New York, NY – From September 11 to September 13, fourteen chefs will gather at Burlington, Vermont’s Shelburne Farms for the James Beard Foundation (JBF)’sthirteenth Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change. This is the third time Shelburne Farms will be hosting the Chefs Boot Camp, setting the scene for talented chefs from across the country to learn effective advocacy skills while exploring the multifaceted issues around the upcoming Farm Bill.
“The Farm Bill is a significant and expansive piece of legislation that often feels daunting to try to understand” said Kris Moon, vice president of the James Beard Foundation. “At this Boot Camp we will be educating this powerful community of chefs on the breadth of what’s covered in the bill and the importance of using their voices to support the components they feel most passionately about.”
Participating chefs are provided training from industry and political experts, which includes classroom work, mock interviews, social media campaign creation, hands-on activities that engage the chefs with local natural resources, a collaborative dinner cooked by the attendees, and strategic brainstorming about effective action points, and next steps.
During the intensive three-day training, chefs hone the skills they need to be effective champions for the food-system issues they connect with personally and/or professionally. The sessions will include:
· Why Chefs Voices Matter: What is advocacy, why we do it, how we do it, and what to expect from policy; engaging chefs on food-system issues.
· How Policy Happens: Overview of policy change at state and federal levels, illustrated using food waste as an example of a pressing policy issue.
· ABCs of the Farm Bill: The nearly trillion-dollar food and agriculture bill will come up for consideration and approval in 2018. Chefs will learn about the different agriculture and feeding programs included in the legislation and explore ways to get involved in the debate.
· A is for Advocacy: Why we need campaigns, how they work, and how we build them.
· Farm Activities and Collaborative Dinner: Chefs tour Shelburne Farms and cook dinner together using ingredients harvested from the farm and sourced from local purveyors; they then sit down and share the meal that they’ve prepared.
The upcoming Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change will feature the following chefs:
- Shaun Brian, St. John, USVI
- Suzanne Cupps, NYC
- Mike Friedman, Washington, D.C.
- Bryce Gilmore, Austin
- Mourad Lahlou, San Francisco (returning alumni)
- Danielle Leoni, Phoenix
- Sheila Lucero, Denver
- Wes Nicoll, Shelburne, VT (host chef)
- Duane Nutter, Mobile, Alabama
- Chris Pandel, Chicago
- Todd Richards, Atlanta
- Jodie Rogers, Park City
- Sheldon Simeon, Maui, Hawaii
- Rebecca Wilcomb, New Orleans
The Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change was launched in July 2012 and is conducted under the direction of JBF Award–winning chef and founder of Wholesome Wave, Michel Nischan, and James Beard Foundation trustee and founder of Arabella Advisors, Eric Kessler. In 2016, Katherine Miller, a nationally recognized expert on advocacy and issue campaigns, was named senior director of food policy advocacy for the James Beard Foundation. Her duties include leading the development of JBF’s advocacy strategies around food waste, sustainable meat, seafood, and child nutrition. The program is generously supported by: the Carl M. Freeman Foundation in memory of chef Matt Haley; the Distinguished Vineyards portfolio, including Argyle, MacRostie, and Wither Hills wineries; Niman Ranch; the Osprey Foundation; Shelburne Farms; and Windstar Cruises.
The 360-degree approach to educating and activating these powerful change makers on important food issues continues with ongoing support from the James Beard Foundation’s Chef Action Network, which provides campaign development, speech writing, media skills and training, policy research, and preparation for visits with policy makers and other leaders.
The Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change is part of the James Beard Foundation's broader Impact Programs, which engage the culinary community in the ongoing process of creating a sustainable food system that provides nutritious and delicious food for all. Other Impact programs include conducting a national dialogue on food-system issues at Issue Summits in cities around the country; local advocacy trainings in cities around the country; the annual JBF Food Summit, which brings together a diverse group of food-system thought leaders; the annual Leadership Awards, which recognize visionaries helping to create a more healthful, sustainable, and safe food world; the JBF Culinary Labs, which engage chefs in hands-on opportunities around food-systems issues; the Enlightened Eaters program which explores food system issues through readings, lectures, and screenings; and the ongoing advocacy and issue support provided by the Foundation’s Chef Action Network.
More than 800 chefs have applied to the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change program since it launched. Participants are selected to represent regional and topic interest diversity, with consideration given to the voice that each chef has within their local community and on a national level. A full list of chefs who have attended the previous Boot Camps can be viewed at jamesbeard.org/education/bootcamp. Follow hashtag #JBFImpact and #ChefsLead on Twitter and Instagram to track the chefs’ progress. For additional information, view the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change video feature on JBF’s YouTube channel. To apply to or support future Chefs Boot Camps for Policy and Change, please visit jamesbeard.org/education/bootcamp.
About the James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation’s blog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites. Follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation’s Livestreamchannel. Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation’s YouTube channels.
Source: James Beard Foundation