edible COLUMBUS | Winter 2018 | Issue No. 35

edible

COLUMBUS® THE STORY ON LOCAL FOOD

No. 35 | Winter 2018 Member of Edible Communities

Complimentary

WINTER 2018 | CONTENTS

15

DEPARTMENTS

23

4

EDITOR’S NOTE

6

#EDIBLECOLUMBUS

8

NATION

10

KITCHENS

12

CHEFS

15

COOK

39

HERO

FEATURES 23

A COOK’S LIFE In the kitchen with four Columbus food enthusiasts

By Nicole Rasul • Photography by Maria Khoroshilova

32

THEOLOGY MEETS ECOLOGY Sarah Black sows her talents at Seminary Hill Farm and everyone reaps a bountiful harvest

By Nancy McKibben • Photography by Rachel Joy Barehl

32 RECIPES 16 19 20 25 27 29 31

39

Pomegranate Glazed Duck Breast with Roasted Root Vegetables and Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes Roasted Golden Beets with Asian Pears, Goat Cheese, Spiced Pecans and Pomegranate Vinaigrette Winter Pavlova with Grapefruit and Pomegranate Marsala-Braised Beef with Fennel and Onion Slaw Served on a Garlic-Mint Aioli Palak Paneer The Best Homemade Apple Crisp Goat Cheese Medallions

COVER Photography by Rachel Joy Barehl. See story on page 32.

This page, from top to bottom: Photography by Hana Estice; photography by Maria Khoroshilova, featuring Anna Sanyal; photography by Rachel Joy Barehl, featuring Liv Morris; photography by Maria Khoroshilova, featuring Noreen Warnock and Michael Jones.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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We’re thrilled baker Sarah Black has found her home with Tadd Petersen and his team at Seminary Hill Farm on the campus of the Methodist Theological School of Ohio, and we’re excited to see what they have cooking come 2019. Next year marks our 10year anniversary, and we’re not the only ones. Local Matters celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2018 and we toast to co-founders Michael Jones and Noreen Warnock for being heroes of our local food system and helping so many.

We can’t help but also acknowledge Julia Turshen for her work nationally to create a table for all with her digital platform, EATT. Read our Q&A with her and get involved. Her new cookbook, Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers, is one of our favorites from 2018.

PUBLISHER

Franklin County Farm Bureau

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Colleen Leonardi

Steve Berk My Crock-Pot is my favorite kitchen tool; it is so versatile for a wide variety of dishes and recipes.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Doug Adrianson My favorite kitchen tool is my corkscrew.

I use it every day.

COPY EDITOR

Evan Schlarb It’s a tie between my L.T. Wright Large Pouter knife and my Stargazer cast-iron skillet.

DIGITAL & DESIGN EDITOR

As I reflect on the year and imagine what’s to come in 2019, I cannot forget those among us who stood in the kitchen, or on the farm, for a lifetime who have since passed and left this dear Earth. For me, 2018 will always be the year that we lost Anthony Bourdain and, more locally, the community organizer and urban farmer of Franklinton Farms, Patrick Kaufman. Both men were guiding lights in the work all of us do in the local food movement, and we must remember them as we move forward, day after day.

The best way to remember: Cook together, walk together, tell stories together and toast to those who worked, and are working, to make this world a more equitable, beautiful place for us all. These are the women and men worth celebrating.

Eat Well, Love Well, Live Well,

DESIGN

Melissa Petersen

WEB DESIGNER

Edible Feast & Kjeld Petersen PHOTOGRAPHY

What's your favorite cooking tool?

Rachel Joy Barehl • Hana Estice Julian Foglietti Maria Khoroshilova I love my zester/grater. Lemon/orange zest makes everything so much more flavorful.

Kristen Solecki My favorite cooking tool is a nonstick griddle.

It’s versatile and great for making my specialty, breakfast!

WRITERS

Lynn Marie Donegan • Adam Hager Colleen Leonardi • Nancy McKibben Nicole Rasul From soups and stews to roast chicken, braised short ribs and homemade crusty bread, my Dutch oven is in constant rotation in my kitchen.

Joshua Wickham ADVERTISING

Kirsten Marihugh Suzanne Vela Our Dutch oven, especially at this time of year for a great Sunday roast!

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

steve@ediblecolumbus.com CONTACT US

Colleen Leonardi

P.O. Box 21-8376, Columbus, Ohio 43221 info@ediblecolumbus.com • ediblecolumbus.com

Edible Columbus is brought to you by Franklin County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees President, Jeff Schilling • Vice President, Neall Weber Treasurer, Leland Tinklepaugh • Secretary, Roger Genter David Black • Dwight Beougher • Veronica Boysel • Charles Hines Denise Johnson • David Lewis • Jack Orum • Kyle Smith • Ralph Shoots Cassie Williams • Nathan Zwayer

Edible Columbus

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@ediblecbus

edible COLUMBUS

@ediblecolumbus

Edible Columbus is published quarterly and distributed throughout Central Ohio. Subscription rate is $25 annually. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY © RACHEL JOY BAREHL

hat a year: 2018 is truly one for the books. And as Jonathan Guerin, one of our home cooks featured in this issue, says about finding time in the kitchen to cook, “It’s something that you can fully control in a world where there’s so much that you can’t.” We focus this issue on cooking because it’s what we love to do when winter sets in. Pull out the cookbooks, stock up the pantry and invite friends and family over for a long dinner and conversation because, when so much in the world does seem out of control, the kitchen is always home base.

#ediblecolumbus Share your edible endeavors with us on Instagram via #ediblecolumbus!

Here are a few of our recent favorites... —Evan Schlarb

Top: @ar_snavley, @artfullyhangry, @chefkatya Middle: @over_dinner, @for_the_love_of_cbus, @the614life Bottom: @lakesandlattes, @whereshouldweeat_cbus, @taylersilfverduk

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NATION

Online effort aims to expand diversity and opportunity in the food industry

By Colleen Leonardi & Julia Turshen

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“Every single decision we make every single day about food is a political one,” says organizer Julia Turshen, a cookbook author, radio host and recipe developer. Need a food writer? Search EATT. Looking for a caterer in your area? Search EATT. And if you’re not a woman of color or in the LGBTQ community but you’re hiring, you can submit your profile to EATT, too.

The website, launched April 2018, is supported by a Patreon page, as there are no fees to join.

Edible Columbus: Much like Edible Communities Inc., it

seems like EATT arose out of a need in the food industry.

How would you describe that need and how did you and your board design EATT to meet it?

Above: Julia Turshen 8

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Julia Turshen: The need was, and continues to be, for a tool that

can help the industry move in a more equitable direction. In pro-

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GENTL AND HYERS

Room for All at This Table

quity At The Table (EATT) is a dynamic effort to level the playing field in the food industry by providing an online database of women, gender-nonconforming and LGBTQ food professionals. EATT is designed to change up who does the hiring and who gets hired to tip things to a more equitable alignment.

viding an easy-to-navigate directory of women and nonbinary individuals, and focusing primarily on people of color and the queer community, EATT centers the people who have not been centered.

It is accessible (there are no fees to join or to use the directory) and simple to use and aims to be a dependable resource for anyone in a position of power to use when they can hire, feature or fund someone. It’s also an amazing tool to keep everyone on the site connected to each other and create community in doing so. We have an active Instagram feed and an email newsletter that goes directly to members to keep us all in touch with each other. We’re not just waiting for gatekeepers to come to us—we’re working with and supporting each other.

Q: Tell me about the differences for you between diversity and inclusivity and equality and equity?

A: Equality is pulling up more seats to the table. Equity is about

who the table belongs to and who gets to do the inviting.

Q: Why do you think it’s vital for freelancers to have a virtual space to come to and connect?

A: No matter how technologically advanced the world becomes, we

all crave and need connection and community. Our work is stronger, and our lives are enriched, when we know about each other and can support and lift up each other.

Q: In time, how do you see this tool advancing and/or moving the food industry forward?

A: I see it shifting not just who gets covered, featured, honored and

invested in, but also who gets to do the covering, featuring, honoring and investing.

Q: What do you want readers in the Midwest to know about EATT and take away from your mission?

A: Every single decision we make every single day about food is a political one (where we eat, what we eat, etc.). When we make these decisions, remember that there are women and nonbinary individuals, especially people of color and the queer community, working in and around food everywhere and each choice can move us in a more equitable direction.

Learn more about EATT at equityatthetable.com.

Colleen Leonardi is the managing editor of Edible Indy and editor in chief of Edible Columbus. Learn more at colleenleonardi.com. Her favorite cooking tool is her teapot.

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KITCHENS

By the Wood Stove

By Lynn Marie Donegan • Photography by Hana Estice

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here’s nothing like the cozy crackle and comforting warmth of a wood-burning stove on a snowy winter day.

For Crystal and Gordon Bolon, their home kitchen is a favorite place to gather to watch the falling snow. With glass windows reaching from floor to ceiling, they enjoy a lovely view of the outdoors while evading the bitter chill of an Ohio winter.

Their home was designed by an architect who was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, using an approach called bio-architecture, which invites the outside in. The kitchen makes up part of a single open room, including the dining room and TV room, a perfect gathering place for friends and family any time of the year.

“We’ve never actually remodeled the kitchen, which makes it very interesting,” says Gordon. “It’s very retro-looking still.”

The kitchen has kept its ’50s-era charm, featuring knotty pine cabinets. The open kitchen makes it easy to cook for and serve guests in the dining area. But the favorite feature of the room is unanimously the wood-burning stove.

“I love the wood-burning stove,” Crystal says. “Cozy whilst watching the snow fall in the winter.”

“It can be 10° outside with the wind blowing, with snow everywhere, but with the wood-burning stove fired up, sometimes we have to open the door to let the heat out,” says Gordon. “We don’t spend much time in the rest of the house in winter.”

The kitchen holds fond memories for Crystal and her family from over the past 17 years. “We watched our daughter and her friends grow up in this kitchen,” she says.

Lynn Donegan grew up in Howard, Ohio, and is a freelance writer for Edible Columbus. She received her BA in English from Erskine College in 2016 and now works as a copywriter for a marketing company in Greenville, South Carolina.

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CHEFS

A Few of My Favorite Things

By Joshua Wickham • Illustrations by Kristen Solecki

A

s a professional chef, I have had the opportunity to work with countless kitchen gadgets and tools. The ones that mean the most to me have a few things in common: None of them is expensive; none of them needs power; they can be easily reconditioned, adjusted or replaced and, finally, each of them contributes to consistency in my fabrication and cooking of ingredients.

Garlic Press

Japanese Mandoline

Generally, I am not of fan of “one-trick ponies,” but here I make an exception. For years I made fun of the garlic press, and I chastised those who used them. “Why would anyone want that taking up space when you could just use a knife?” Then one day when no one was looking I used a friend’s to knock out a head’s worth of garlic cloves. My eyes were opened: They are amazing little tools that make the not-sogreat task of garlic chopping a little easier. I have had my own ever since. Another bonus is you do not have go through the whole cutting-board-and-knife thing to add a little garlic to a vinaigrette or a simmering sauce.

Similar to its French cousin, the Japanese mandoline allows for very consistent, very fast slicing. There are a couple of adjustments you can use to modify the shape and thickness of the slices. The blade is also removable and it can be sharpened. Unlike the French, the Japanese mandoline only costs about $30, it’s small enough to fit in a shallow drawer or knife bag and, most importantly, it is easy to clean and dry. I currently have two sizes in my knife bag and I use them all the time both at work and at home.

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Swiss-Style Vegetable Peeler These peelers take a little getting used to but once you are comfortable them they are the Ferrari of the peeler world. They remove very thin layers and can be used very quickly. The Swiss peeler has a horizontal blade and a short wide handle, they are also very flat (nice for storage). With that being said, the best part is the cost. These are usually less than $3, which means when they get dull you just replace them. I buy them by the half dozen online.

“I can cook just about anything in a properly seasoned cast-iron skillet. Try me.”

Five-Inch Probe Thermometer “How do I know when ______ is done?”

This is by far the most common culinary question I am asked. Sometimes it’s steaks, or a roasted chicken, or maybe even a morning glory muffin. The answer to all of these is in the numbers! Professionals use temperature to know if something “done.”

Chicken cooks to 165°, a medium-rare steak to 140° and baked goods to 200°.

With a probe thermometer there is no more guessing and there is no more cutting things open to see if they are “done.” These thermometers can be easily calibrated to insure accuracy.

10-Inch Iron Skillet If I could only have one pan the rest of my career, this would be it. I like cooking in iron because it stays hot when you put ingredients in it. The weight and thickness allow the pan to hold heat, so there is not the recovery period you experience in other types of cookware. By staying hot, the iron allows color to develop and searing to take place without cooking out all of the moisture. I can cook just about anything in a properly seasoned cast-iron skillet. Try me.

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Persephone’s Fruit

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HANA ESTICE

By Joshua Wickham and Adam Hager in partnership with Williams Sonoma

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t’s a myth. Greek, to be exact. Persephone was the beloved child of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of vegetation and queen of the underworld with Hades, god of the underworld. What put her there? The four seeds of a pomegranate. For four months out of the year—what we call winter—Persephone lives in the dark realms of earth and rises back to our world of sunshine come spring. In cultures the world over, pomegranate, which is actually a berry, is a symbol of fertility, new life and plenty. While not grown and harvested in Ohio, you’ll find this fruit at market during the winter months, and there are many ways to cook with it. Chef Joshua Wickham and Chef Adam Hager from Columbus State

Community College offer their favorite recipes with this elegant, antioxidant-packed wintertime fruit.

And a cook’s tip from our copy editor, Doug Adrianson, who has pomegranate growing in his backyard in California: The easiest (and certainly tidiest) way to remove the seeds (technically called arils) is to submerge the fruit in a bowl or sink of water and tear it apart underwater. The chaff will float and is easily skimmed off; the seeds can be collected under the water and then pressed for juice. The seeds can stain as badly as beets, so caution is a good idea.

—Colleen Leonardi edible COLUMBUS.com

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POMEGRANATE GLAZED DUCK BREAST WITH ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES AND ROSEMARY FINGERLING POTATOES

By Joshua Wickham

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIAN FOGLIETTI

Serves 4

Pomegranate Glaze

Duck Breast

Roasted Root Vegetables

16 ounces pomegranate juice (from 8–10

4 (6-ounce) duck breasts, skin on*

1 pound of your favor seasonal root veg-

fruits)

2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice

etables (I like carrots, rutabaga and

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

turnips. They give a good splash of

½ medium shallot

About 2 teaspoons oil, olive or canola

color and a variety of flavors.)

Pink Himalayan sea salt, to taste Make a shallow cut around the circumference of each pomegranate. Pull them open to expose the seeds (see cook’s tip on page 15). Turn them inside out by pressing them with your thumb. Gently rub the seeds into an appropriate-sized container. Press them through a fine strainer to juice, reserving the seeds for garnish if so desired. Transfer the juice to a small saucepan and heat over mediumlow heat. Mince the shallot and crush the cloves and add to the pan. Reduce until the juice is a syrup thickness. It is done when it coats the back of a spoon.

Season to taste with salt.

½ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Preheat oven to 350°. With a sharp knife, make shallow cross-cuts on the skin. This will allow the fat to render out.

Dust the duck breasts with the spice and salt. Preheat an appropriate-sized sauté pan. Add the oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the breasts in the pan 1 at a time, allowing the pan to stay hot so steam does not occur. Cook until the skin begins to crisp and becomes thinner. Adjust heat as needed so not to overcook. Turn over and finish in the oven. They are done when a thermometer reads 165°; it is acceptable to serve while still pink in the center.

3 tablespoons oil, olive or canola Preheat oven to 400°. Wash, peel and dry each vegetable. With a sharp knife, cut to the desired size and shape. The important part is they are all the same size for even cooking. Toss with oil and salt. Spread across a parchment-lined tray. Roast until fork tender and they begin to brown evenly.

Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes 12 ounces fingerling potatoes ½ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Sea Salt 3 tablespoon oil, olive or canola Preheat oven to 400°. Wash, peel, and dry the potatoes. Split each in half, lengthwise. Toss with rosemary, oil and salt. Spread across a parchment-lined tray. Roast until fork tender and they begin to brown evenly.

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ROASTED GOLDEN BEETS WITH ASIAN PEARS, GOAT CHEESE, SPICED PECANS AND POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE

By Adam Hager

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIAN FOGLIETTI

Serves 4

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Roasted Golden Beets

16 ounces pomegranate juice (from 8–10

3 medium golden beets

fruits) 2 cloves garlic

darker amber, add the pecans and spice and stir to coat. Pour out onto parchment paper to cool, spreading thin so they don’t clump together. Once set, break pieces apart.

½ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Sea Salt 3 teaspoon oil, olive or canola

½ medium shallot 10 ounces grapeseed oil Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, to taste Make a shallow cut around the circumference of each pomegranate. Pull them open to expose the seeds (see cook’s tip on page 15). Turn them inside out by pressing them with your thumb. Gently rub the seeds into an appropriate-sized container. Press through a fine strainer to juice them but reserve about 3 tablespoons of seeds for garnishing the salad.

Transfer the juice to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Mince the shallot and crush the cloves and add to the pan. Reduce until the juice is a syrup thickness. It is done when it coats the back of a spoon. Pass through a fine strainer. Allow to cool. Slowly add the oil to the reduction while whisking to combine. Season to taste with salt.

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash the beets thoroughly. Toss with oil and salt. Place in a roasting pan and cover. Bake for about 30–40 minutes, or until fork tender. Once cool enough to handle, wipe away the skin of the beets with a paper towel and cut to the desired shape.

Spiced Pecans ½ cup sugar 1 cup pecans, pieces or whole ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Add the sugar to a small sauté pan. Turn the heat to medium. Shake so the sugar levels out. As the pan heats, the sugar will start to melt. When the color changes to a golden amber, gently stir.

Continue this step until all the sugar has melted. When the color has changed to

Salad 1 small head of radicchio 1 small bunch curly endive 1 Asian pear 1 ounce goat cheese Roasted beets Spiced pecans Reserved pomegranate seeds Pomegranate vinaigrette

Assembly Wash and dry the pear, radicchio and endive. With your hands, tear the leaves and pull apart the endive to make smaller. Thinly slice the pear, or shape as desired. Build a foundation with the radicchio and endive, then arrange the pears and beets as desired. Top with goat cheese, pecans and pomegranate seeds. Finish by drizzling vinaigrette as needed.

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WINTER PAVLOVA WITH GRAPEFRUIT AND POMEGRANATE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIAN FOGLIETTI

By Joshua Wickham Serves 4

For the Meringue

Heat oven to 350°.

5 egg whites, at room temperature Pinch of cream of tartar 1¼ cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn the mixer to medium-high speed for 1 minute.

Reduce speed to medium and slowly start sprinkling in the sugar. It is important to add the sugar very slowly or you will get a gritty meringue.

For the Cream

Once all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer to high speed and whip to shiny stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and stir in completely.

½ cup chilled plain yogurt

Spoon the meringue into desired shape on a parchment-lined sheet tray and place in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 215°. Bake the meringues until crisp and firm. Depending on the size of your meringue the time will differ (larger = longer).

⅔ cup heavy cream, chilled ¼ cup sugar ½ cup raspberry purée To Finish 2 Ruby Red grapefruit, segmented ⅓ cup pomegranate arils

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For the Cream Combine the sugar and yogurt stir, to dissolve and set aside. Whip the heavy cream to medium peaks, add the yogurt and fold in to combine; add the purée and incorporate. Reserve for assembly.

To Finish Spoon the cream onto the crispy meringues and top with the fresh grapefruit.

Garnish with pomegranate arils.

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A Cook’s Life In the kitchen with four Columbus food enthusiasts

By Nicole Rasul • Photography by Maria Khoroshilova

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ulture, tradition, memory—home cooking evokes a sense of place where one can learn, let go or connect with family and friends. Winter means more time to cook, so we uncovered the stories of four Columbus home cooks and what brings them to the kitchen. Whether they like to bake or braise, they all share a devotion to craft and find inspiration, tricks and tools in the food world. Find their recipes here, too, to bring some of their home cooking to your kitchen this season.

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“Every time I’ve gotten together with friends and made a meal, it has created a happy moment.”

A Cajun Kind of Love: Peter Wilson Walking into the Franklinton home that Peter Wilson shares with his wife, Amanda, and their two dogs, one of the first sights that greets visitors is a 25-gallon stockpot perched in the front door’s entryway. For the past three years, Peter has used the pot to cook a crawfish boil at Rehab Tavern, one of his neighborhood hangouts.

Prior to this, he hosted friends and family for a day of the Cajun-inspired fare at his home.

Peter cooks the crawfish with sausage, corn and potato. “I absolutely love anything Creole: jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, po’ boys. I’ve always sort of been drawn to the cuisine—it’s one of the first that I learned to cook,” he says.

Though Peter isn’t formally trained in the culinary arts, he has continually been drawn to the kitchen both personally and professionally. “I’ve paid for a lot of school working in restaurants,” he says with a laugh.

While we talk, Peter plates a Marsala-braised beef brisket, slow cooked and sandwiched between a layer of fennel and onion slaw and garlic-mint aioli. He perfected this recipe while the executive chef at Sandman Gourmet, a Central Ohio catering company that also operates a deli and cheesesteak shop. Currently, Peter serves as a kitchen manager in Condado’s commissary kitchen, where he and a crew prep ingredients daily for the company’s nine taco joints across the region.

Peter has cooked at home for years. One fateful day in his youth, Peter’s family declared that he needed to prepare a meal each week.

After he served French toast for months on end, his grandfather pushed him to try new recipes. As he grew up, his mother helped to foster his natural culinary instinct too. “When I was 19, and a little lost, my mom was great about encouraging me in the kitchen,” he says.

With a father who served as the pastor of a Worthington parish, Peter also credits the numerous church potlucks that he attended as a kid as providing further culinary motivation. “I modified and stole a lot of recipes from older church ladies,” he says with a laugh.

In his downtime, Peter relishes crafting creatively in the kitchen with family and friends. “A big part of why I cook is because I love hanging out with my friends,” he says. “Every time I’ve gotten together with friends and made a meal, it has created a happy moment. In a life with a lot of ups and downs, cooking food has always been an up.”

Recently in his home kitchen, Peter has enjoyed exploring his Eastern European heritage through schnitzel. Additionally, at the height of the summer harvest, he and his buddies gathered peppers from their gardens and spent a special day together making hot sauce. Their collective effort filled 24 bottles.

I ask him to tell me about an aspirational meal he’d like to make at home. “Caribbean curried goat,” he quickly answers, obvious that the adventurous cook has been daydreaming about this meal for a while. “A big goat shank, slow roasted, with a beautiful Caribbean curry spice rub. Definitely served with a delicious dirty rice with coconut milk, charred green onions and maybe some naan or a flatbread to sop it all up.”

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MARSALA-BRAISED BEEF WITH FENNEL AND ONION SLAW SERVED ON A GARLIC-MINT AIOLI

By Peter Wilson Serves 4

Slaw

Aioli

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 heads of reserved garlic from the beef

2 heads of garlic, peeled

1 large head of fennel, thinly sliced

Âź cup fresh mint

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 sweet onion, quartered

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 large egg yolk

2 cups Marsala wine

2 tablespoons mayo

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Add ingredients to a pot. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Simmer on medium for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for an additional 3 hours. Beef is ready when it is fork tender. Remove from the pot and allow to rest, covered, 15 minutes. Save the cooked garlic cloves for the aioli recipe (at right).

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cover. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

In a food processor, add the garlic, mint, lemon juice and egg yolk. Blend thoroughly. Slowly drizzle the oil into the processor. The aioli is complete when the oil is fully incorporated and the mixture emulsifies.

2 pounds beef brisket, cut into 3-inch cubes

Serve plated or as a sandwich with a brioche roll. Add a layer of the aioli, then beef and top with the slaw.

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“I’m pretty obsessed with my spices,” she says with a smile.

The Smell of Ginger: Anna Sanyal As we stand in Anna Sanyal’s tidy Weinland Park kitchen, it’s obvious that the lawyer is as efficient and well-organized in this space as she appears to be in the rest of her life. On the fridge hangs an impeccable meal plan for the week. Nearby, spices are labeled cleanly in repurposed spaghetti sauce jars.

Though Anna cooks a variety of cuisines in her kitchen, Indian fare is one of her favorites. Raised by a single Bengali father in the suburb of Gahanna, Anna’s family hails from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. She discovered a love of cooking while in her early 20s and quickly began to explore Indian food as a way to connect with her South Asian roots.

The busy professional works long hours, serves on the boards of three legal organizations and most of her rare spare moments are spent on professional or personal obligations. Creative time in the kitchen helps her feel grounded and refreshed, Anna explains.

On the day that I visit, Anna is reheating her homemade chicken tikka masala and palak paneer in the oven. She had previously frozen the dishes after cooking them for a celebratory dinner for a friend. Meanwhile, she cooks a pea and carrot pulao on the stove and fixes an Indian-inspired chickpea and cucumber salad that will be served alongside.

The chicken tikka masala is a signature dish of Anna’s, often requested by friends. Adapted from a recipe by Monica Bhide, an Indian-American food writer, Anna prefers to serve the protein at the heart of the entrée in shredded chunks instead of cubed. Additionally, she prepares two to three times the gravy called for in the original version as she thinks its best with significant sauce. “It has Greek yogurt, a little bit of half and half and butter,” she says. “It’s really delightful.”

Anna’s palak paneer pairs hearty Indian cheese with a spinach-based sauce. The dish has roots in the north Indian state of Punjab, where spinach grows plentifully. Her pulao, or rice, is cooked in a spiceseasoned broth. Today, Anna adds carrots and peas, although sometimes she opts for chicken or shrimp instead. The smell of ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon and star anise melding consumes the kitchen.

“Usually when I’m entertaining I’ll cook Indian food because people just kind of expect it,” Anna says in reference to the dinner parties she and her friends enjoy organizing. Some of the gatherings have raised money for causes important to the group.

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When hosting, the well-organized cook will shop early in the week, spend a night prepping ingredients, and then prepare each dish late in the week in advance of a weekend party. And it isn’t an event without one of Anna’s signature cocktails served alongside. “The last time it was St-Germain and lemonade topped with sparkling wine and mint,” she says.

Anna likes to shop at Patel Brothers on Sawmill Road for South Asian staples. “I tend to buy a lot of spices from the Indian store because they are a better value,” Anna says of the seasonings sold in sandwich-bag-sized plastic packages. “I’m pretty obsessed with my spices,” she says with a smile.

PALAK PANEER Adapted by Anna Sanyal from Quick Indian Cooking by Mallika Basu Serves 2 alone or 4 if served with several other dishes

8 ounces paneer, cut into bite-sized pieces ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons oil 1 medium red onion, chopped 4 to 8 garlic cloves, minced or ground to a paste 1 inch ginger, minced or ground to a paste 1 teaspoon cumin 1 serrano pepper, diced (or less if you prefer minimal spice) 16 ounces frozen spinach

In a bowl, mix the paneer with the turmeric, chili powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat the oil on high. Add the seasoned paneer to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides.

Remove the paneer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate.

In the same pot, sautĂŠ the onion, garlic and ginger. Once the onions are translucent, add the cumin and serrano pepper. Fry until the mixture turns a deep golden brown. If the mixture sticks to the pot add a little hot water.

Mix in the frozen spinach and let the mixture cook for 5 minutes. When the spinach is thoroughly defrosted and mixed evenly, add half a cup of hot water. Transfer to a blender (or use a hand blender in the same pot) and process to a smooth, creamy texture.

Pour the spinach base back into the pot.

Add the fried paneer pieces and garam masala. Mix in cream or Greek yogurt, if using, to taste. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until everything cooks together thoroughly.

Season with salt to taste, then serve hot with basmati rice, naan or parathas.

Hot water 1 teaspoon garam masala Salt to taste Optional: heavy cream or Greek yogurt to taste

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“For me, food has always been about taking care of others.” block, Jonathan says, served alongside peppers, grilled pineapple with cinnamon, squash, or grilled corn with feta and balsamic.

Sometimes they have sausage, salmon or shrimp. One time they tried octopus. “We cook a lot of what’s in season,” Jonathan says.

On the day that I meet Jonathan, his apartment is cozy, filled with the smell of an autumnal apple crisp on the first really cold day of the season. The dish is a staple at the dinner club, where Jonathan has earned a reputation for his homemade rustic desserts. The apple crisp is layered in a rich brown sugar, butter and oatmeal crumble with seasoned Granny Smiths at the heart of the dish. Jonathan drizzles scratch-made caramel sauce on top and adds several scoops of homemade Madagascan vanilla bean ice cream, accented by a handful of walnuts.

Nearby, amongst the usual countertop staples, sits a framed photo of a smiling elderly woman. “That’s my grandmother, Sally,” Jonathan says. In addition to his mother, Sally served as Jonathan’s kitchen mentor. “For me, cooking is about spending time with someone I can’t be with anymore,” he says, gazing at Sally’s photo.

Sally was raised with a slew of siblings. “There was never enough food on the table,” Jonathan reflects on her upbringing in Youngstown, Ohio. Sally became a great home cook with fromscratch cooking that “always made everyone feel welcome,” Jonathan tells me. “Food was how she took care of people,” he says with a smile. This translated to Jonathan. “For me, food has always been about taking care of others.” He lights up as he tells me about Sally’s epic tomato sauce, cooked all day—a recipe he’s still trying to replicate that went with her to the grave.

Patience, Practice, Preparation: Jonathan Guerin

A cook since his youth, Jonathan believes that investing in the best ingredients makes all the difference. “Never use imitation vanilla,” the dessert expert says. “I know the real thing is expensive but it’s worth it.” Jonathan also recommends patience, preparation and practice in the kitchen.

On most Sunday mornings, Jonathan Guerin, an Indiana native who has called Columbus home for more than a decade, enjoys a leisurely coffee while poring over recipes, books or websites on gastronomic how-to. Sometimes this hobby takes him to the Book Loft, near his German Village apartment, where he spends hours “lost” in the cookbook section, he says.

The busy advertising professional finds time in his kitchen both comforting and refreshing. “I know I’m not going to be interrupted by emails or phone calls. I can play music or have a glass of wine and just focus on cooking,” he says. “It’s something that you can fully control in a world where there’s so much that you can’t.”

Often, Jonathan is preparing for that evening’s dinner club—a gathering of a small group of friends in a Mohawk Street home to cook and dine together. Each Sunday, they “show up, pour a few drinks, make dinner and talk about life,” he tells me. The dinner club’s sample menu is mouthwatering: often a flank steak carved on a salt 28

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THE BEST HOMEMADE APPLE CRISP

By Jonathan Guerin Serves 6–8 Apple filling 5 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 6–7 apples) Juice from ½ lemon ½ cup light brown sugar ½ tablespoon flour ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon Crumb mixture 1 cup quick-cooking oats 1 cup flour 1 cup packed brown sugar ¼ teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9- by 13-inch pan with baking spray or coat with butter.

cinnamon. Toss gently to ensure that every apple slice is coated evenly.

Mix the crumb mixture ingredients: oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add in the cubed butter and use your hands to combine until pea-sized and fully coated.

Spread half of the mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly to create the bottom crust.

Pour the apple mixture on top of the bottom crust, then loosely cover the top of the apples with the remaining crumb topping.

Bake uncovered for 25–35 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream, caramel and walnuts.

Place the sliced apples in a bowl and toss with lemon juice. Add the apple filling ingredients: brown sugar, flour and

¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup cold butter, cubed

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“All of my favorite moments center on cooking for friends and family,” Beth says.

Outside, a stunning garden and a fantastic patio built for entertaining occupy the property’s grounds. Beth grows a variety of herbs in the garden, which she has lovingly tended since she and Rob bought the house in 1990 and transformed it from a five-unit apartment building back to its single-family grandeur.

On the day that I visit, Beth’s business partner David is in the kitchen after a work meeting at her house. He opens the fridge, finds last night’s leftovers of homemade chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus and says, “Last night was Monday. After working all day at the restaurant, she comes home and makes something that would be a Sunday meal in most households.”

Later, in the dining room, Beth shows me how she sets the table for one of her holiday fetes. A stack of dishes that account for a meal’s various courses greets guests upon arrival at the table. Three crystal glasses at a place setting sparkle under the room’s chandelier. One is for champagne, Beth tells me. “You always serve champagne?” I ask.

“Usually,” she says nonchalantly. “After dinner and before dessert.”

Her parties have also been known to start with a drink in the nearby parlor.

Champagne Before Dessert: Beth Vogt Dining at Beth Vogt’s handsome Victorian Village home includes not just a fantastic meal but an overall experience, says David Creighton, Beth’s business partner and friend. The two own Over the Counter Restaurant in Worthington. “One of the things that is so special about Beth,” he says, “is that it’s not just about her food, which is excellent, but it’s the atmosphere she creates.”

During the holiday season, Beth organizes a remarkable Christmas dinner for friends. A vegetarian, she spends the day lovingly crafting beef tenderloin with a sour cream crust for her guests simply because “people really like it,” she says. Thanksgiving meals, game nights and themed culinary adventures have filled her home, like the time she prepared muffaletta sandwiches fresh off a trip to New Orleans.

Beth’s house, which she shares with her husband, Rob, and several cats, features an elegant dining room, where an array of clocks tick amongst the 19th century period décor that matches the home’s architecture. Beth hosts dinner parties in the space, where she can seat 25 and meals are served on matching period china.

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An avid reader and collector of cookbooks, Beth brings home a book each time she travels. The books inspire her, she says. Yet in the kitchen she finds that her cooking usually strays from written recipes as she likes to add her own spin. Beth is known for her summertime Low Country boil, held in her beautiful garden; her potato salad, served hot and made with crisp, roasted potatoes with a base of mayonnaise, mustard, balsamic vinegar and scallions; her “magic bread,” grilled and accompanied by a homemade herb butter; as well as a slew of other inventive, from-scratch meals.

“All of my favorite moments center on cooking for friends and family,” Beth says. “Everyone enjoying good food and spirits, good conversation. I love to create that experience for people.” A grandfather clock nearby, as well as some tableware, are family heirlooms.

Beth tells me that she was thrilled to inherit these treasures from her grandparents, who taught her the art of a well-dressed table and celebratory meal.

Nicole Rasul writes about the makers and shakers in our food system. Food history and culture drive her work and she is especially interested in the intersection of women and food. Nicole lives with her family in Clintonville. Follow her on Twitter @foodierasul or view her writing online at nicolerasul.com.

GOAT CHEESE MEDALLIONS

By Beth Vogt Serves 12 (2 medallions per person)

8 ounces goat cheese 4 ounces softened cream cheese ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped ½ tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped ½ teaspoon garlic, minced Dash of salt and pepper Dash of honey

Mix the cheeses, herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and honey together in a bowl.

Form 2 dozen 1-ounce balls from the mixture. Flatten the balls into 50-centpiece-sized pieces.

Add the eggs and breadcrumbs to separate bowls. Mix the eggs with a fork.

Dip each goat cheese medallion in the eggs and then the breadcrumbs to coat evenly on both sides.

The medallions can be served on a salad, like at Worthington’s Over the Counter Restaurant, which Beth coowns, where they are featured in the “Route 23” salad with spring mix, balsamic-marinated shallots, strawberries, candied walnuts and a house dressing.

Or, they can be served on their own as an appetizer with strawberry sauce drizzled on top.

2 eggs 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons oil

Heat the oil in a pan and pan-sear the medallions on both sides. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.

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Theology Meets Ecology Sarah Black sows her talents at Seminary Hill Farm and everyone reaps a bountiful harvest

By Nancy McKibben • Photography by Rachel Joy Barehl

B

read baking is an art, a skill and an avocation, and after 30 years of success in New York City’s competitive food culture, master baker Sarah Black has come home at last to bake at Seminary Hill Farm (SHF) in Delaware, Ohio.

Now working just 27 miles from her hometown of Marion, Sarah admits to feeling like Dorothy Gale in the film based on The Wizard of Oz, discovering that, all along, happiness had been hiding “in my own backyard.”

The winding road to SHF began years ago when Sarah read Wendell Berry’s essays about sustainable agriculture and stewardship. “It seared my soul,” she says, but not until she was back in Ohio in 2015 as baking director at new-concept bakery Flowers and Bread in Columbus did she look further.

Sarah embraced her job, taught bread classes, released a cookbook.

Still, she yearned for more.

In March 2018, Sarah discovered Seminary Hill Farm, on the green campus of Methodist Theological School of Ohio (MTSO), through farm manager Noel Deehr’s (#smileyfarmgirl) Instagram feed.

Nothing if not determined, Sarah wangled an invitation to visit the farm and meet Tadd Petersen, the 35-year-old director of MTSO’s Farm and Food Department, which includes catering and dining as well as the farm.

A Unique Opportunity Despite growing up in Indiana on a “family homestead,” Tadd rejected farming and used his philosophy degree from Liberty University in Virginia to secure a job as a process engineer for a plastics plant. “For five years. I wore a hairnet, eye protection, the whole shebang. One day I was standing at my extruder wondering ‘What the heck am I doing here?’”

He quit his job and took a nine-month organic farming course at Michigan State University. In 2013, Tadd was a married father of three. He was teaching farming skills to returning citizens for Job and Family Services in Toledo when MTSO President Jay Rundell and Kathy Dickson of Community Food and Wellness recruited him.

“My wife and I saw problems with the food system a decade ago,” Tadd says, “and we had a vision of growing food for our family and homesteading.” But he saw a “unique opportunity” with SHF. “The farm is one way that MTSO can positively impact food-system inequities.”

SHF received its organic certification in 2014. That September, Tadd contacted Noel, a fellow student at Michigan State.

Noel saw the same promise that Tadd had seen. “Two weeks later,” she says, “I was here. Tadd and I are a good team. He’s the mastermind, I’m detail-oriented.”

Left: Tadd Peterson at the Seminary Hill Farm.

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Farm and Mission Part of SHF’s raison d’etre is to connect MTSO’s 150 graduate students plus faculty with locally grown good food by serving it in the dining hall. SHF produces about 20% of that food, with the rest coming from local farmers. That includes 100% of the protein, which is pasture-based and non-GMO. Even the cheese is local.

Executive Chef James Akers, formerly executive chef at Ohio Wesleyan University, wants to “show people it’s possible to provide local food right here in Delaware every day.” He is laying plans for cooking classes and community-oriented events, like the upcoming Little Winter Tours, that involve local businesses.

Chef de Cuisine Brian Murphy, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, says “At SHF we can do what the French are so good at— food that is seasonal and local and utilizes every possible part of the meat or vegetable.”

The culinary team (including 20-year-old Daejah McCormick) cooks 140 student/faculty lunches every Tuesday through Thursday, and handles all on-campus events that require food, whether for 60 or 600.

Growing Bigger by Growing Smaller In 2017, SHF grew 46,000 pounds of produce on 10 intensively cultivated acres. In 2018, the number of community-supported agriculture (CSA) harvest subscription members rose to 300.

In 2019, the plan is to double production—using only 3.5 acres.

Tadd is confident that this will work, counterintuitive as it seems.

“We are using a biodiverse, intensive, market-style farming,” he says.

“We use smaller spaces and maximize production,” using labor-intensive techniques like transplanting seedlings by hand and seeding with a precision seeder.

It’s complicated. Spreadsheets exhaustively detail each crop variety— that’s 90 varieties of 30 different vegetables—and when to seed, transplant and harvest.

lacks access to enough good, nutritious, affordable food], and there was a campus-wide initiative to live out what we’re trying to do in terms of food justice.”

CSA Innovations CSA harvest subscriptions are the backbone of farm production.

Customers buy seasonal shares, then pick them up weekly at either German Village or the farm. Meat shares are also available from local farmers through SHF. Instead of a standard, no-choice “mystery box,” customers choose what they want from Noel’s enticing produce displays, paying for it in CSA credits. Farm staff greet them by name, answer questions and chat.

Laura Elliot of Marysville says that her pediatrician recommended a CSA to encourage her children, Katie, 10, and Max, 9, to eat vegetables.

“I bring the kids right off the school bus,” she says. “They pick out the vegetables. They had never eaten peppers before. It’s been great!”

The bread CSB (community-supported breads) is Sarah’s idea, beginning with holiday baking, then continuing through the winter months. “We are hoping to have bread pickup every Saturday,” Sarah says, “and eventually include winter vegetables, soups and sandwiches.”

“I thought it was a great idea,” Tadd says. “People enjoy that valueadded product, and we are using local heritage grains.” (See sidebar, “Baking Biodiversity.”)

Sarah bakes 100 loaves per week—100 beautiful loaves of a quality seldom seen in local bakeries. Whole Wheat Rye and Honey loaves and Milk Bread are standards, and any occasion may inspire a tasty newcomer.

Living the Mission

The staff of nine, including two apprentice farmers, is ever alert to increasing production. For example, farm foreman Taylor Green, 28, “keeps everyone moving,” while experimenting with companion plantings like mushrooms in an asparagus field.

MTSO strives to live out the motto that appears on their website and T-shirts around campus: Theology. Ecology. Good Food for All. SHF is part of an effort that includes ecotheology classes and a Community Food and Wellness Initiative. And they are making progress.

SHF also provides eggs from its 180 free-range hens, guarded by three vigilant geese with puffy, Elvis-like topknots. If a hawk invades, the geese honk wildly in warning.

“We are poised to have a significant impact on the food system in Central Ohio,” Tadd says.

SHF sells at farmers markets in New Albany and Linden—Linden, Tadd says “because it is a food insecure neighborhood [meaning it

SHF is working with Franklinton Farms in Columbus and with The Ohio State University InFACT (Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation) program to address the problem of food deserts in

Clockwise from top left: The greenhouse to extend the growing season at SHF; baker Sarah Black; Executive Chef James Akers, Chef de Cuisine Brian Murphy and culinary team member Daejah McCormick; apprentice Drake Goodson and CSA Coordinator Liv Morris; the resident farm pup.

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the city. First, SHF surveyed area farmers and the Franklinton neighborhood to determine the needs of both.

“We want to create a multi-farm model that would help support areas that don’t have access or have limited access to good food,” Tadd says. “SHF and MTSO could become an aggregator and distributor to bring good food to those in need.”

The Shape of Things to Come The long-awaited, recently completed, 3,000-square-foot greenhouse with patio seems a portent of good things to come at Seminary Hill. On the horizon: a walking garden of native and edible plants, an indoor/outdoor kitchen with wood-fired oven and a second, adjoining greenhouse whose soil floor will extend the growing season. The large greenhouse will become an event space when it is not sheltering transplants.

Every staff member brims with ideas for the farm. Café. Forestry project. Winter bread CSA. Worm composting. Baking school.

Orchard. All done in service to Earth and community.

Sarah is delighted to be a part of the large and inspiring whole that is Seminary Hill Farm. “I feel that I am at the very top of my game, baking the best breads that I’ve ever made.” She smiles her engaging smile. “The farm is where I want to be because the land, this place, connects me to what is authentic.” ‘ For further information: Methodist Theological School of Ohio: mtso.edu Seminary Hill Farm events, classes, and CSA and CSB: mtso.edu/ecotheology/seminary-hill-farm/ Sarah Black Information at Instagram: @sarahsbreads Sarah’s breads will be available at Cara Mangini’s Little Eater in Clintonville / 2019

Nancy McKibben is happy to combine her loves of eating and writing with the opportunity to advocate for sustainable agriculture in the pages of Edible Columbus. Her latest project is Kitschy Cat Alphabet, a rhyming alphabet book in postcards. She is also a novelist, poet and lyricist, the mother of six and the wife of one. View her work at nancymckibben.com; contact her at nmckibben@leader.com. Her favorite cooking tool is: “…my digital scale. I didn’t have one for most of my cooking life, so now it seems both luxurious and indispensable. Mine is an Oxo; simple to use, weighs up to five pounds in grams or ounces, and can be zeroed out—weigh the bowl, then zero out the weight and add an ingredient to the bowl and it’s weighed separately. Magic!”

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Baking Biodiversity: Heritage and Ancient Grains In 1903 commercial American seed houses offered 307 varieties of corn. Today there are fewer than 10. By some estimates, the U.S. has lost 90% of its fruit and vegetable varieties in the last 100 years.

This dependence on monoculture—planting only a few strains of a single crop—means that a new pest or virus could virtually wipe out an entire plant species. But SHF practices biodiversity, growing a wide variety of crops, including heritage (non-hybridized) varieties, to reduce crop loss due to pests and diseases, benefit soil function and protect food traditions.

For the same reasons, SHF baker Sarah Black chooses heritage, organic, non-GMO grains, grown on Stutzman Farms in Millersburg. One is Turkey Red, a hard winter wheat that originated in Turkey prior to the 1800s and was brought to Kansas in the early 1870s by Mennonite immigrants from Russia. In the 1920s, it was the predominant hard winter wheat strain grown in the U.S. Turkey Red flour gives Sarah the best flavor and texture profile for her signature whole-wheat breads.

“I’m in love with it,” Sarah says. “It’s a pleasure to shape and proof.” And she notes that it scores well, resulting in beautiful and dramatic crust designs.

Spelt, a 9,000-year-old, highly nutritious, sort-of cousin to wheat, also appears in Sarah’s kitchen. Today, Ohio grows most of the nation’s spelt (10 times more than any other state), making it a natural for the farm. Sarah showcases its nutty goodness in delicious sweet and savory focaccias.

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local marketplace

SUPPORT

these

LOCAL

businesses!

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HERO

Michael Jones and Noreen Warnock Co-founders of Local Matters

By Lynn Marie Donegan • Photography by Maria Khoroshilova

Q: Why is food education so crucial?

Michael: I was getting ready to become a new dad and I read an article that basically said my daughter’s generation was going to be the first generation ever whose life expectancy would be shorter than mine. That really hit me on a very deep level. I have a public heath background and realized there’s never been a generation yet that hasn’t lived longer than the former generation. So, when I began to look around at what the issue was behind this all roads pointed towards food, and frankly, in the bigger picture, they pointed to our food system as a whole.

So, Noreen and I decided early on to start working with children as young as possible to provide what we call healthful food education.

In our research, we found that very few of the food education programs that we found were very detailed. So, our goal was to provide

a food education experience for young children that was, as we like to describe it, long and deep.

Noreen: For me, it was crucial everyone on the economic

spectrum, especially low-income children and their families, have access to healthy food, the resources to purchase it and have the ability to know what to do with it. I come from a low-income family, so I know what it was like to worry about having healthy food. The ability [for] everyone [to] have access to healthy food was what drove me. I also felt it was crucial to the health of children and our future as a society because of the cost—I think that the cost to the U.S. economy is around a trillion dollars a year—that we tackle preventing diet-related illnesses.

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Q: What is the greatest challenge that Local Matters faces?

Noreen: One of the things that concerns us, and Local Matters is

starting to work on this with others, is the fact there’s no health education standards in the state of Ohio; we’re the only state in the country that doesn’t have health education standards in grades K– 12. Without health education standards, we also don’t have nutrition education guidelines and curriculum that would be within those standards.

That affects both individuals and our society. It’s a challenge that we want to address because, while Local Matters reached 18,000 individuals this past year in an in-depth way, that number is only the tip of the iceberg. Everyone, especially every child in school, needs to have the kind of nutrition education Local Matters (and many others) provides. Of course, the other challenge is funding because, as a nonprofit, we depend on the support of the community. So far, the community has stepped up and supported us very strongly, and we’re going to keep on doing this work.

Michael: I think one of the challenges that Local Matters faces is really keeping people’s attention relative to this issue because after a while it’s easy to become a little tone-deaf to this problem. We’ve done a lot of great work, but there’s still a lot to do, and we need our community’s continued support to do that.

Q: What is your favorite part of your organization and work?

Noreen: It’s the people who are involved in our work—the people

we work with at Local Matters and our partners in the community.

I’ve never met a more caring group of people who are extremely intelligent and very passionate about working on this issue. It is wonderful how people relate to this issue and are doing so much to help.

I have a lot of gratitude for everyone I work with.

Michael: One of them is the relationships that we built over the

many years that Noreen and I have been doing this work. I think the other thing for me is being able now, 10 years later, to step back and just look at the growth of this organization. For me, Local Matters feels like having brought a child into the world—at some point the child grows up and they really don’t need you as much anymore, and yet you’re very connected to each other. For me, that’s how I feel about Local Matters right now—it’s an organization that’s, frankly, thriving on its own, and while it doesn’t need me on a daily basis, it’s just beautiful to still be a part of the organization and to be there when they do need me.

Q: What is the best way for the community to get involved and spread the word?

Noreen: One of the ways we’re finding, from talking to people and working around the community, is that people want to advocate more for healthy food access and resources to purchase that food.

Advocating is something that people can definitely do, and, of course, get involved with funding and volunteering for Local Matters and other groups doing this work.

Michael: It’s encouraging people to learn more about the connections that food has to their overall health and, frankly, what some of the continuing issues are in terms of the impact that food has on our health. I think the more people are willing to go deeper themselves, the more willing they are to stay engaged in the work of an organization like Local Matters because they realize it’s relevant and it’s important.

To learn more about Local Matters, its impact in the community and the various volunteer opportunities available, visit local-matters.org.

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