create an antidote to the politics of division? UnidosUS Deputy Vice President Clarissa Martinez-de-Castro joins Billy Shore to discuss immigration policies, Latino civic engagement and turning out the vote. “If you look at surveys and opinion research for the last ten years, the majority of the American people actually want to see a functional immigration system. There is a vocal and very loud minority that has hijacked the ability to make progress on this issue and made legislators scared to take action,” explains Martinez. “We sometimes see politicians using the politics of division… using the issue of immigration to stir up anxiety about the demographic change in our country and to stir up antagonism against immigrants,” she says. Martinez thinks that both parties are missing a huge opportunity with Latino voters. “I’m sad to say that over the last ten years, one of the parties has either ignored Latinos or actually antagonized them. Given that, the other party tends to take Latino voters f

When you wake up in the morning, can you say you’re proud of what you built? James Beard award-winning Minneapolis chef Ann Kim joins Billy Shore to talk about her immigrant experience, approach to food, and observations about her community in the wake of the George Floyd murder. “It is our job to make changes, educate and learn. We can’t make decisions rooted in fear,” she says. “People scream when they feel like they’re not being heard. I was trying to listen and I wasn’t quite sure how I was to react, except that I wanted to support the black community,” explains Kim.Kim talks about her immigrant experience and the importance of the dinner table. “There is no room for hate in food. Food is about nurturing and taking care of people. It’s about making people feel special and welcome. It really is the great peacemaker,” says Kim, who is a staunch supporter of No Kid Hungry.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why is it so important to support black-owned businesses, particularly right now? FieldTrip chef and owner JJ Johnson talks to Billy Shore about being a black business owner and what drives him to succeed. “Don’t say you care about black lives if you can’t walk into a black-owned business and look on the shelves and give it the same amount of money that you give a white-owned business,” says Johnson. There continue to be systemic barriers, as well. “When I was applying for my PPP money, I got declined three times. There are a lot of black-owned businesses that just weren’t able to get PPP money to stay alive,” Johnson explains about the Payment Protection Program within the CARES Act that has provided support for small businesses during the pandemic. “I hire from the community. It gave this sense of hope that every time the lights would come on at Fieldtrip, it meant that someone could have a job, that we’re coming back and it’s going to be ok,” recounts Johnson about staying open throughout the pandemic

What will happen to our neighborhoods if independent restaurants do not survive the pandemic? Chicago’s award-winning chef and Mexico: One Plate at a Time host Rick Bayless joins Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about the struggle to survive for independent restaurants. “If we don’t get some assistance, I’m afraid we’re going to see our neighborhoods just devastated. They are going to lose their character. Restaurants are a major part of our culture,” explains Bayless about the urgent need for restaurant stabilization legislation. “Independent restaurants have never had any representation in Washington and yet we are the second largest employer in the United States. 11 million people that work in restaurants in the United States.” Bayless was is well-known for his support of underserved communities in Chicago. “My eyes have been opened… around Black Lives Matter and the inequities in our own community. We have been talking to a lot of chefs around Chicago about how we can promote enterprises that

How are kids getting enough nutrition with all the constraints on schools during this pandemic? What about the restaurant industry? In this poignant episode taped early after COVID-19 struck the US, with an updated introduction from host Billy Shore, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and Executive Director of Student Nutrition Services for the San Francisco Unified School District Jennifer Lebarre discuss the challenges for families and workers and the importance of a federal response. “This is nothing short of apocalyptic,” says Zimmern. “We are incredibly reliant on the federal government right now, at a point in time where many of us have felt a lack of leadership and a lack of empathy for the last couple years.” Lebarre explains how school meals are an essential service for over half of San Francisco public school students. “It is a day-to-day struggle,” she relays. “As this crisis continues, more and more families are going to have to rely on the national school lunch program.” Listen to learn how two p

What responsibilities do corporations have in the communities where they work? Host Billy Shore welcomes two guests from Sodexo, Inc.: Chief Diversity and Sustainability Officer for the Americas Gerri Mason Hall, and Director of Culinary Delivery Desmond Fannin to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion within their company and society at large as well as the impact COVID-19 has had on their work. Sodexo is a No Kid Hungry partner and Add Passion and Stir sponsor. “What organizations have to do is recognize talent, recognize those underrepresented, and create opportunities... Part of my job is to recognize that talent, often overlooked because of unconscious biases,” explains Mason Hall. “You know [the discrimination] is there, and you… have a responsibility to push through because other people will need to navigate those waters as well,” observes Fannin. When schools were forced to close earlier this year, Sodexo ramped up their anti-hunger efforts. “In this pandemic when schools shut down, we continued

Why should Americans care about hunger around the world? World Food Program USA President and CEO Barron Segar and food and lifestyle personality Sandra Lee join Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about the importance of combatting hunger around the world. “Food is a basic vaccination against chaos. When you don’t have food, you have increased unrest and conflict. Maybe we don’t have a vaccination against COVID, but we certainly have a vaccination against starvation,” observes Lee. Segar agrees, based on his work in Ethiopia on the South Sudanese border. “I saw so many kids and moms and grandmothers that were fleeing violence to stay alive. I saw how they walked for days and weeks… I saw how food literally brought a child and a mom back to life,” he says. “I will never forget these kids and moms looking me in the eye and just so appreciative of what [we] were doing to keep them alive.” “I was raised on welfare and food stamps. It’s important to remember where you come from, and when you come from a place

How do we meet the increased need COVID-19 is causing in our country? San Antonio Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper and Hotel Emma chef and culinary director John Brand talk to Debbie and Billy Shore about the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their city. Billy Shore asks Cooper about the now iconic image of a massive line of cars outside the San Antonio Food Bank in April. “I saw the line and I just panicked. I thought we were going to run out of food,” says Cooper. However, they were able to meet the need that day. “I waited for the last car to be served. I went to apologize… but I was greeted with this resiliency and gratitude that was amazing,” he shares. “The biggest thing we’ve all learned is compassion - compassion for each other,” observes Brand, who used his restaurant to feed first-responders during the first months of the pandemic. “Where a lot of the world has retreated, we are able to connect on a deeper level with food,” he explains. The guests discuss the larger problem of hun

What truly gives you meaning and purpose? Eleven Madison Park (NYC) Chef and Owner Daniel Humm joins Billy Shore to discuss how the pandemic has given him new purpose . “If we want to continue the way we’ve done things, I believe 5 years from now, 10 years or maybe already next year, it will be irrelevant and empty,” he says. Humm has transformed Eleven Madison Park into a pandemic food provider of 5,000 meals a day in partnership with Rethink Food NYC, which creates delicious, nutritious meals from restaurant food waste. “The recipe I want to really share with the world is the recipe of doing what we’re doing, but also feeding the people in need, under one roof,” he says. “When every restaurant was shut down and I saw that people wouldn’t get food… I realized I had a kitchen and connection to all the farmers and to Rethink. It felt like a very obvious thing to do.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do we fix our broken food system? Food Tank co-founder and president Danielle Nierenberg joins Billy Shore to discuss the connections between food, nutrition, the environment and democracy. “People are thinking about food and agriculture as something more political… this citizen eater who votes not only with her fork, but votes for the kind of food system that she wants,” explains Nierenberg. “We have a broken democracy right now. It’s not just the change we want to see, it’s the change we need to make this democracy a working one again,” she says. Nierenberg observes that the current pandemic has exposed the problems in our current food system. “Our modern food system has always been fragile and now with COVID we’re seeing all of these cracks and things that don’t work,” she says. “This is not going to be the last disruption that we see in the food and agriculture system worldwide… We have a lot to get into place so that we can withstand those disruptions,” she warns.  Join us for this critical

How do we create allies instead of adversaries? In a powerful episode taped right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani, Amparo Fondita executive chef Christian Irabien, and No Kid Hungry Manager of Federal Advocacy Meredith Jorss joined host Billy Shore for an in-depth discussion about immigration and how to counter its polarizing effect on American culture. “Most Americans, especially conservative and moderate Americans, don’t see [immigration] as a matter of politics and policy, they see it as a discussion around culture and values,” explains Noorani. “Ultimately, we’re advocating for fair and just immigration policies that balance the idea that this country can be a nation of laws and a nation of grace,” he says.“One of the main ideas behind me trying to open a restaurant is figuring out ways we can effect positive change in local Latin American communities, which make up 80% of back of the house operations,” says chef Irabien, who immigrated to the US

How can big consumer brands help make the world a better place? Brown Sugar Kitchen Executive Chef Tanya Holland and Kellogg Ready to Eat Cereal General Manager Doug VanDeVelde share their insights on food insecurity, giving back to the community and the effects of COVID-19. “When the COVID pandemic first started, there was a certain sense of obligation in our company to help secure the food supply… There was a feeling that we had an obligation to help feed the nation,” recounts VanDeVelde. “I’m making an effort to thank everyone who comes in and supports us because it’s a choice they make and a risk they take. Probably 7 times out of 10, they respond, ‘Thank you for what you do for the community,’” says Holland. “As I started to go through my career at Kellogg’s, it became more and more clear to me that brands need to have a purpose and need to be able to do good in the world,” says VanDeVelde, who recently helped No Kid Hungry raise $700K. “This country has so much bounty, it’s just shameful if we can’