Behind the Plate

Photo credit: William Burgess

Jessica @cheesegrotto is an innovative cheese lover who is pushing the envelope of good cheese. Her beautiful wooden storage boxes, set to hit the market this year, are designed to preserve the life of a cheese while allowing for its natural aging process. And her Cheese Caramels (yes, that’s right) are out of this world.

In a few sentences, tell us about your business.
Cheese Grotto is a lifetime storage solution for naturally made cheeses. The product, slated to hit the market in the coming year, is complete with humidity, air flow, and temperature controls to keep your cheese fresher for longer. Like fine wine, cheese wedges and wheels become more complex with age, and the Cheese Grotto protects its integrity. While the product is in development I spend my time teaching the world of natural cheese, and throwing seasonal cheese events that are both educational and fun.

Favorite cheese pairing?
Cheese and chocolate is amazing. Also, nut brown ales and cheeses of all types are a winning combo. My favorite nut combination is the hazelnut—it has a natural richness and sweetness and isn’t too tannic for pairing.

Do you have a favorite food trick?
When I make cheese at home, such as ricotta, I save and freeze the whey for broth. It is amazing for braising and enriching a vegetarian lemongrass coconut curry.  It’s lightly buttery and tangy and chock-full of minerals and proteins. It’s also great as a baking substitute for milk.  You can learn more about this on my blog.

The storage boxes are beautiful. Besides their looks, why should I buy one?
The Cheese Grottoes are made of bamboo, glass, and clay, and use the benefits of these natural materials to promote even and healthy ripening of cheese. Compared to the other methods of storage available (plastic wrap, tupperware, and cheese paper) the Cheese Grotto extends the shelf life by three to four times.

How do you define good food?
Good food is defined by its process. This process can be from the farm to the table and everything in between. I often think of good food as a meditation: in the home kitchen, in commercial kitchens, and with the land. It is based off of values and relationships. In this way, good food is a great tool for promoting democratic processes in the agricultural, organizational, and social spheres. Take cheese, for example. I am a supporter of naturally made cheese because it considers the land, the working dairy animals, and the quality of the milk.

Food issues have not quite made it into the Presidential campaigns. If you could ask the future President to consider a food issue that needs to be addressed, what would it be?
What concerns me the most is farm workers’ rights and agricultural practices. Limited water resources are a present day reality in California. We have to change our practices and not let a few large food corporations and buyers determine the method and quality of our farming. They control the whole industry and subject farm workers and owners to endless cycles of debt and dependence. The framework that exists does not take into consideration resource depletion.

What’s one of your first (and most memorable) interactions with food?
I would say that my deep love of food and all of its processes came later in life, as therapy and as relationship building. When I started working at Cowgirl Creamery in the San Francisco Ferry Building at the age of 19, I tasted many cheeses that transformed and blossomed my palate, leading me to an appreciation of the subtle differences between one handmade batch of cheese to another. I was also submerged in an amazing hub of food makers and shakers with whom I could share my discoveries.

Tell us about something you’re working on right now.
American Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day is coming up on April 16th, and I will be throwing a large party at 61 Local in Brooklyn. We’ll be featuring a selection of Raw Milk Cheeses from Anne Saxelby that we’ll pair with seasonal fare and regional wine/beer. It should be a fun party!

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Who is your food inspiration?
So many people! From a Trinidadian private chef I met when I was 19 in New York, to Julia Child, Ruth Reichl, Amanda Hesser, to a dear friend Kara Chadbourne who sees food as a way of living.

What is your go-to dinner party dish?
A Moroccan tagine with preserved lemon, or a salad of beets, oranges, pomegranates, and mint. But because I’m a cheese lady, anytime I can get a wheel of gooey cheese, like Vacherin Mont D’Or or Rush Creek Reserve, I roast a bunch of fingerling potatoes, brussels, and veggies, and get to dunking. Add a crusty loaf of wood fired oven bread, and it’s heaven on earth.

What was your biggest #foodfail?
My biggest #foodfail was a persimmon tart. This was before I knew how to pick persimmons that wouldn’t be cloying and drying in the mouth. (If you have tasted an underripe persimmon, you know what I mean.) I tried to cook the tart anyway, and it really wasn’t edible.

March is National Nutrition Month. What’s one good-food aspect of your diet that packs some nutritious punch?
Whatever you eat, add vegetables. When I eat cheese, I eat vegetables, too.

What’s your favorite meal-on-the-go?
A blend of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. I try to make a habit of giving myself time to sit down to a meal, even if it’s just 15 minutes.  If I’m really running around, I might get a sushi box to go at Citarella, or something at the buffet at Whole Foods.

Your good food wish?
I wish good, naturally made food could become a staple for everyone. This is a never ending wish, I know.

What have you been dying to make recipe-wise, but haven’t yet?
Chocolate Whiskey Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing?
I love writing. So, if I stayed in the city I’d most likely get involved with the digital editing world. My pipe dream in 10 years is to become an artisan cheese maker and have my own plot of land.

What’s always in your fridge?
Butter, kale, broccoli, eggs and cheese of course.

What are your favorite three cheeses right now?
I have Gruyere AOP (the protected, authentic one) on the mind right now, since I’ve been working with it for my Cheese Caramels. (Did you know it has been made for over 900 years?) Pecorino Riserva del Fondatore is a great hard cheese to have around. And Italian Robiolas, wrapped in cabbage or fig leaves.

What’s your favorite part about being in the food industry?
Hands down the relationships and the interconnected community. That is really what sold me on the food industry since day one.

Tell us about your cheese caramels. And where can we find them?
They started out as an experiment to bring out the candy qualities in cheese, and now they are becoming a micro-local cheese sensation. I make them by melting Gruyere cheese in cream and butter, and then folding this cheese sauce into caramelizing sugar. Once formed, we sprinkle the caramel with flake salt. You can learn more on my website. Right now they are only available through larger quantity special orders through email request to cheesegrotto@gmail.com. But they will be available in the coming months as a whole new line of product!

Please tell us about your workshops.
My cheese making and tasting workshops act as a great platform to learn more about the process and experience of natural cheese. I offer everything from small home gatherings to corporate events, with the intention for people to collaborate in making memorable food experiences.

Do you have a favorite recipe with cheese?
Beet, Berry and Goat Cheese Popsicles

Emily van Raay @modelsforwellness is a model of all sorts. And her latest gig is being a role model! Emily has long observed a lack of education surrounding health, food and wellness in the fashion modeling world, and has decided to do something about it. Her site Models for Wellness encourages positive living by showing how real-life models live balanced, healthful lives. Her goal? To inspire a love affair with health and happiness for all.

What are you working on right now? Tell us about it.
Models for Wellness—check it out! It’s a blog platform where a group of amazing models from all over the world and I are sharing how we stay healthy, happy and fit. It’s a really amazing project that I’m so passionate about!

If you could get the general population to change one aspect of their eating habits, what would it be?
Know where your meat comes from.

Is there any ingredient that you can’t stand?
Sugar in places there should not be sugar!

How do you define good food?
Good food comes from a good place, good people, with good standards that match your own. My idea of ‘good food’ is a plate full of seasonal produce and meats/cheeses that come from local farms, that meet my personal standards for quality.

Who is your food inspiration?
Jamie Oliver!

What is your go-to dinner party dish?
My mother’s apple crisp recipe. It’s definitely not healthy, but it’s a showstopper 😉

Do you have a favorite food trick?
Freezing kale. Even if I’m going to eat it fresh, I freeze it first. It makes it so much easier to handle. You can smash it up so that it crumbles and you don’t have to deal with chopping the stubborn, rubbery leaves for soups or garnish, or even smoothies.

Where do you typically grocery shop?
Trader Joe’s and the farmers market.

What’s your favorite meal-on-the-go?
The Earth Bowl at Sweetgreen is my favorite on the go meal, by far!

Food issues have not quite made it into the upcoming Presidential Debate. If you could ask the future President to consider a food issue that needs to be addressed, what would it be?
Meat. Meat. Meat! Animal production is, in my eyes, the biggest actionable issue on hand at the moment, and the least addressed. For a collective American public who is beginning to take climate change to heart, meat consumption and its effects on the environment is an important issue, yet one that is completely bypassed. It’s unfortunate because we could be taking advantage of the mass public interest that is beginning to emerge. Especially with the shocking evidence that has recently been brought to public attention by the documentary Cowspiracy, in which environmentalist and film maker Kip Andersen accuses the meat industry of conspiring against the health of Americans and the planet for a profit. (Thank you Netflix!) With the meat corporations and the government shoving the idea that meat should be a part of our daily lives down our throats, we also have to take into account the health implications of meat. The recent World Health Organization study shed some light on the hard proof that meat consumption is linked to cancer.

What’s your go-to breakfast?
Fried eggs over rice and beans with a green juice or kombucha.

Favorite seasonings?
Pink sea salt and black pepper.

If you had to make (or are making) a food resolution this year, what would it be?
To cook more at home! It has squeezed its way up to the top of my priority list not only because it’s healthier, but because it’s incredibly meditative and heightens my connection with my body throughout the day. This is important for me, as I notice my stress levels are much lower when I cook.

What have you been dying to make recipe-wise, but haven’t yet?
Traditional Indian Curry (that’s not a fail…).

What’s always in your fridge?
Mustard seed and tahini.

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with?
Jamie Oliver.

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What’s one of your first (and most memorable) interactions with food?
Scrolling through memories, the more traumatizing experiences are the ones that seem to stick out. My first and most memorable experience with food was when I was around 10 years old, and my brother and I went to Taco Bell with my grandparents. Hey, I loved Taco Bell. Fast food was a treat for my siblings and me on rare occasions, and food as I knew it was always good quality. I’d heard rumors that the meat at Taco Bell came in powered form, that they would add water to and serve it as a “meat-like” product. My brother said he’d caught a glimpse of the ground “beef” up close, and it made him sick. From then on I knew about the smoke and mirrors that surrounded food, especially fast food.

Veggie you never liked when young, but now you do?
Zucchini.

If you were a food, what would you be and why?
I would be a coconut, because I wouldn’t ever have to deal with cold weather.

Most underrated spice?
Star anise.

What was your biggest #foodfail?
I have food fails all the time. I’m not an expert in the kitchen but I love making new dishes and tend to bite off far more than I can chew… Roasting acorn squash is something that I can NEVER seem to get right! I end up leaving it in for far too long or taking it out way too early and can never get it off the skin. It’s probably one of the easiest things to make. Help!!

Favorite cuisine?
Thai

Food related pet peeve?
Pasta noodles that are too hard kill me!

What’s your favorite indulgent treat?
A JG Melon cheeseburger.

Your good food wish?
I hope that in the future, trust is something that people realize is so valuable and essential when you are buying food. Trust means educating yourself on where your food is coming from, knowing whether it’s a farm, factory, or your parents’ backyard. Learning that trust is something that in our current world, is essential when you buy your food.

A classically trained chef, Matthew Kenney made a splash in the food world when he ditched animal products and his oven, and went the raw, vegan route. Now Matthew’s thriving plant-based food lifestyle business spans the globe—from restaurants, to a culinary school, gourmet products and much more. And lucky for us, he’s offering Foodstanders 10% off all courses at his academy, Matthew Kenney Culinary!

Describe your business.
We operate in 5 business sections—hospitality, education, products, services, and media. This allows us to cast a wide net and reach all of those interested in plant-based cuisine, whether it’s dining in one of our restaurants, attending a class, or reading a book.

What has been your biggest challenge with relation to your business?
I was a traditional chef for many years. When I left cooking traditional protein I knew this was the right decision for me personally and professionally, although many of my peers didn’t understand how I could make this transition. It has taken some time for the community to recognize how integral and innovative plant-based cuisine can be, but we continue to see progress in this movement everyday. I’m honored to be part of this work.

Food issues have not quite made it into the Presidential campaigns. If you could ask the future President to consider a food issue that needs to be addressed, what would it be?
There is a lot of talk about healthcare. I believe it’s integral that we recognize overall health and wellness is directly related to our what we put in our bodies. Consuming even slightly more of a plant-based diet will have an enormous impact.

What are some of the principles that guide your business?
We strive to bridge the gap between culinary art and nutrition. In addition to being beautiful and good for you, we prioritize innovation, local and seasonal ingredients, and education. Education is the foundation of everything we do.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your business?
Our work in education is the most rewarding part. Teaching young chefs from around the world and watching them apply the techniques and principles learned in our program is incredibly inspiring. We learn from our students just as they learn from us.

Are there any personal beliefs that you have with regard to the overall food system that make their way into your everyday business (e.g., curbing food waste, sustainable sourcing, local sourcing)? Do tell.
Yes, we have a culinary garden at our academy and restaurant in Venice CA, and at our academy in Thailand. We teach sustainable practices and the importance of urban agriculture, and we source organically whenever possible. We support local farmers and believe the very best seasonal ingredients create the absolute best dishes.

Anything new around the corner for you?
Yes, we just opened 00+Co, a plant based pizza concept, in New York, and are opening a restaurant and academy in Miami this month. I’m working on a new book and have a number of other projects in the works. It’s good to be busy.

What can we see on the menu at 00+Co?
Pizza and flatbreads have been part of our cuisine for many years, but this is the first time we have a dedicated concept around it. We will have a beautiful section of small plates, organic pizza prepared in a wood burning oven, vegan desserts, and a beautiful list of bio-dynamic wines.

Opening a restaurant can be complex and stressful. What are some top tips for those interested in getting in the restaurant business?
Surround yourself with a talented, dedicated team, and together it will happen. No one can open a restaurant on their own.

How do you see social media and social discourse changing the food industry, our place in the industry, and people’s views?
Social media’s influence is huge. We have photoshoots in the kitchen almost everyday to showcase what we’re working on. When people see how beautiful food can be, they want to eat well and try new things. Social media allows me to follow the work of our students around the world—scrolling through my feed and seeing their plates is my favorite part of the day.

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If you could get the general population to change one aspect of their eating habits, what would it be? 
Eat one plant-based meal a day.

What is one of your first memories of food?
All of my early memories involve food! I have memories foraging and picking berries with my family in Maine. Growing up in Maine really shaped my understanding and love for nature—it’s where I fell in love with food.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing?
I had planned to go law school at one time. If I didn’t end up being a chef I would have been a lawyer.

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
I’m really inspired by Elon Musk’s work, so it would be interesting to sit with him. I’d love to have a meal with him at Plant Food and Wine in Venice, and discuss how his work in sustainability intersects what we do.

What’s always in your fridge? What do you use it for? 
My fridge is full of green fruits and veggies. I have a green juice every morning to fuel my day before I go to yoga.

What was your biggest food fail?
One of the first times I served raw cuisine to a group I spent a lot of time preparing our zucchini lasagna in sheet pans ahead of time. I had never served this at a large event before, and the extra moisture turned the lasagna to mush. I had to serve a group of my peers this horrible dish and was mortified. I never plated this in advance again!

Your good food wish?
I wish that the access to good, healthy food was extended so that all communities could enjoy nutritious, plant-based cuisine.

Jill de Jong is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She’s also a model who loves to eat, and believes in a healthy and balanced diet! Her method is all about implementing simple, permanent lifestyle changes to help you stay healthy. Want tips from Jill? Check out her website Models Do Eat, for her latest on a healthy lifestyle. Here’s what Jill has to say about good eating.

Tell us what you’re working on right now.
I’m currently working on a cookbook with nine other models who are all passionate about eating delicious and nutritious food. Among us there are fitness instructors, health coaches, authors and food bloggers. It’s all about being a good “role” model, sharing our stories, experiences and recommendations to inspire other women to take excellent care of themselves.

What is your food inspiration?
I get inspired everywhere—magazines, seasonal products, Instagram…

Do you have a favorite food trick?
Yes I have a great one to share! If you love creamy soup but don’t want to use dairy/heavy whip, use cashews instead. Pour the soup in a blender with the cashews and you’ll get the most silky, delicious texture.

What was your biggest #foodfail?
Cauliflower crust pizza. It drove me crazy; I was trying so many different things but I have not been able to master it and have given up!

How do you define good food?
Good food is nutrient-dense, flavorful and nourishing to the body and soul.

Is there any food you can’t stand?
I don’t like olives. I’ve tried so many different ones so many times but I just can’t seem to get over it.

What’s always in your fridge?
Cheese!

Where do you typically grocery shop?
I buy the majority of my groceries at Sprouts and Traders Joe’s.

Top three herbs, in order of importance?
Basil, parsley, mint.

Your good food wish?
That everybody on this planet can enjoy an abundance of good food and clean water.

Most underrated spice?
Cumin.

What’s your go-to breakfast?
I like to change things up. I will have a egg and spinach omelet one day, oatmeal the next, and a piece of toast another day.

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
Tony Robbins. At his favorite restaurant.

Veggie you never liked when you were young, but now you do?
Brussels sprouts.

What is your go-to dinner party dish?
I don’t have a go-to dinner party dish—it depends on the season and who’s attending the dinner. But right now I would bring a pot of short ribs. 🙂

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Food issues have not quite made it into the upcoming Presidential Debate. If you could ask the future President to consider a food issue that needs to be addressed, what would it be?
I would ask the president to demand that companies take the chemicals OUT of our food. No colorants, preservatives or additives. That would make a huge difference.

What have you been dying to make recipe-wise, but haven’t yet?
Bone broth.

If you were a food, what you be and why?
I would be a granola bar—full of life, a little nuts, and sweet. LOL

Favorite cuisine?
Thai.

What’s your favorite meal-on-the-go?
Kale and cauliflower curry salad from Trader Joe’s.

Food related pet peeve?
The FDA.

If you could get the general population to change ONE aspect of their eating habits, what would it be?
To eat more whole foods!

What’s one of your first (and most memorable) interactions with food?
When I was little I loved making bread. My mom would make a big batch of dough for me and my brother, and we’d play with it, making fun shapes and dolls to bake in the oven. The whole house smelled great, and the best part? Eating the freshly baked creations. 🙂

What’s your favorite indulgent treat?
Salted caramel ice cream.

If you are making a food resolution this year, what is it?
To make even more things from scratch. Like almond milk—instead of store-bought, I’m making it myself now.

What are you up to these days?
The cookbook is my passion project at the moment. I’m a health coach, fitness trainer and model. There’s never a dull moment in my life; I keep really busy between coaching calls, HIIT training and photo shoots. 🙂

Simran Sethi is a journalist and educator focused on food, sustainability and social change. Her latest book, Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love, is a story of changes in food and agriculture told through bread, wine, chocolate, coffee and beer. And her expertise in food and agriculture goes far beyond.

She has many accolades, including being named the environmental “messenger” by Vanity Fair, one of the top eight women saving the planet by Marie Claire, and a top 10 eco-hero of the planet by the U.K.’s Independent. She was the environmental correspondent for NBC News, and has been featured on The History Channel and NPR. She has also written for the Huffington Post, Mother Earth News, Oprah.com and The Guggenheim Museum. And spoken at the James Beard Foundation Food Conference, TEDxCibeles, and more! Simran is one impressive and busy woman!

Tell us what you’re working on right now.
I’m working on a piece on the definition of craft chocolate and how consumers can be empowered to truly understand and source the chocolate they love. And I’m doing research for an upcoming book proposal on yeast. Microbes are magic!

Who is your food inspiration?
My grandmother.

What was your biggest #foodfail?
I don’t view any effort at cooking as a mistake. I typically don’t use recipes. If it tastes weird, I fix it.

How do you define good food?
Food that has been grown and prepared by people who have been treated well and paid a fair wage, coming from land that has been sustainably managed. And cooked by people who are also treated equitably and love what they do. Delicious food isn’t delicious if people or natural resources are harmed in the process.

What’s always in your fridge?
Milk, eggs, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Where do you typically grocery shop?
Farmers’ markets, independent grocers like Let It Grow Produce in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In short, places that value the origins of food and are proud to share where the food came from.

Your good food wish?
That global and domestic policies around food and farming reflected and emphasized the centrality of smallholder farmers (who feed over half the world), the need for biodiversity and the importance of indigenous cultivation and culinary traditions.

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
Michelle Obama at the White House.

Food issues have not quite made it into the presidential debates. If you could ask the future President to consider a food issue that needs to be addressed, what would it be?
There should be a lot more scrutiny around the Trans-Pacific Partnership and implications for domestic farmers, preservation of heirloom seeds and transparency around what consumers know about their food sources.

If you were a food, what you be and why?
Pomegranate. It’s tart and sweet, and you have to work to get to the good stuff.

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Favorite cuisines?
Thai, Indian, and Italian.

Food related pet peeve?
Anything turned into foam.

If you could get the general population to change ONE aspect of their eating habits, what would it be?
Stop supersizing everything. Let’s recognize how precious food is and stop wasting 40 percent of it (here in the U.S.).

What’s your favorite indulgent treat?
I indulge in anything I want; chocolate tops the list.

If you had to make (or are making) a food resolution this year, what would it be?
Eat better chocolate, drink better coffee, learn how to bake bread.

What are you up to these days?
Cooking up lots of cool events. Book readings/signings coupled with beer, wine, coffee, chocolate and bread tastings that bring the book to life. Details here.

The brothers behind Little Cupcake Bakeshop: Lou, Salvatore, and Massimo LoBuglio

Massimo LoBuglio is one third of the brotherly team behind Little Cupcake Bakeshop. Established in July of 2005, LCB just celebrated its ten year anniversary in their original Brooklyn spot. Congratulations, Massimo! He and his brothers have since expanded to two additional locations, and are killing it with cupcake flavors such as Strawberry and Blackout, as well as pies, ice cream, layer cakes, cheesecakes and more. Even breakfast!

But Massimo hasn’t always been in the cupcake industry. Before joining his brothers in the family business, he was working as a climate change psychologist. Certainly a change of direction in some respects, but Massimo has put his environmental passions to play at the bakeshop too!

For those just getting to know you, how would you describe your business?
Family-owned and operated, sustainable cafe-bakery serving traditional American desserts, baked on site everyday.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your business?
Marrying environmentalism and baking.

Food & Wine recently ranked you as having the best chocolate cake and cupcakes in the U.S. That is quite the title! Tell us a secret behind making a perfect cupcake!
No junk.

What are some of the principles that guide your business?
Karma.

What was your biggest challenge in relation to your business?
Opening a shop in Manhattan was a big jump for us.

Are there any personal beliefs that you have on the overall food system that make their way into your everyday business (e.g., curbing food waste, sustainable sourcing, local sourcing)? Do tell.
Understanding the environmental impacts of food is fun. It touches waste streams, sourcing, sustainability, health, tastiness of course etc. We make decisions based on the best we can do in each of those areas.

You were working as a climate change psychologist before joining your family at Little Cupcake Bakeshop. How do you connect the two together?
Psychology—it teaches us that simplicity goes a long way.

Tell us the rewards and challenges of a family-run business.
It’s a lot of fun. The biggest challenge is that we have different schedules, so we don’t get to play much hockey together.

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Food issues have not quite made it into the upcoming Presidential Debate. If you could ask the future President to consider a food issue that needs to be addressed, what would it be?
I would love for a lot of things to be addressed, but to pick one… How about an environmental impact statement included on nutrition labels! Data about the carbon pollution associated with food choices.

Anything new around the corner that you are excited about?
I’m optimistic we are turning the corner on climate change inaction.

If you could get the general population to change ONE aspect of their eating habits, what would it be?
Eat more plants.

Who was your food inspiration? Tell us why.
My mom—she packed my lunch box with apples and pasta every morning before school.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing?
Playing hockey, all day, everyday.

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
Share a midnight pizza at Joe’s with Albert Einstein.

What’s always in your pantry?
Cereal.

Your good food wish?
For people to slow down and for climate change to be reversed.

Photo credit: Jeff Thibodeau

Oyster sommelier Julie Qiu (@inahalfshell) knows her stuff. Her blog In A Half Shell began as a personal quest to become an oyster connoisseur, but it has evolved far beyond her initial goal. Not only is it beautiful, Julie’s website is a wealth of knowledge and resources—she features City Guides to oysters around the world, an Oyster Concierge feature where you can learn about varieties of oysters all the way from California to New Zealand, and the ultimate oyster FAQ in Half Shell 101. Plus much more!

What’s your business in 10 words or less?
Maximizing the joy of oysters through personal stories and experiences.

What’s the most important thing we should know about what you do?
There is no official “oyster sommelier” certification or title (yet), but it’s the closest label that explains what I love doing. Oysters for me is still very much a passion project.

What is your favorite variety of oyster?
That’s very difficult to say, as I love a broad spectrum of oysters—different species, different regions, different producers… and it depends on where I am eating them! Generally speaking, I am almost always happy with oysters from Maine, Massachusetts, and the Pacific Northwest.

Who/what was/is your food inspiration?
I learned to keep things simple from my mom. Her cooking is amazing, but it’s super simple—she lets the ingredients shine on their own, which is how oysters should be treated as well. For more visual inspiration, just look at who I follow on Instagram! 

How did you first fall in love with oysters?
My first encounter with oysters was pretty wishy washy. I was 15 and was visiting some family in San Diego. One day at lunch, I insisted on ordering two dozen raw oysters for the table (because I was a fancy teenager) and distinctly remember liking some of them and really disliking others. A decade later, I read “A Geography of Oysters” by Rowan Jacobsen and that sparked the initial intellectual curiosity. It inspired me to learn about and experience as many oysters as I could get my hands on. My bf at the time (now husband) took me to the Hog Island Oyster Bar in San Francisco, where I slurped my first Hog Island Sweetwater. There was something about that oyster that I had never tasted before. It was alive, complex, unadulterated and sublimely delicious. I fell in love right then and there.

Best part about being in the food industry?
Meeting people who share the same passion and nerdiness about food. 

Worst part about being in the food industry?
Having FOMO all of the time.

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If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing?
I’d like to think that I’d still be involved with food somehow. I actually just started a new position as Marketing Director for Australis Aquaculture and that has allowed me to explore the other side of the sustainable seafood / aquaculture spectrum!

How do you define good food?
Good food creates value for every stakeholder: the eater, the producer, the chef, purveyor, and environment.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to an oyster newbie?
Don’t take my word (or anyone’s word) as the be-all and end-all for your oyster adventures. Always ask questions, experiment often, and never underestimate your own ability to shuck!

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
I would love to have oysters with Anthony Bourdain. I think he prefers Wellfleets, but it would be fun to do a comprehensive tasting. There are two cities that offer the largest variety of oysters—NYC and Hong Kong. Toronto wouldn’t be bad either.

What’s always in your fridge?
I WISH I had fresh oysters always in my fridge, but that’s not realistic. My fridge is usually stocked with seasonal fruits and veggies. My freezer is usually packed with wild ducks (my husband goes duck hunting every winter), Maine dayboat sea scallops, and barramundi… Oh, and ice cream.

Favorite oyster preparation?
Naked. Chilled. Perfectly shucked.

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.

Amanda is the Co-Founder of RootedNY (@RootedNY), connecting consumers with their food by bringing them directly to its source. How? RootedNY provides behind-the-scenes tours of local farms and food makers in New York.

Like many, Amanda grew up sourcing groceries from the store. But at the age of eight, her family paid a visit to a friend who had a chicken coop, and Amanda was asked to collect the eggs for breakfast. This experience had a lasting impact, and years later—in early 2015, she and her college roommate Clarissa Delap founded RootedNY, allowing those without farm contact to have their very own chicken coop experience!

What’s your business in ten words or less?
Tours of local farms and food producers.

What’s the most important thing we should know about your business?
We want to bring people behind the scenes of food to make an authentic connection to the people and places making our food.

How do you define good food?
I’ll borrow Carlo Petrini’s definition—good food needs both taste (to be delicious to us personally) and knowledge (to tell a cultural and historical story).

What was your hardest moment in relation to your business?
We had to cancel a tour due to low ticket sales, which was a bit heartbreaking, although we learned a lot from it. Asking people to commit to a full day or half day with us is always going to be a challenge.

Who is your food inspiration?
There have been so many over the years, starting with my mom and most recently other food educators like Karen Washington and Marion Nestle.

Best part about being in the food industry?
The food and booze at every industry event is always delicious and interesting.

Worst part about being in the food industry?
My apartment is always full of esoteric food products that I need to find uses for.

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If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be?
I’d probably still be in real estate finance—bored and unfulfilled.

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
Ernest Hemingway at a small Ibérico ham producer in the Spanish countryside, and we would drink wine straight out of a leather bota bag.

What’s always in your fridge?
At least three types of cheese, butter, eggs, pickles, onions, garlic, and beer.

Your good food wish?
For everyone to understand and appreciate the true value of food.

Entrepreneur Abe Kamarck is a father of four, and spends a lot of time trying to get his kids to eat healthfully. He and his business partner / man pal Kevin Powell realized that one way to get on the path of good eating was to create a line of products actually made from real foods (imagine that!). So they created True Made Foods @truefoods, a company making our favorite sauces without all of the nonsense. Take their ketchup, for example. Thanks to a recipe by Kevin’s wife Abbey, their ketchup is filled with spinach, carrots and butternut squash, and is delicious enough for even the most devout cheeseburger lover (just ask Kevin!). Abe clearly has a lot on his plate, but he sat down with us to answer a few questions.

What’s your business in ten words or less?
True Made Foods puts nutrition back into food.

What’s the most important thing we should know about your business?
We infuse fresh, pureed vegetables into all of our sauces—turning what were once empty-calorie condiments into nutrient dense sauces. Our ketchup, BBQ sauce and Veracha hot sauce have much less sugar than similar brands and the most nutritional value on the market.

Best part about being in the food industry?
Seeing people enjoy your product and the lives they impact.

Worst part about being in the food industry?
The high capital costs and the loss of your weekends.

Who is your food inspiration?
Hampton Creek and KIND.

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What is your biggest challenge in relation to your business?
Fundraising has always been our biggest challenge. It’s a crowded industry and justifiably, investors want to see traction. It’s often difficult to gain significant traction without up-front funding to help pay for inventory, shipping and in-store marketing. It’s possible to show market uptake on a limited budget, but some investors also have cumulative revenue requirements. These revenue hurdles are hard to hit without funding. You often wind up in a Catch-22 scenario.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be?
An astronaut….

How do you define good food?
Real food, made traditionally.

Who is one famous person, dead or alive, that you want to share a meal with? And where?
Abraham Lincoln in the White House.

What’s always in your fridge?
True Made Ketchup and Veracha.

Your good food wish?
That the country stops pretending like certifications alone make food healthy. Healthy food makes food healthy.

Favorite dish using your product?
An egg sandwich with our Veracha Hot Sauce.