BRICK
THE
JULY 2022
MAGAZINE
ANN ARBOR
Ann Arbor Art Fair: A Love Letter to the Artist Community How to Plan for a Delicious Summer The Farm Is Calling and I Must Go
ABIGAIL O'CONNOR
FUELING MICHIGAN FOOTBALL
Live from the HEART of what really matters. RECLAIM a rich, meaningful life. LOVE who you are as you do it!
~ Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC
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BRICK
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MAGAZINE
JULY 2022
Publisher
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Sarah Whitsett
Managing Editor
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Marji Wisniewski
Art Director
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Jennifer Knutson
Copy Editor
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Angelina Bielby
Sales Account Manager
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Jill Clair
Sales Account Manager
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Beth Heiss
Cover Photographer
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Aaron Bills
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Chef Allison Anastasio Michael Fox Lauren Hunt
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Maria Sylvester
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4 | The Brick Magazine
CONTENTS 6
Letter from the Editor
7
Cucumber Almond Gazpacho
8
Feasting on Words
10
Abigail O'Connor: Fueling Michigan Football
16
The Farm Is Calling and I Must Go
20
The Meals Matter Program Makes a Difference for Families
22
How to Plan for a Delicious Summer
26
Upgrade Your Walk
28
Ann Arbor Art Fair: A Love Letter to the Artist Community
31
What's in the Bottle?
A Letter from the
EDITOR
FOOD
Marji and her Nana
vividly remembering sleepover dinners at my Nana’s house, eating it with powdered sugar on a TV tray while watching Wheel of Fortune and checking to see if Nana had won big as the lottery numbers scrolled across the screen. The tastes and smells of food are like a time machine that can take me right back to those magical moments long forgotten. This month, we sat down with Michigan’s Director of Football Nutrition Performance, Abigail O’Connor (page 10). She shared that she also recognizes that so much of food is wrapped up with feelings of home, family, and tradition. Abigail successfully uses food to connect with the athletes through an inclusive, culturally cognizant menu.
follow along on instagram: @thebrickmagazine find us on Facebook: The Brick Magazine Ann Arbor
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large part of our lives is dedicated to food— planning, growing, shopping, prepping, ordering, tasting, eating, and thinking about food. It only makes sense that we’d have an issue that is all about food. Food plays a vital role in our lives and in our families. Food brings us together. Food nourishes our bodies and our souls. Food can elicit memories from our past and remind us of the days we treasured. I have a less-than-stellar memory. It’s hard for me to remember dates or details from my past, but food bridges that gap for me. Today, I can’t eat french toast without
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Kim Kelly, the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor, explores what bringing back their Meals Matter Program means to parents and families that are staying at the Ronald McDonald House (page 20). Dinner is so much more than the food served. Sitting down to a warm, freshly prepared meal provides a few minutes of relief from the constant beeping of machines in their child’s hospital room. It provides a sense of normalcy and relief after an emotionally difficult day and it helps to lessen a family’s stress by saving them time and money. Lauren Hunter from the Community Farm of Ann Arbor (page 16) has reignited her passion for community agriculture. Lauren shares her energy and vision for the future of farming that focuses not only on the food grown, but also on the growers, consumers, land, and planet. We hope you curl up with your favorite food and enjoy reading all the stories shared in this month’s issue. Bon appétit!
Marji Wisniewski, Managing Editor
Cucumber Almond Gazpacho Serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS ● 2 large cucumbers, about 6-8 inches each, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped ● ½ cup seedless green grapes ● 2 whole garlic cloves ● 1 cup farm spinach ● 1 slice stale bread, crusts removed ● ¼ cup skinless almonds ● ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil ● 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar ● ½ cup of water ● 1 tsp kosher salt, more to taste ● Mixed herbs to garnish
DIRECTIONS
Cucumber Almond Gazpacho
C
by Chef Allison Anastasio
ucumbers sometimes get overlooked in the bounty of summer produce. High in vitamins A, C, K, and varied minerals, they’re wonderfully refreshing as the weather heats up. Although the easiest way to use them is to add chopped cucumbers to salads, this recipe is an unusual way to showcase the talents of this vegetable. It’s a creative twist on the more common tomatobased gazpacho, and it makes a perfect summer meal. Buy organic cucumbers at the farmers market for local versions that are fresh and not coated in wax like some supermarket cucumbers are. When you make the dish, post on social media and tag @chefallisonanastasio. I’d love to see your creations. Enjoy! Chef Allison Anastasio of Last Bite Chef is a personal chef and culinary educator based in Ann Arbor. In April 2022, The Newton of Ypsilanti, a Greek revival home owned by Chef Allison and her partner, opened as a bed and breakfast, a gathering place for the community, and as the new headquarters of Last Bite Chef. Whether you’re there for an overnight stay or visiting for an event, your time at the Newton of Ypsilanti will be full of delicious food, local art, and stories of historic architecture.
For more information about the property, please visit www.theNewtonofYpsilanti.com. If you have a rental request, please email Allison at thenewtonofypsilanti@gmail.com.
1.
Prep ingredients as described above.
2.
Puree in a blender on high speed until smooth, reserving half of the water to add if needed to thin texture.
3.
Pour through a strainer for smoother texture.
4.
Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and vinegar if desired.
5.
Garnish with herbs and microgreens.
ADDITIONAL TIPS ● For gluten-free: use GF bread or ½ cup cooked chickpeas. ● For nut-free: use raw pumpkin seeds instead of almonds. ● For a spicier version: Add one jalapeño to the blender for added heat. ● To serve as a whole meal: Serve with one cup of gently poached shrimp or flaked poached trout in the center of a wide bowl surrounded by the soup.
July2022 | 7
Feasting on Words by Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC
8 | The Brick Magazine
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s much as I love enjoying delicious food, I cherish the joy of savoring words even more. Words, both written and spoken, have the power to lead us into rich sensory experiences, bringing a raw energy that reverberates long after we devour them. Words can be mighty, leaving flavorful legacies and hallmark aromas that can take our imagination and joy to that next level. Words, the beautiful ingredients we use to communicate, have the capacity to be cherished for a lifetime. Just like delicious comfort food, words can nourish us, or tickle our taste buds. I often feel a coziness deep in my bones when my eyes gaze upon words like “welcome,” or “wondrous,” or “woman!” Some words are tantalizing; some bring distinct scents to mind. Imagine, for example, the pleasant smell of “lemon-infused olive oil” or “fresh- picked basil.” Or the suggestion of a “goddess” afternoon soak in a “rich, warm, and luscious” lavender-infused bubble bath. Intoxicating!
THE ENERGY OF WORDS Words hold energy. Words hold power. It’s crucial to be aware of this. Be mindful when writing or speaking, and select your words carefully. They contain energy capable of healing, hurting, humbling, shocking, helping, or uplifting others. Words, in other words (ha!), can deeply move us in both heart and mind. Additionally, the energy of certain words can cause echoes and reverberations, good or bad, harsh or gentle, near or far. So, dear friend, stay conscious. Write and speak with intention. Calibrate your words to have the effect that you desire. Appreciate the fact that your words have an impact, for better or worse. This is the lusciousness of language!
WORDS CAN EXPAND OUR EXPERIENCE Particular words instantly make us feel, think, see, or hear things differently. Attending to certain words can help change our emotional state. For example, if I’m preparing to attend an event and I’m feeling a bit anxious beforehand, I might pick a key word to organize my thoughts around. Staying emotionally centered on a word such as “ease” or “joy” helps me begin to embody that state. Concentrating my focus on these terms and states of being is more empowering than flailing around in the buzz of free-floating anxiety. This is just one of many ways you might use words to help uniquely craft your experience. Declaring something with authority and conviction is another way to curate your reality through the use of language. Speaking your desires out loud paves the way to bringing them into existence. Taking full ownership of our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and words can be transformative and life-changing. Words are equally mighty tools for helping you capture your
experience. Clarity in your words helps others understand you, which directly impacts your experience. The scope of our ability to choose our words and be conscious of how we use them is profound. Choose words that are significant to you. Choose words that matter. Embrace them. You have the capacity to take what is within you and bring it forward in the form of written or spoken words. Talk about magnificence! Think about a time, for example, when you structured your thoughts in a journal. This creative writing, you later discovered, helped bring your dream to fruition. The written word can manifest through the power of intention. My upcoming trip to Italy, the land that holds my heart, came into existence, in part, through the act of my putting pen to paper. How magical!
BE A MASTER OF YOUR WORDS We all have, I believe, a responsibility when it comes to words. Our tongues are capable of flying in many directions. Stop, think, and feel before you speak. Take reflective, responsive charge of your energy. Remain awake, aware, and inclined toward thoughtful consideration when communicating. Deliberate care is called for. Kind words, for example, can be a transformative force in the world. One kind word can change everything for someone. Imagine focusing there. Be ever-committed to upgrading your operating system! Stay conscious of picking the right words for each moment or situation. Why not? It feels good! Your words can change moods. Can lift spirits. Can touch souls. Let your speech be pure and wholesome. And of course, be prepared to edit or delete that which does not serve your highest communication intentions. Let your language be an exquisite, creative banquet of your unique expression, care, and desire to manifest new potentialities. Let what emerges from your mind or lips serve the greater good. Refrain from merely mundane statements or ones that leave a bad taste in your, or another’s, mouth. Speak or write in the direction of your longings and dreams. Let your language help move you, and others, forward in positive ways. Let your soul feast on all of these possibilities. Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC is a certified Life Coach in Ann Arbor, MI who loves empowering adolescents, adults, and couples to live from the HEART of what really matters to them so that they can bring their fully expressed, vibrant selves into the world. She has a special gift for helping women reclaim their feminine power, and embrace their radiant, sensual, sexy spirits. Their lives transform. They soar into their mid-life magnificence! www.lifeempowermentcoaching.com Instagram: @life_coach_maria Facebook: www.facebook.com/LifeEmpowermentCoaching
July2022 | 9
Abigail O’Connor:
Fueling Michigan Football by Marji Wisniewski Photo by Aaron Bills Photo by Betsy's Photography 10 | The Brick Magazine
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bigail and I had been speaking for about an hour on a quiet spring day in May when a few Michigan football players started to gather outside, wondering what she was up to in her office with the door closed. That’s just the relationship she has with her athletes. Her door is, typically, always open. And she’s been told on more than one occasion that her office needs more couches and chairs. She’ll be the first to say she’s not the “team mom,” but she’s okay with being the “fun aunt” every now and then as long as they try the scary vegetables on their plates. WOMEN BELONG IN FOOTBALL I wish I had a more inspiring story about how to be a woman in football, but simply put, women belong in football. I truly believe that. Yes, I am one of few females in the sport, but I don’t like to say that it’s a “male-dominated” field. Instead, I choose to say “male-prevalent.” I’m super sassy and I’m not going to be dominated by anyone. And I don’t have to worry about that here. Our culture at Michigan Football is relationship-driven and
our team environment is very cohesive. Even though there are very few women on staff, I have the same perks the men get. I have a nice locker room, and they order me kid-sized shoes so I can have the same shoes as the guys. It’s interesting how my gender plays a role, but it’s even more interesting how it does not in the ways that people would think it would. A bigger hurdle than my gender is that I work in a sport I’ve never played. I have to proactively find ways to connect with our players about the sport they live and breathe. I played softball in college, but my experience was far different from
Photo by Aaron Bills
July2022 | 11
Photo by Aaron Bills
what these athletes are experiencing now. Their identity is tied to the sport. I’ve had to learn a lot of football! Now I’ll talk shop with them, and we’ll even watch films together. They teach me about football, and I teach them about broccoli. It’s been an interesting dynamic.
sauce (D.C.’s famous sweet & sour sauce). The athletes are also very involved in our menu planning process. They might tell the chef to have something three times a week that they loved or say that a frittata was a swing and a miss. My only request is that the players just try it once.
I’d say the sleeper hit is how demanding working in football can be. You really have to love football. I miss Christmas with my family every year. I want to miss Christmas because that means I’m doing my job. But that’s a big sacrifice my family has to make. People see that sacrifice with the athletes and coaches, but don’t often think about all the support staff who are also making those same sacrifices for the team. We’ve all dedicated ourselves to the team. It can be incredibly demanding. If I only loved food, I think it would be difficult, but I also really love football now.
One of the biggest challenges a dietitian faces is misinformation shared by influencers online. They are selling what works for them or showing before and after photos that don’t really translate to real life. Corporations producing our food also throw out all kinds of misinformation to the public. Messages about low-carb, low-fat, and calorie counting are just making eating healthy harder than it needs to be. The reality is you just need to focus on eating whole foods, fruits, and vegetables— just like they taught us in elementary health class.
INFLUENCERS VERSUS EDUCATORS I’m originally from the football-loving state of Texas. Growing up in San Antonio, nutrition wasn’t a focus for our family. My dad is white and my mom is Mexican, so food meant more to me culturally versus nutritionally. Having this foundation has influenced how I plan meals for our team. I recognize that so much of food is wrapped up with feelings of home, family, and tradition. I use food to connect our athletes that are not from Michigan through an inclusive, culturally cognizant menu. I try to offer things like shrimp and grits, or mumbo
12 | The Brick Magazine
Your relationship to food is more important than your relationship with nutrition, your weight, or your performance. I hope to teach them that there’s no good or bad foods. A honey bun is just a source of carbohydrates, fat, and calories. You can work the honey bun into your diet, enjoy eating it, and also keep the goals you have for your diet. If I could change one thing about how we talk about food, it would be the demonization of different macronutrients, or food groups versus celebrating how good food really tastes. It can be really easy to get caught up in the good or bad, or if this or that will completely ruin your goals. It’s just food; let’s worry about the nutrition second.
CHANGING COURSE My passion for food education and early prevention of disease is what led me to the field of nutrition. I didn’t realize I wanted to change course until late fall of my senior year of college. Until that point, I was majoring in biology and planning to be a doctor. I was shadowing an eye doctor and reviewing the case of a patient who had diabetic retinopathy. Their condition was really affecting their health downstream. We were getting this case late in the game. I felt disheartened by this as a student. I reflected on my own student athlete experience; when I had an injury I saw the team doctor only twice, but I saw the athletic trainer every day. I realized that’s not the relationship I wanted to have with my patients. I wanted to be able to catch them earlier in their health challenges so that we could work on nutrition to help prevent some of the downstream effects. In 2014, there was a boom in the field of sports nutrition as the NCAA deregulated some of the rules around feeding athletes. Before then, teams couldn’t feed meals to their athletes. They could feed them fruits, vegetables, and bagels. But as soon as cream cheese went on that bagel, it was classified as a meal. Today, food and nutrition play a role in the overall goals of the players and nutritional support is valued as a recruitment tool at the schools who are doing it right.
After graduating from Texas A&M Graduate School in 2015, I went to work in sports nutrition at the University of Houston. I supported many sports, including volleyball, baseball, and swimming. My boss always thought that I had a hidden talent for connecting to the football players. So, when she personally turned down an offer from University of Minnesota’s football team, she told them I was the right person for the job. She said if I was willing to go to the cold weather, this was the kind of opportunity that I needed to take. I was with Minnesota football for one season. They were just in the middle of opening their athlete village when I got a cold call from the head strength and conditioning coach at Michigan. He had heard about my work ethic and nutrition philosophies and thought we’d work well together. Before I knew it, I was moving to Ann Arbor.
A PARTY EVERY DAY I’m heading into my fifth season overseeing the daily fueling and nutritional needs for the Michigan football program. With over 130 players on the roster, it’s like I’m throwing a wedding every day. At the bare minimum, we serve a meal before and after practice. It’s my job to make sure whatever we’re eating fits the intensity of the practice they’re having.
July2022 | 13
Photo by Ron Chen
You won’t find sloppy joes on the menu before they run— that’s going to end up on the turf. There’s a bit of a food service component to my job as well, in terms of making sure the food shows up on time. Someone has to plan the meals and make sure they get to the team, even if that includes chasing down orders of Chick-fil-A. I once had a police escort for a post-game meal because the food was so late. The job definitely has its funny moments. It’s a huge endeavor to feed these athletes after the regulations were dropped in 2014. These nutrition departments are growing very quickly throughout the NCAA. While I’m focused on the football team, my colleague Caroline Mandel supports all the other Michigan athletic teams. She does a wonderful job meeting the demands of having eight hundred athletes to feed and mentoring dietitians along the way. When I first came on board in 2018, I was operating off a single table next to the locker room with some snacks and drinks. That following May, we opened our brand new performance nutrition center and fueling station, a new weight room, and an updated athletic training and equipment space. 14 | The Brick Magazine
My favorite addition has been the fueling station. Picture it as a performance driven 7-11. It’s a giant walk-in refrigerator. Before or after lifting, the entire offense or defense (about sixty players) walk in, grab a snack, drink, and flow through this space seamlessly. I love seeing our guys all in there enjoying the food. Sometimes they’ll even pull chairs in there and hang out. Just like at home, people always gather where there’s food.
SMALL CHANGES FOR BIG WINS I also work side by side with our training team to get the players’ body composition where it needs to be to perform best on the field. Most of our athletes come into the program very close to where we want them to be. Some of the biggest transformations come out of very small changes. We had a player whose only goal was to hydrate more. He was only drinking two bottles of water a day. Through better hydration, he was able to support a gain in muscle mass and maintain it. He can also go through an entire demanding practice now without cramping. We have another player with type 1 diabetes that I monitor closely. I’m alerted, along with his mom, when his blood sugar dips low in the night. We’ve set up a program that informs him when to eat based on when his class and practice times are. Being proactive with his meal planning
has made a dramatic difference in his overall health as a student and an athlete. We use body composition scans to analyze muscle and fat to determine the overall health of an athlete. Instead of telling a tackle that we need him to be three hundred pounds, we’re able to look at lean muscle and adjust his plan for the weight room and the dining room. With this tool, we’ve moved beyond just telling them to gain ten pounds. Instead, we’re able to tell the athletes where on their body we’d like them to gain muscle mass—in their legs, arms, trunk, chest, etc. Being able to connect that muscle gain to improved protection and performance on the field makes sense to our athletes, and they are more motivated to adapt the plan. Our players do amazing athletic feats on the field each season. But for me, it’s the little things I celebrate along the way, like someone gaining eight pounds of muscle or staying in practice longer because the sugar levels are good. These are the quiet victories that no one knows are happening behind the scenes. These are the high-five moments between me and my team.
TEAM 143 My family is coming up this summer to explore Ann Arbor and Michigan. I’m really excited to show them where I live and work. My nieces are finally getting to see the Big House. I’m helping plan our team trip around Michigan so my family can scope some of that out with me.
In the past we’ve done team trips to Rome, Paris, and South Africa. With Covid we haven’t done a trip in two years, so this year we’re slowly reintegrating that experience. We’re showing our players around the lovely state of Michigan. We’ll be taking in the sights and doing different sports activities. I’m looking forward to the Taste of the Town events with cherries and other local fare. Right now, I’m focused on Team 143, including our summer workouts and August camp. I’m living and breathing football alongside them now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. When the team gets a menu from me this season, it’ll include a countdown to the Ohio State game. Go Blue, and go eat your vegetables.
With a passion for marketing that started as a young girl, Marji Wisniewski created her own marketing and communications organization in 2017. As owner of Blue Zebra Marketing Solutions, she helps local and regional businesses and nonprofits tell their story through branding, graphic design, content creation, and PR. She focuses on customized solutions for each client that are more unique than a zebra’s stripes. Marji is looking forward to her new role as Managing Editor of The Brick Magazine. Marji has a love for gardening, all things Lake Michigan, Pilates, her family, and dogs.
Photo by Aaron Bills
July2022 | 15
From our fundraising event to raise money for new roofs on our two historic barns. Photo by Rita Conroy-Martin
The Farm Is Calling, and I Must Go by Lauren Hunt
16 | The Brick Magazine
What Is Biodynamic Agriculture? Biodynamic agriculture is an ecological farming approach that views each farm as a living organism. The health and well-being of the farm animals, the farmer, the farm, and the Earth are all viewed as integral parts that make up the whole.
Cindy and Marcia were the founding mothers. This picture with one of the apprentices is from a dandelion collection day. Photo by Karen Chalmer.
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s a young person, I was a spiritual seeker interested in the religious teachings of India. I developed a love for the practice of yoga. I heard a guru encourage his followers to create agrarian communities based on the ideals of “high thinking and simple living,” and I was fascinated. I was so impressed by a visit to one of these small farm communities that my life path became clear to me. Food and community became the themes of my life. Being a suburban kid from Grosse Pointe who didn’t have much of a connection to nature, I felt a need to build a foundation with the land first. I became an environmental studies major in college and focused a lot of my curriculum on agroecology. I was involved with the college’s research and demonstration farm for the four years I was there. I found biodynamic agriculture, the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, and the new economic form of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to be especially intriguing. My quest to learn more after college led me and my partner to live and work on small CSA farms for a few seasons as apprentices. Our connection to the biodynamic farming community led us to the beautiful area of
southwest Wisconsin known as the Driftless Region. We purchased some land in 2004 and developed a biodynamic homestead for eight years. We raised our two kids there along with honeybees, chickens, cattle, vegetables, berries, and herbs. In 2016, after 14 years of rural and small town life in Wisconsin, I felt called to move back to Michigan to be closer to my family. A friend told me about the Community Farm of Ann Arbor and suggested we check it out. The farm had been run by farmers Paul Bantle and Annie Elder for the last 25 years, and they were transitioning into retirement. My partner and I visited the farm and I immediately was lit up by the project, the community, the idealism, and the model the farm operated on. Unfortunately making a move from one state to another proved to be more complicated than we thought, and we weren’t able to take the position. When we arrived in Ann Arbor in late 2017, the farm had secured new farmers, and I turned my attention to building a new life for my family and sharing my passion for the practice of yoga.
WHAT MAKES BIODYNAMIC FARMING DIFFERENT? Biodynamic farmers approach their farms as self-sustaining ecosystems. Like organic farmers, biodynamic farmers avoid synthetic chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and GMOs. In addition, biodynamic farmers focus on specific, farm-made solutions to pest control, soil health, and fertility. They strive to reduce the volume of imported materials and to nurture the potential of the farm’s own resources, which include water and biodiversity. WHY DOES IT MATTER? These days, we all want to know more about where our food comes from and how it is grown. When you choose biodynamic products, you’re supporting farmers who raise food with the big picture in mind: people, plants, animals, and the environment. Source: Whole Foods Market Organic Quality Standards
July2022 | 17
The Legacy of Women at the Community Farm, by Karen Chalmer
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he Community Farm of Ann Arbor (CFAA) was started by two women, Marcia Barton and Cindy Olivas, in 1988. Cindy and Marcia formerly worked at Wildflower Bakery and the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, but left those jobs to study biodynamic agriculture in Kimberton, PA. They were eventually joined by a third woman, Leslie Klein, who worked with draft horses. For the first three years, all the farm workers were women. One little girl, Rose, who grew up on the farm during this period, saw a farmer in a picture book when she was a preschooler, and said, “Look, Mama, this farmer is a boy—isn’t that silly?” Rueben Chapman was the first male apprentice. He gracefully rotated through being the harvest queen and the distribution queen with the rest of the women workers. When Cindy and Leslie moved on to other life paths, Anne Elder and Paul Bantle came to work with Marcia. Marcia left the next year, and Anne and Paul became the heart and soul of the farm for 30 years. There were some male apprentices and workers, but most of the people in the fields continued to be women. Paul did the tractor work, and much of the hand work was done by Annie and a predominantly female group of workers and volunteers. One of the many apprentices,
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Mary Wessel Walker, started Harvest Kitchen. When Anne and Paul retired, Aquillon Hetrick, Marly Schneider, and Petar Simic took over as farmers. Petar was soon called in another direction and the farm was back to being run by two women for several years, until our new farmer, Dan Gannon, arrived on the scene. Of course, being member-owned and supported, CFAA has always consisted of people of all ages, sexes, backgrounds, and abilities, but it seems clear to some of us who have been involved since the beginning that the influence of women in the early days and throughout its history helped promote the community aspect of the farm. This may have helped contribute to the eventual blossoming of the CSA concept in this area. The health and interconnectedness of the larger community has increased as more people eat locally and more small farmers work and learn together. It takes all of us. May we all thrive!
Photo by Rita Conroy-Martin
The pandemic made it starkly clear to me that life is short. The message I took away was that now was the time to realign myself with my values and to not give up on the dreams I had for my life. In March 2020, when the COVID pandemic abruptly stopped the work I was doing as a yoga teacher and wellness coach, I contacted Karen Chalmer, a long-time member at the Farm to check in and see where I could get involved. She informed me that the farm was without a head farmer that year, and was on the search again. I was interested in stepping in, but I didn’t feel confident in my abilities to take on the lead role alone. Instead, I went to work at another local organic vegetable farm that was women-run for the season. I found such inspiration in women farming together. I knew after that season that working with the land again was what I felt called to do.
Karen Chalmer worked as a farmer with her daughter by her side for three years. photo provided by Karen Chalmer.
The 2020-21 school year was anything but normal. My children were attending the Rudolf Steiner School, and because of the pandemic, they were looking for people to step in and help teach the children in small learning pods. I was tapped to teach gardening. That’s when I met the new head farmer for the Community Farm, Dan Gannon, who had recently moved from California to take the position. I volunteered on the farm that fall and was hired as an employee for the summer of 2021 to work the fields planting, weeding, and harvesting. At the end of that summer, at age 43, I found myself facing divorce, a soonto-be empty nest, and a need to reinvent myself. Upon introspection, I noticed that my heart still felt the longing for simple living and community. The pandemic made it starkly clear to me that life is short. The message I took away was that now was the time to realign myself with my values and to not give up on the dreams I had for my life. And what a perfect place to start this second act of my life, on a farm that is deeply rooted in female leadership! I love how our community honors all of its past farmers, and their presence is still felt on the farm today. I feel honored to be a part of the legacy of strong women leading this community. After the growing season ended last year, I knew I wanted to stay involved. When a piece of adjoining land came up for sale, I jumped at the opportunity and was able to purchase it with help from my family. I have visions of building a small eco-house for myself, developing a community kitchen, building housing for future apprentices and employees, expanding our educational programs, and dreaming with the community about how else we might use this space. For now, the farm leases the land from me and is using it to expand the grazing operation for the animals. The recent addition of a variety of farm animals is a part of our revitalization and transformation plan. Our farm has always been innovative and progressive, so it’s no surprise that we are driving solar-powered tractors and powering our
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TOPDRAWERA2.COM facility with solar panels. The next big thing we’re focused on is organic no-till farming. No-till farming minimizes soil disturbance, which helps keep carbon in the soil. It also enriches soil biodiversity, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers that emit greenhouse gasses. In agriculture, revitalization is key as many farms are dying out as farmers retire. Passing the baton along to the next generation is critical, and with that comes renewal and new ways of thinking about things. At this moment in time, with a new farmer, new energy, and new visions for the future, I feel excitement for what we can create. We carry with us the wisdom and history of those that came before and their passion for farming that not only cares for the food we grow, but also for the growers, consumers, land, and planet. Lauren Hunt is a community member of the Community Farm of Ann Arbor. She has a background in yoga instruction and diabetes lifestyle coaching. You might see her around the area swimming at Pickerel Lake, kayaking the Huron River, or leading a chant at the Full Moon Kirtan event. To learn more about the Community Farm and about becoming part of their CSA program, visit us at http://communityfarmofaa.org or on Facebook or Instagram.
July2022 | 19
Mother and Daughter enjoying breakfast at the Ronald McDonald House Ann Arbor
The Meals Matter Program Makes a Difference for Families by Kim Kelly
“Dinner time was the one constant during my son’s ordeal. Sometimes just something small like that makes all the difference.” ~Grateful RMHCAA Mother
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magine being hours from your home and family, in a hospital room with your critically ill child. You are anxious, stressed, and worried. The last thing on your mind is where you’re going to sleep that night or where you will find something for dinner. 20 | The Brick Magazine
The mission of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor (RMHCAA) is to provide a home away from home for families of children experiencing a serious illness or injury requiring hospitalization. Families stay as long as they need, at no cost, while their children are receiving treatment.
Community support is instrumental to the organization’s ability to provide the necessary support, comfort, and care to allow family members to focus on their sick child. Meals matter to the families, and a dinner is so much more than the food served. Sitting down to a warm, freshly prepared meal provides a few minutes of relief from the constant beeping of machines in their child’s hospital room. It provides a sense of normalcy and relief after an emotionally difficult day, and it helps to lessen a family’s stress by saving them time and money. Making a meal for RMHCAA’s families is one of the most meaningful ways community groups can support them during a difficult time in their lives. There are three easy ways to help provide meals: 1.
2.
Create a wonderful home-cooked meal for Ronald McDonald House families in the comfort of the fully equipped Main House kitchen under the guidance of the organization’s certified food handlers. Make a taxdeductible donation of $250 and the RMHCAA staff will create the menu and purchase the ingredients. On your scheduled day, all you need to do is show up ready to cook! Up to six people can participate at a time. Menus are amenable to all cooking levels and provide families with a nutritious meal with fresh ingredients. Consider making a donation to RMHCAA’s Meals Matter program to provide meals to families on days they don’t have a dinner group. Donations to the Meals Matter program helps to defray the cost of purchasing meals. Gift cards to local area restaurants are another easy way to support families going through a difficult time; gift cards provide a special treat and allow the family to order a meal at their convenience.
Arrange for a meal to be delivered to the families at the Ronald McDonald House from a local restaurant of your choice. This is a great way to also give some love to a local restaurant. Dinners need to be individually packaged for health and safety reasons. Since opening their doors in 1985, RMHCAA has served more than 30,500 families who face what’s most likely the most challenging time of their lives. The organization has two Houses; the Main House located across the street from C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital has 31 rooms, and the Mott House on the tenth floor of the hospital has 12 rooms. Both Houses serve families 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Some families are far from home, some come from across town. All are grateful for a warm meal at the end of a long day. All are appreciative of the donors, volunteers, and staff who make their stay possible and help them stay close to their sick child. For more information on RMHCAA’s Meals Matter program visit www.rmhcannarbor.org and go to “Give the Gift of Meals” under “How to Help,” or contact Nancy Bailey at dinner@rmhcannarbor.org. Kim Kelly is the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor. She earned her BBA in Marketing and Management at Northwood University. Before leaving to lead RMHCAA, Kim was with the Oakwood Foundation as the Director of Special Events for multiple healthcarerelated projects. In 2005, Kim founded the 360 Event Group and was responsible for the creation and execution of the Ronald McDonald House Gala, a large annual fundraising event providing operational funds to the Ronald McDonald Houses of Ann Arbor and Detroit. Over the last twelve years at Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor, Kim has led the organization through a tremendous growth period.
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How to Plan for a Delicious Summer by Natalie Marble
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M
eal planning can be intense. The internet seems to be full of individuals and companies trying to sell you the very best meal plans available, complete with recipes and grocery shopping lists for an entire month at a time. The problem is that this is completely overwhelming for most. Many of us are living lives dictated by a combination of school, extracurricular, and work schedules, making dinner an enduring challenge. We’re attempting to strike that balance of timeliness, nutrition, varied tastes, and of course, ease. It’s survival on the worst of days and nothing short of heroic on the best. The good news is that summer comes eventually, which allows us to loosen up the way we typically operate. Schedules tend to be more relaxed, bedtimes a little later, plans more carefree, and an emphasis on gathering with friends and family to connect over a meal becomes a priority. And let’s face it, we’ve all been craving connection throughout these pandemic years. We quite possibly have never appreciated our human connections more. Suddenly, the simple act of having coffee with a friend or a Sunday dinner with extended family has become something of higher value. So let’s embrace the warm
weather, slow down for the sake of slowing down, reconnect with our communities, and enjoy delicious food with our loved ones. These are some of the strategies I like to use in the summer to change things up, stress less, and enjoy the long days. After all, it’s summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. 1.
Take advantage of the fresh nature of ingredients. Farmers markets, roadside stands, and even many grocery stores are overflowing right now with the most amazing variety of seasonal local produce. These items are harvested at their peak for ripeness, which means maximum flavor and texture. As a result, the less you do to them, the better. Many can be enjoyed raw with a spritz of your favorite vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of sea salt. Sounds like a perfect side dish to me! And for those that require some form of cooking, focus on basic cooking methods such as blanching, grilling, or sauteing and finish them off in a similar way—with a simple drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt—just enough to enhance the beautiful flavors of the produce. And one last tip: don’t forget the fruit! Local store fruit and berries so often complement the greens and vegetables that we’re cooking with. Don’t be afraid to add them to salads and side dishes.
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July2022 | 23
2.
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Try a basic formula for the week. Sometimes figuring out the “what” is the hardest part of a meal plan. That overwhelm is real. If you struggle with this, take a break from how you typically plan the meals for the week and try a simple formula where you apply a theme to each weekday. For example, Mondays are pasta, Tuesdays are grain bowls, Wednesdays are Middle Eastern, Thursdays are Indian, Fridays are pizza. Once you have these, you can be creative with what each might entail based on what’s in season, and you can figure out how to cross-utilize ingredients throughout the week. Change some of the themes regularly to keep things interesting, and know that by having a lane to operate in, the feelings of overwhelm are lessened. Make an all-purpose sauce for the week. Instead of spending hours on your Sundays meal-prepping for the week, try focusing on just one thing. The first and most important is to make an all-purpose sauce that can be used throughout the week. It should be simple, but focus on maximum flavor and utilizing fresh herbs and ingredients. Think of variations on sauces such as pesto, chimichurri, zhoug, salsa verde, chermoula, chutney, and green goddess dressing. The idea here is that the flavors are bright and complement a variety of dishes. One night it can be drizzled over a grain bowl, then next day it’s tossed into a lunch salad, and the following night it’s smeared onto a plate with hummus, creating the base for
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your Middle Eastern meal—you get the idea. Sauces are what elevate meals from good to great by adding a layer of gorgeous flavor and tying everything together. Want some extra credit? While you’re making your sauce, put some quinoa or rice on to cook to use later in the week. It requires very little attention and can save time later. 4.
Utilize quick-cooking proteins. This is key when we want to create quick meals with ease. Fish and shellfish all fit beautifully into this category and always pair so well with summer produce. You can also consider items like flank steak, skirt steak, sausages, and thin cuts of poultry and some pork. And if you’re foregoing meat, alternative proteins such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, beans, and lentils are all delicious and quick-cooking. Although not required, taking a few minutes to marinate any of these proteins goes a long way.
5.
Keep a well-stocked kitchen. This makes life so much easier when you’re trying to prepare quick and spontaneous meals and can reduce your weekly grocery shopping stress if you can take the time to stock up every once in a while. For the pantry, oils, vinegars, soy sauce or tamari, mustard, hot sauce, pickles of all kinds, peppers, canned fish, beans, crackers and flatbreads, nuts, pasta, rice noodles, couscous, and quinoa are all a great start. On the fresh side, it’s always handy to have fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, lemons, and limes.
6.
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Embrace the board. The charcuterie board, that is. We tend to think that these boards are only for, well, charcuterie, but I’m here to tell you that they are the perfect way to change up dinner and keep it interesting. Take any of your theme ideas and serve it in a deconstructed way on a board or two—a quick-cooking protein, a spread of seasonal vegetables, breads or tortillas, dips, sauces, and fruit. This is great for entertaining and it’s always a big hit with kids. Own your sandwich game. Yep, sandwiches. I am giving you permission to serve sandwiches for dinner. But not any old boring sandwiches—I mean, you can, but there’s a whole big creative sandwich world out there! They can be open-faced, tartine style, where the bread is a blank canvas for all of the deliciousness that you can pile onto it—cheeses, meats, spreads, greens, fruits, preserves, sauces, herbs—the sky's the limit here. And don’t forget about wraps! They are the perfect way to encase salads, spreads, beans, herbs, and sauces. When you cook, cook extra. This one is pretty basic, but it really does make a difference in providing ease throughout the week. Some ingredients are easy to use more than once, so why cook those things twice when you don’t have to? Cook extra quinoa, rice, rice noodles, shrimp, tofu, vegetables—whatever it may be— and make your life easier.
Suddenly, the simple act of having coffee with a friend or a Sunday dinner with extended family has become something of higher value. At the end of the day, you get to decide what makes a meal, and there’s an awful lot of power in that. Some days it may be more elaborate than others, and that is just fine— it’s actually how it should be. Let’s collectively squeeze the very best out of this slower season—the freshness, the brightness, the deliciousness, the connection, the community, and more. Cheers to summer! Natalie Marble is a professionally-trained chef, culinary instructor, and recipe developer with over 20 years of experience. Her passion for creating incredible food experiences and getting students excited about learning and having fun in the kitchen is at the heart of all that she does. She specializes in hands-on cooking classes and corporate team building experiences where connection is the goal and food is the medium. Natalie is a mom to two awesome teenage daughters and one fur-baby, Eeyore. Natalie can be found at www.NatalieMarbleCooks.com Instagram: @nataliemarblecooks Facebook: facebook.com/nataliemarblecooks
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July2022 | 25
Upgrade Your Walk by Adrianne Madias
A
s we dive deeper into summer, it's exciting to get outside and stay active! The city of Ann Arbor has numerous places to swim, bike, hike, and kayak, but walking can be done anywhere. 10,000 steps are recommended each day, and it’s so much easier when the weather is warm! When you're out on your daily walk, try one or more of these ideas in the blue box on the right to bump up your cardio and strength training along the way. Now that you've made your outdoor walk more intense and beneficial, you'll need to stay hydrated. There are so many options when it comes to hydration drinks that it's sometimes difficult to figure out which one is right for you, or if you even need one at all. Water should be all we need, but there are times when a boost of electrolytes (including sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) is beneficial. These ingredients will help hydrate you faster, but read the labels; some of them are loaded with sugar and other additives like caffeine and artificial sweeteners.
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•
ADD WEIGHTS
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JUMP ROPE
Whether you're working out or just walking, adding weights will help increase resistance and build muscle. Weights provide both cardiovascular and strength training, which help burn fat and tone muscles. You will burn more calories with weights than without. We recommend between 1-5 pounds to start. Use ankle or hand weights on walks to tone your legs and arms quicker. Burn more calories by doing leg lifts or a high knee march. We recommend walking at a minimum of 30 minutes at a brisk pace every day!
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DO WALL-SITS
Find a wall (or tree if you're on a path), place your back against it, then walk your legs out with your knees above your ankles like you're sitting in a chair. Hold this position for one minute by pressing your back against the wall and evenly distribute your weight in both feet. Breathe deep in through the nose and out through the mouth to activate your core. This exercise builds endurance in your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. For a challenge, hover one foot just an inch off the ground for three seconds and alternate. If you're on a walk, stop along the way every 15 minutes and give this a try!
Many of us have not done this since we were kids, but there are so many benefits to jumping rope. It increases cardiovascular strength, bone density, agility, balance, and is good for total body strength training. It’s difficult to do indoors if you're short on space; grab a jump rope and take it outside! Stand with your elbows into your waist and arms bent at a 90 degree and your feet underneath you. Keep your jumps to just an inch off the ground and keep a soft bend in your knees. Try to stay on the ball of your foot as you jump and keep your shoulders over your hips. Look straight ahead and see how long you can go. Start by adding 1-5 minutes along your walk, every 30 minutes.
Photos by Christina Dennis
We recommend the following hydration drinks for your outdoor workouts this summer: •
Nuun Tablets
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Liquid I.V.
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Hydrant
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Boxed Water (it's just water, but it’s produced with reduced carbon emissions, 100% recyclable, and sustainably sourced. Plus, they’ve planted over one million trees in the past five years!)
Ann Arbor native Adrianne Madias is the owner of Barre Code Ann Arbor. After graduating from Arizona State University with a BS in Supply Chain Management, she moved back to the area and worked in the corporate world for nearly a decade. She decided to change her career path because her true passion is fitness; she enjoys contributing to other women’s lives by helping them gain confidence in their health and strength from the inside out. She began training in Chicago the summer of 2011 and opened in August of the same year near central campus. The studio is now located on the north side of town at 2792 Plymouth Road. July2022 | 27
Ann Arbor Art Fair: A Love Letter to the Artist Community by Kamryn Lowler
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aren Delhey, Frances Todoro-Hargreaves, and Angela Kline spend much of their year planning and promoting the Ann Arbor Art Fair, which brings more than 500,000 people to the Ann Arbor streets every July. For the directors, it’s a labor of love, and more than worth the countless hours to see the emotional and economic benefit to their beloved community. What began as a small-scale effort to bring summer income to a college town has, in the 62 years since the first collaboration between artists and retailers, blossomed into the largest juried art fair in the country. In fact, the Ann Arbor Art Fair is actually made up of three separate juried fairs run by different nonprofits working collaboratively over
“The amazing thing about having this event in a city like Ann Arbor is that there’s no shortage of food choices! Whatever your mood, you can find it. Thai food? Check! Italian? Check! Burgers? Check! Brunch? Check! And this year there’s a social district in the Main Street area, allowing you to purchase adult beverages while walking around that section of the fair. You could also stop and sit at any number of the restaurants that are co-mingled with the artists throughout the fair and get totally immersed in the experience!” —Karen Delhey
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the three-day event: the Original Street Art Fair (directed by Kline), the State Street Art Fair (directed by TodoroHargreaves), and the Summer Art Fair (directed by Delhey). These three co-directors work together well on a tight timeline and even tighter budget to put on this fine arts fair. Their dedication shows, and the fair’s economic impact on the Ann Arbor region is undeniable. In 2019, the last year the fair operated at full capacity, it brought $400 million to the area. Statewide, the nonprofit arts industry is the region’s third largest, after retail and construction, and accounted for nearly $13.5 billion in 2020. Ann Arbor’s annual art fair is central to Southeast Michigan’s reputation as a beacon for the visual and performing arts. This is truly a community effort. The three fair planners work throughout the year with the city, the Downtown Development Authority, and the tourism bureau (Destination Ann Arbor), as well as with residents and Ann Arbor businesses, to maximize the economic benefit while managing the challenges of hosting half a million visitors in just three days. Every year, volunteers drop everything that weekend to lend a hand. As Todoro-Hargreaves notes, “These volunteers are in the neighborhood. They have a stake in it. They want to see the fair be successful because when the fair is successful, Ann Arbor is successful.”
“Whether you need a rest break or something to help you power through the large fair footprint, the Ann Arbor Art Fair has the food for you. Our many sit-down restaurants will give you the option to get some air conditioning and a cold drink, or you can take your cold drink outside to enjoy alongside the artists. If this is your preference, stop by Knight’s, Palio, or Ashley's to have a seat. If grab-n-go is more your style, line-up for a slice at NYPD or something from the grill at Amer’s.” —Frances Todoro-Hargreaves
will arrive just after the fair and in time for the students to return to town.” Every city and town has its own personality and atmosphere that is created by the people and types of businesses in their community. “The Art Fair is an important event that enables the downtown businesses to prosper and create a special downtown.” When the 2020 fair was canceled due to the pandemic, many local business owners were devastated and desperate for the fair’s return in 2021. “When Governor Whitmer came out at the beginning of June 2021 and reopened things fullon, my phone immediately started blowing up,” says TodoroHargreaves. “Our small businesses were reaching out to me about getting the art fair back up and running. Economically,
Many downtown Ann Arbor stores and restaurants incorporate the Art Fair into their business plan. “We have several retailers that will have large spaces in the fair for sale merchandise,” says Todoro-Hargreaves. “These sales allow for the retailers to make room for the new fall inventory that
July2022 | 29
“As we all know, Ann Arbor is a culinary paradise, so it’s hard to choose just one favorite restaurant, but Jerusalem Garden has a special place in my heart. Not only is their Mediterranean menu is absolutely exquisite, but it was the romantic backdrop to some of the first dates with my husband over 20 years ago. This delightful restaurant has always been our go-to spot on Art Fair days as well. I highly recommend grabbing an amazing J. Garden Turkish coffee and making a day of the fair with someone you adore.” —Angela Kline
they needed to begin the recovery from the pandemic. With the help of our community partners, we busted it out, dusted it off, and got it going again.” The Art Fair is a year-round undertaking and Delhey, TodoroHargreaves, and Kline need to make difficult decisions, prepare for many contingencies, and prioritize the health and safety of fair-goers. Planning, budgeting, marketing, and staffing the three fairs in conjunction requires finesse, talent, and tenacity. And when faced with the challenge of the pandemic, they rose to the occasion. “You have to have some thick skin and be ready to make some tough decisions,” Delhey says. “And I think we all are able to do that. But we also are able to see the joy in what we are doing and truly enjoy working together through all of it. We have each other's backs and I love and respect these women a great deal.” Delhey, Todoro-Hargreaves, and Kline are not the first strong women to support the efforts of the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Throughout the art fair’s long history, countless women have stepped into the director role. This is Kline’s first year in the role, and she’s keeping the fair’s history in mind. “To understand the Ann Arbor Art Fair, it’s important to look at the contribution of the women who came before me, like Maureen Riley, who is stepping down after 12 years with the fair and who I’ve learned so much from,” says Kline. “I’m honored to walk in their footsteps, where I am welcomed by Karen and Frances, two of the savviest and hardest-working women in the business. I’ve been a longtime admirer of both of them.” And while all three of these directors appreciate the fair’s economic impact and its rich history, it truly does come down to the art. In fact, in a 2016 Destination Ann Arbor study on the attractions Ann Arbor is best known for, the art fair ranked second, trailing only the University of Michigan. “This fair is truly a love letter to the artist community,” Kline says. “The country’s finest artists gather at our juried fair to display their creativity, talent, and hard work every July.” 30 | The Brick Magazine
The pandemic also had an impact on the artists that is worth noting. During these lockdowns, artists dove deeply into their art and their sources of inspiration, so visitors can expect some new and exciting pieces this year. “From a creative standpoint, it’s fun to see all the new things that have come out of this time when artists had time to rediscover, reimagine, and do new things,” notes Delhey. The directors see the 2022 Ann Arbor Art Fair as a return to normal and an opportunity to celebrate the creative and dedicated community of artists, residents, visitors, and business owners that make the fair so special. “Bringing the fair to life is such an honor and an absolute labor of love. Personally, as a mother of young children, I love showing them what can be accomplished through collaboration, especially after a difficult couple of years. The fair is a testament to the passion, grit, and determination of our city and our artists,” says Kline. “When it comes down to it, being able to complete something like this event is one of the most exhilarating things that I do every year. It would not be possible without the devotion and teamwork of everyone involved,” says Todoro-Hargreaves. Seeing the connections between people spark up again after a long couple of years inspires the hard work of these three dedicated women. “We’re doing something good, both for the artists and the community,” says Delhey. “There's just so much to love about it. It's a lot of hard work. But it feels so good afterward, like we’ve accomplished something amazing. And it’s just a lot of fun.”
What's in the Bottle? by Michael Fox What goes into a bottle of our ARBOR Summer Gin: ●
Corn grown just outside of Dexter, Michigan at the Cares Family farm.
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The historic Dexter Mill, founded in 1919 and now owned by Keri Bushaw, stores and processes the grain.
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Our distillery then mashes, ferments, and distills the corn into a neutral grain spirit and we add over 20 botanicals, fruits, and vegetables.
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These botanicals give the gin its distinctive taste, which we feel is a beautiful representation of a Michigan summer. Watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, juniper, mint, basil, lavender, rosemary, tarragon, and alfalfa (just to name a few!) are added to the still.
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These ingredients are not extracts or concentrates. They are whole fruits and vegetables, often purchased just down the street at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, or from a local produce vendor. The distillation process leaves us with two by-products that go on to have a second life of their own. The spent grain is collected in large containers and picked up by local farmers who use it to feed their livestock. The spent botanicals from the gin are often used by Michigan breweries and meaderies in their seasonal beer or mead offerings. This secondary use of the ingredients helps to reduce waste and provide a much-needed product at no cost to another local business.
In addition to making a delicious gin and tonic, ARBOR Summer Gin is great in any cocktail that requires gin. A couple favorites are:
SUMMER GIMLET
MISCARITA
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2oz ARBOR Summer Gin
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1oz Simple syrup
1oz Ann Arbor Distilling Water Hill Misco
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1oz fresh lime juice
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0.5oz ARBOR Summer Gin
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0.5oz Triple Sec or orange liqueur
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0.5oz agave nectar
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1oz fresh lime juice
Pour into shaker with ice. Shake hard, then strain into a coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wheel.
Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake hard, then empty into a rocks glass rimmed with salt. Michael has over 25 years of experience in the alcoholic beverage industry in roles covering every aspect of the business and including fine wine, craft spirits, and craft beer. He currently directs sales and distribution at Ann Arbor Distilling Company, where his love for the industry shines through.
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