Photo credit: Liz Clayman
Kimberly and Amanda are Managing Director and Managing Producer of Food Book Fair (@foodbookfair), which celebrates the intersection of food culture, food systems, and writing! Together, this dynamic duo helps produce events spanning a wide variety of topics having to do with food—from art and science, to education, activism, technology, politics and entrepreneurship. Does this sound right up your alley? While you await the details of their 2016 festival, here’s a window into the minds of Kimberly and Amanda.
What’s your business in ten words or less?
Dynamic, media-inspired events where food culture and systems meet.
What is your biggest challenge in relation to your business?
How to stay focused and relevant, constantly working to refine our message and mission in an increasingly crowded food-event landscape. There’s a new food festival or conference popping up every other day. The challenge is how to stay different.
How do you define good food?
Well-sourced and made with intention.
What’s the most important thing we should know about your business?
We love unpacking intersectional, “gray area” conversations. We’re most attracted to issues that are not just about food systems and not just food about culture, not just farmers and not just chefs, or food art, or book design, food justice or dining trends. The space where it’s all connected—say, we talk about health marketing as it relates to slow-fast-food trends of quinoa bowls, how that affects quinoa production and traditional farming methods, and is tied to cuisine and appropriation—that’s where the heady, messy, most interesting stuff lies.
Who is your food inspiration?
Pam Yung—a great pastry chef, baker and friend (says Kim). And Yotam Ottolenghi (says Amanda).
Best part about being in the food industry?
Endless snacks.
Worst part about being in the food industry?
Endless snacks.
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If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing?
Writing about art.
Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
Madonna at Florent (RIP).
What’s always in your fridge?
Hot sauce, eggs, and Greek yogurt.
Your good food wish?
That everyone will one day be able to eat food that is well-sourced, and made with intention. And that we get closer and closer each day to realizing that vision, and realizing that those qualities are not mutually exclusive.