The Food Lover's Elective: A CRAFT Conversation Series

In this episode, Chatham University’s Food Studies graduate student, Katie Reuther, talks with Thai Nguyen.  Following the war in Vietnam, Thai came to the United States with her family as a refugee in 1980 after going through 4 refugee camps in Southeast Asia. Thai is the Founder and Executive Director of Kaizen Food Rescue, which is the only refugee created and led nonprofit food access organization in Colorado. Through Kaizen, Thai distributed over 11 Million pounds of fresh food to thousands of families in 93 zip codes. As a former refugee from Vietnam, Thai brings her passion about food justice and food apartheid to the local community by serving on the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council, Jefferson County Food Policy Council, and Mile High Farmers. When Thai is not fighting food insecurity, you can find her outdoors with her three beautiful children and two rescue puppies.

In this episode, Chatham University’s Food Studies graduate student, Hannah Horstmyer, chats with Gabe Tilove. Gabe Tilove is the director of adult education and community outreach for Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, where he works to connect people more closely to the beauty of the natural world through education and outreach. Gabe directs 250+ classes annually on topics ranging from sustainable horticulture and native plant landscapes to botanical art and floral design, and now culinary arts in Phipps new teaching kitchen where students explore the intersection of food, plants, health and culture. In 2013, Gabe helped launch Phipps Homegrown program, and edible garden outreach program installing raised bed gardens for food insecure families. Over 350 backyard gardens have been installed to date.

This episode of the Food Lover's Elective Podcast features a conversation with Emilia Aiello, the owner of online wine retailer Cittavino & co. Chatham University Food Studies Grad Students Rachel Schatz and Isabella Missell dive into how her varied life experience led to her starting her own wine business with the goal of raising awareness about and interest in Southern Italian wine. We talk about her continued efforts to build community within the wine world and around her business. Emilia talks to us about her continued education and focus on the broad political, economic, social, and environmental aspects of wine, and describes her hopes and predictions for the future of the wine industry. 

Chatham University's Food Studies students Raya Anonuevo, Valeria Santos Nunes, and Sydney Lawson welcome chef Kristina Ramos in this episode of The Food Lover's Elective. During the conversation, they discuss Ramos's experiences working in NYC restaurant culture, as well as how she made the transition into the non-profit world as a food educator at Chefs for Impact. Born and raised in New York, Kristina is a Filipino-American chef. She has worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants in both New York and France, including Eleven Madison Park (3 Michelin stars), Auberge La Feniere (1 Michelin star), Minetta Tavern (1 Michelin star), and Oxalis (1 Michelin star). During the pandemic, Kristina worked with Eleven Madison Park and Rethink to provide thousands of meals to essential workers and communities suffering from food insecurity. After realizing that she wanted to create more impact with food, she is now pursuing her passion for sharing simple, delicious, and sustainably sourced food as the Chef Educator and Program Manager with Chefs for Impact.

Chatham University’s Food Studies graduate student, Taylor Wainwright, chats with an alum of the program, Catherine Piccoli. Catherine is the Curatorial Manager for the Museum of Food and Art in New York City. Together, they navigate a fruitful conversation on how modern museums foster learning in public spaces. Food Studies graduate student, Haley Moore, worked behind the scenes editing the final interview.  Catherine Piccoli is a historian, writer, and curator whose work focuses on the intersection of  food, culture, memory, and place. She brings a multidisciplinary approach to the Museum of  Food and Drink as curatorial director, where she oversees the creation of exhibitions and robust  public programming for adults and children. Catherine led the development of MOFAD’s major  exhibitions – African/American: Making the Nation’s Table, Chow: Making the Chinese  American Restaurant, and Flavor: Making It and Faking It – as well as gallery shows – Highlights  from the Collection, Knights of the Raj NYC, and Feasts and Festivals. She has been part of the  MOFAD team since October 2014 and served as the museum’s interim president from March  through December 2020. In 2021, Catherine served as the juror for Dough, a national art exhibition at Hera Gallery in  Rhode Island. She holds an M.A. in Food Studies from Chatham University and a B.S. with  honors in Social and Cultural History from Carnegie Mellon University.