Good bye 2023, you were a year. While you weren't the most exciting, you still contained plenty of good food and good friends! Brett and I talk about the highlights from our travels, special occasions, and our own backyard.Look for new episodes coming late January 2024!
Jo is a city girl from Minnesota who intentionally moved to Pittsburgh with friends to invest in the community. We talk about her free-range childhood, Minnesota foods, her time with the Pittsburgh Project and Ballfield Farms, and what's next for PFPC. Audio note: We recorded this in early November on a gorgeous fall day outdoors, so you'll hear some vehicles and some birds. After I got home, I got a series of texts from Jo telling me about other memories that she thought of after I left. I suggested she record them on her phone and send them to me, and I'd try to integrate them into the interview. Shortly after I received 4 audio files with several stories each, which I have integrated into the interview. The clips Jo sent sounded different, so I added some background music to differentiate them.
Ebony is an educator, farmer and entrepreneur with a focus on community. She was inspired to create a backyard educational "program" with the neighborhood kids that came to play with her kids. She made stations designed to teach the kids to take care of each other. From that, Ebony launched a non-profit organization (Out of the End) and a for-profit (Farmer Girl Eb) business, both designed to help the community care for each other. We talk about her partnership with Cafe Momentum, the new storefront for the Farmer Girl Eb fresh food corner store, and what's happening with the grants she received in 2023.
Josh is a tech-for-social-good entrepreneur, urban pioneer, and nature photographer. Josh grew up in New Jersey and moved to Pittsburgh to attend CMU, then started and sold several businesses. Today, he runs a company called Reseed that helps smallholder farms capitalize on their regenerative farming practices by selling their carbon credits. Josh talks about how we can hijack capitalism and hack the system to use market forces for good. And, of course, we talk about how food is at the center of everything.
Rayden is an ice hockey player, artist, and expert community builder. We talk at a point in his life and his career, where he is passing the torch at Grow Pittsburgh and venturing out to see what's next. We talk about growing up without a lot of structure, Jewish food culture, boarding school, his work in the Pittsburgh agriculture scene, hospital food, food shaming, how to build a team, his personal portal to nine mile run watershed, and what might be next for him now.
Erika is a baker, artist, and founding member of Pittsburgh's first cooperative bakery. Erika tells me about her work on America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated, and Milk Street; recipe development (including the lemon layer cake in episode photo); her writing career; and the reality of burnout in the culinary arts field.
Growing up both in the Philippines and the US, and now having perfected both cooking and farming, Rafael has a unique perspective on our food system. We talk about bite-sized goals, assimilating to American culture, and his new restaurant venture! Bahay Kubo, the song that helped Rafael select what he would grow: https://www.tagaloglang.com/bahay-kubo-lyrics-recordings/ Noise alert: This interview was recorded at Hilltop Urban Farm in Pittsburgh, outdoors, and it was a windy day. I learned that we need to protect the microphone from the wind. #amboyfarmer #amboyfarm #filipinofood #filipinofood #filipinofoods #bahaykubo
Beth is a writer, scholar, food tour guide, educator, gardener, and soon-to-be bakery owner. She always connected to people through food and found her way to Chatham University's Food Studies program to bring food to the forefront of her work. As a founding member of Pittsburgh's first bakery co-op, she is eager to create that space for others. #chathamfoodstudies #foodstudies #thirdspacebakery #cookbookclub #withbowlandspoon #withbowlandspoonpodcast
Graduate of CMU School of Art, Chloe tells us about her path from artist to to founding member of Pittsburgh's first Bakery Co-op. We talk about The Bakery Society, Pittsburgh's Fermentation Festival, the whole grain brownie, sourcing local grain, connecting to people through food, and of course her new venture.
Chris has a passion for food but spent many years trying to figure out how he and food fit together. He talks about growing up in Dayton Ohio, his fascination with exotic foods like meatloaf, and how one Food Studies graduate class changed his perspective of the food system. Chris leans on his faith, and aims to create a narrative of hope moving forward, with a focus on love, connection and a sense of community.
Joe talks about shared food kitchens, food hubs, food inequality, Food Institutes, increasing small farm income, and asset based community development. Yes, this episode is long, but if you have an interested in food systems and the efforts to create regional production, this episode is for you! Whether you know something about food system work, or are just interested in learning more, this episode will be enlightening.
Pittsburgh native and farmers market fan, Cassi talks about how she celebrates her family heritage and creates community through food. We talk about the lost art of home economics training, culinary school inspiration, and of course farmers markets.
Dylan is the CEO of Ecotone Renewables. This Pittsburgh based company makes biodigesters that turn organic waste into an organic fertilizer they call "Soil Sauce". Dylan talks about the company's start, his passion for sustainable solutions and local food, and what he'll do when he gets some free time.#Ecotonerenewables #Endfoodwaste #greenfuture #soilsauce #supportlocalfarms #biodigester #localfood
NaTisha is a Communications Manager, Environmental Justice Advocate and soon-to-be Councilwoman for Wilkinsburg, PA. She talks about her college years and her first hand experience with Pittsburgh's pollution problem. (Spoiler alert... it's real!) We discuss community engagement, including boundaries and food requirements, being human, and the importance of self-care.#NaTishaWashington #environmentaljustice #policychange #communityengagement #OperationBetterBlock #TreeWalks #PollutionPrevention #selfcaremondays Sound alert: You'll hear some cars and people, maybe a dog.
A native of Michigan, Kimberly has picked Pittsburgh as her home. After college, Kimberly and six friends moved together and created a community space on Pittsburgh's North Side. She talks about gentrification, her work with kids, urban agriculture, and community gardens.#localfood #vegetarian #urbanag #growfood #ballfieldfarm #givinggrove #treepittsburgh
Darla comes from an Italian family where food is central to life. She talks about busy Sundays as a kid, Feast of the Seven Fishes, growing, harvesting and preserving food, and her legacy at Round Hill Farm, a working farm owned and operated by Allegheny County.#Italian #roundhillfarm #alleghenygrows #summerkitchen #pittsburghfoodpolicycouncil #canningandpreserving
In the 80s, Lee Woulfe was my boss at a Southern California Wendy's. We've stayed in touch, despite not having Facebook in the early years. We reminisce about the positive influence Wendy's had on our lives, how great it was to be in Southern California in the mid-80s, hanging out with the Dead Milkmen, and Lee's time in the Air Force. We even talk a bit about life since then. #Wendys #USAirforce #DeadMilkmen #oonipizzaoven #huntingtonBeachCA #Scouting
Kyle Winkler, Zero Waste Wrangler I met Kyle when we both worked for the City... he's the one who told me that composting wasn't technically legal and he helped me write the half-page municipal code that finally made composting legal in the City of Pittsburgh in 2019!! Kyle is committed to being part of the solution, and with his business, he's making a dent in the diversion of organic waste from landfills. Noise note: This episode was recorded at Trace in their Cool Ship Room and there is a little echo.
I met Marcelle my first week working with the City of Pittsburgh and it quickly became clear that I had found a fellow urban agriculture champion! Marcelle is one of the most adventurous people I know. We talk about her childhood on a goat farm in Lebanon, working at her mom's restaurant, Sadie's, in New Castle, PA, exploring U.S. state parks, the Lebanon Mountain Trail, salad dressing, peanut butter and bread. Noise Note: You'll hear some wind chimes in this episode. Maybe a plane?
Lisa is a Black urban farmer, business owner, author, "bad-ass" social worker and community builder. Lisa tells me about how she got started in urban agriculture, the history of her Manchester neighborhood, and the struggles to bring fresh food to her community. Noise notes: This episode was recorded at Nova Place. You'll hear planes, kids playing, and music in the background. urbanfarmer #urbanfarming #gentrify #gentrification #communitybuilding #farmaid #Willienelson