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No Bad Ideas is proud to present a short trailer for Mars' Best Brisket, an audio comedy charity event happening this week! Help our friends raise $1,000 to help the Lovin Spoonfuls provide food to their neighbors in Boston! Check out the show's website at marsbestbrisket.com, or contribute to their campaign at marsbestcharity.com. A transcript of the trailer is available here. Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Arun Rath speaks with Seth Mnookin, head of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, about the pitfalls journalists who don’t typically cover science face when trying to report on the pandemic. And Arun hears from Catherine D’Amato, head of the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Ashley Stanley, founder of the food distribution organization Lovin’ Spoonfuls, about how food insecurity has spiked in Massachusetts due to coronavirus.
Arun Rath speaks with Seth Mnookin, head of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, about the pitfalls journalists who don’t typically cover science face when trying to report on the pandemic. And Arun hears from Catherine D’Amato, head of the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Ashley Stanley, founder of the food distribution organization Lovin’ Spoonfuls, about how food insecurity has spiked in Massachusetts due to coronavirus.
This week on the #NothingWastedPodcast, we chat with Ashley Stanley, Founder & Executive Director, Lovin’ Spoonfuls, the largest food rescue agency in New England, about the founding and growth of her organization, overcoming challenges in food waste, and more. #NothingWastedPodcast
Talking about the hard stuff There are people who say they are there, and there are people that are there. When Andrew and I meet years ago we realized that we would be friends for life, so many similarities, love of food family but most of all our consistent honesty with each other and support has created an unbelievable friendship and support. There is so many things I can say abut Andrew but most of all I want to say “Thank You” for your consistent friendship & support threw thick and thin we always have each others back to get threw the hard stuff. I love You AZ my brother of another mother!! follow him: @chefaz A Taste of the Good—and Bad— LifeThanks to his parents who had him traveling around the world mouth first, Andrew knew from a young age he wanted a career in food. After attending The Dalton School and then Vassar College, Andrew was on the fast track to success, cooking in New York City restaurants helmed by Anne Rosenzweig, Joachim Splichal and Thomas Keller. He helped open and run a dozen restaurants, but was also an addict spiraling out of control. Crashed and burnt, he spent a year living on the streets, stealing to support his addiction. Ultimately, one last intervention by close friends brought him to the renowned Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota. Transforming his life around sobriety, Andrew began washing dishes at the Minneapolis outpost of New York’s Café Un Deux Trois in 1992. When a line cook fortuitously didn’t show up for his shift, Andrew took over his station, and in seven weeks was named executive chef. He turned Un Deux Trois into a successful gastro-bistro during his six-year tenure.Making Moves in the MediaAndrew’s revamped menu of French dishes shot through a Vietnamese and Chinese prism drew the attention of media. Local news appearances led to regular TV work as the ‘in-house chef’ on HGTV’s early slate of programming produced in Minnesota. Rebecca’s Garden and TIPical Mary Ellen proved to be extraordinary springboards. Eventually he found a regular job as a features reporter doing live local news, became Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s dining critic and restaurant columnist, and hosted his own drive time radio show. In 2003, Andrew filmed a test pilot for the show that ultimately became Bizarre Foods, targeting Travel Channel as a potential home. Since Bizarre Foods first aired in 2006, he’s created the spin offs Bizarre World, Bizarre Foods America and Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations.Andrew founded the Minneapolis-based, multi-media company Food Works in 1997. A full-service operation that develops and manages content, Food Works oversees production and distribution for all of Andrew’s media endeavors, including his former podcast Go Fork Yourself, a 2012 Stitcher award-winner for Best Food/Cooking podcast, his website AndrewZimmern.com, which was nominated as the best food blog by the James Beard Foundation in 2016, and AZ Cooks, a digital cooking series. In AZ Cooks, Andrew shares cooking techniques and recipes inspired by his travels and experiences in the professional kitchen. He demystifies essential dishes from cultures around the world in pursuit of culinary literacy. AZ Cooks has won Taste Awards for “Best Food Program Online” (2018 and 2019), as well as “Best Instructional Series” (2019) and “Best Chef in a Series” (2019). The series was also recognized as a Webby Honoree in 2019.Beyond his success as an on-camera host, Andrew’s background as a journalist has led him seamlessly into the world of publishing. Giving a behind-the-scenes look at the cultures he found in his favorite destinations, The Bizarre Truth (Broadway, 2009), inspired readers to travel, explore and eat the unconventional. Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World of Food: Brains, Bugs and Blood Sausage (Delacorte, 2011) gave younger fans a backstage look at his culinary adventures. A book for young adults, Andrew Zimmern’s Field Guide to Exceptionally Weird, Wild, Wonderful Foods: An Intrepid Eater’s Digest (Feiwel & Friends, 2012) is a pop culture-influenced look at funny, fantastic and occasionally bizarre ingredients. His latest offering, a grade level series called Alliance of World Explorers, Volume 1: AZ and the Lost City of Ophir was released in February 2019 and recently won a Gold IPPY in Juvenile Fiction. Additionally, Andrew is a contributor at Food & Wine magazine and a contributing editor at Delta Sky Magazine, where he pens the column “Fork and The Road.”Innovative Culinary Concepts and PartnershipsIn 2012, he launched Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen, a quick service concept licensed at U.S. Bank Stadium and Target Field in Minneapolis. Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen is now a property of Passport Hospitality, a restaurant concept and design company Andrew founded in 2015. Through Passport Hospitality, Andrew and his culinary team provide consulting services to various restaurant and retail projects.Andrew recently collaborated with Minneapolis chef Gavin Kaysen to create KZ ProVisioning, a unique catering company for professional athletes. KZ ProVisioning works with sports teams like the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild, to provide healthy meals to the team’s players, coaches and locker room staff. Andrew has also partnered with Robert Montwaid to develop an experiential food hall in the historic Dayton’s building in downtown Minneapolis and in Atlanta’s Chattahoochee Food Works.Creating Compelling and Impactful ContentIn 2014, Andrew introduced Intuitive Content, a full-service production company that develops and produces dynamic original television and broadcast specials, while partnering with companies to create brand-driven series and web content. Intuitive Content’s first television series, Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food, premiered on Travel Channel in August 2016. In Driven by Food, Andrew takes viewers on a behind-the-scenes adventure, exploring food and culture from a whole new perspective with a local guide. In their second series, The Zimmern List, Andrew reveals his favorite food experiences in cities across the globe. Season two of The Zimmern List premiered in December 2018 and in 2019 won a Taste Award for “Best Food Travel Series” as well as a Silver Telly Award. In their latest series, Andrew traveled the U.S. in search of passionate food truck entrepreneurs on Big Food Truck Tip, which aired on Food Network last fall.Beyond television, Intuitive Content works with clients on branded entertainment, including a partnership with Renaissance Hotels to create The Navigator’s Table and with Caribou Coffee to film Behind the ‘Bou, which profiles their commitment to high quality beans and sustainable Rainforest Alliance Certification. Intuitive Content’s recent digital work includes Andrew in the Kitchen, a companion cooking series to Bizarre Foods that was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2018, and Bravo TV’s Beats + Bites with the Potash Twins, which explores the intersection of music and food, and the creative process that all artists share. In 2019, Beats + Bites was awarded the “Great Taste Prize: Hollywood Tastemakers” by the Taste Awards and a Bronze Telly Award.Andrew has been nominated for 12 James Beard Awards and has won awards for “TV Food Personality” (2010), “TV Program on Location” (2012), and “Outstanding Personality/Host” (2013 and 2017). In 2016, Andrew was named one of “America’s 50 Most Powerful People in Food” by The Daily Meal, one of the “30 Most Influential People in Food” by Adweek and as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.” In 2017, Andrew won the award for Best Host at the Cynopsis TV Awards. According to Eater, “Zimmern knows more about the foods of the world and the history of modern gastronomy than anyone else in our solar system. He’s a walking, talking food encyclopedia, and a true omnivore.” Andrew has appeared as a guest judge on Chopped and Top Chef, and was chosen as a mentor for Season 2 of Food Network’s All-Star Academy.Delicious LifeWhen he’s not sampling unusual dishes at home and abroad, Andrew teaches entrepreneurship and offers insights on food issues to the students of The Lewis Institute for Social Innovation at Babson College. Through the James Beard Foundation he funds Andrew Zimmern’s Second Chances Scholarship, which offers a student faced with extreme challenges an opportunity to overcome these hardships and follow a culinary path. Andrew sits on the board of directors of Services for the UnderServed, Soigne Hospitality and Taste of the NFL, and is the International Rescue Committee’s Voice for Nutrition. Other charities Andrew works with include Lovin’ Spoonfuls, ONE, Food Policy Action Committee and No Kid Hungry. In his rare downtime, Andrew relaxes in Minneapolis, spending time with family and his pug Pretzel, and reading, cooking and playing guitar.
What are the common ingredients for high-functioning organizations? Lovin’ Spoonfuls founder and Executive Director Ashley Stanley and distinguished Boston chef and restaurateur Colin Lynch (Bar Mezzana and Shore Leave) join host Billy Shore to discuss their philosophies on building successful organizations and strong communities. Stanley recounts why she started Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a Boston nonprofit organization that rescues and distributes healthy, fresh food that would otherwise be discarded. “When you’re there with folks who have the same goals as you… you hear people talking about it in the office. ‘How do we make this better not just for our team, but ultimately for our end-users,’” she explains. Lynch, who was struck by the camaraderie of the kitchen at a very young age, believes his success derives from putting his employees in a position to succeed. “Our business is 100% about people, and the only way we can continue to grow and thrive and take care of our guests is if we continue to take care of the people that work for us,” he says. Both guests talk about drawing strength from their communities. “Lovin’ Spoonfuls wouldn’t be here without it - fundraising for a non-profit is a challenging endeavor and in the beginning it really was anything we could do,” says Stanley about when Lovin’ Spoonfuls was getting off the ground. The organization now rescues about 70K pounds of fresh healthy food that feeds about 30K to 35K people each week. Lynch tells the story about a restaurant worker who was seriously injured in an assault and the response from the Boston culinary community to help him recover. “It’s a very comforting feeling to know if something happens to you, everyone will be there to support you in this community,” he maintains. Join us for a conversation that gets to the heart of how to build successful organizations and the importance of teamwork and community. Resources and Mentions:· No Kid Hungry (nokidhungry.org): Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.· Ashley Stanley is the founder and executive director of Lovin’ Spoonfuls. She has created unparalleled awareness for food rescue, with dedication to addressing the significant consequences of food waste. In 2011 the Boston Business Journal named her an ‘Emerging Leader’. In 2012, Lovin’ Spoonfuls was a two-time winner of the Mass Challenge competition, which is the largest global start-up accelerator. In 2013 Ashley was selected as one of the BBJ’s 2013 ’40 under 40′, which recognizes Boston’s most innovative business leaders. In 2014, Ashley was recognized by The Boston Globe as a ‘Game Changer, and in Boston Magazine‘s ‘Power of Ideas’. She is one of Oxfam International’s Sisters of the Planet Ambassadors. A Fellow at The 2013 Nantucket Project, she’s also a member of TEDWomen, and a TEDx community speaker. She’s been featured on NPR, and written for The Huffington Post’s ‘ReClaim’ campaign. · Lovin’ Spoonfuls is dedicated to facilitating the rescue and distribution of healthy, fresh food that would otherwise be discarded throughout Greater Boston and beyond. They pick up wholesome, perishable food from grocery stores, produce wholesalers, farms and farmers markets, and distribute it to more than 140 community nonprofits that feed hungry people across Greater Boston and MetroWest. Lovin’ Spoonfuls connects abundance and excess food with the food insecure men, women, children and families who need it most. Their timely rescue of food that has been deemed no longer salable — slightly bruised produce, dairy nearing its sell-by date, or perfectly good food products that are determined to be excess — provides meals to more than 30,000 individuals each week. Since 2010, Lovin’ Spoonfuls has rescued and distributed more than 8 million pounds of fresh, healthy food into the social service stream.· Colin Lynch is chef and partner of Bar Mezzana located in Boston's South End. He received his Bachelor’s Degree at the Culinary Institute of America before settling in Boston and working at Chef Barbara Lynch’s flagship restaurant No. 9 Park. He was on the team there as she received her James Beard Award for “Best Chef Northeast” in 2003. Colin was then promoted to the role of Chef de Cuisine at No. 9 Park starting in 2004. During this time, as Chef Barbara Lynch expanded to the South End with B&G Oysters and The Butcher Shop, he helped her develop menus and the teams. In 2007, he became Executive Chef for the Gruppo, where he was responsible for the Gruppo’s entire Back of House operations, including menu development, training, quality control, and supervision of all the Gruppo’s restaurants’ Chef de Cuisines. He led the opening of Menton, which achievied Boston’s first Relais & Chateaux designation, was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for “Best New Restaurant” in 2011, named as one of the best new restaurants in the country by Esquire, and received The Boston Globe's first four-star review from food editor, Devra First. In June 2016, Lynch opened Bar Mezzana to rave reviews from local press and guests who praise the inspired crudo, handmade pastas, and warm hospitality. He recently opened his second restaurant, Shore Leave, in Boston’s South End.· Bar Mezzana brings the simplicity and beauty of coastal Italian cooking to a sleek, vibrant space at 360 Harrison Avenue in Boston. Aperol spritzes, an award-winning crudo menu, and a career steeped in pasta making are highlighted by genuine, warm service and hospitality. Led by Heather Lynch and Beverage Director Ryan Lotz, Bar Mezzana’s wine program showcases a thoughtfully curated selection of varietals to pair with Chef Lynch’s food, with both widely loved bottles and lesser-known (but equally enjoyable) discoveries. Shore Leave is a tiki bar and restaurant in Boston’s South End. It is an interpretation of a tropical escape through the lens Boston’s rich dining scene.
We check in with Rebecca Masson, one of Houston’s most celebrated pastry chefs and founder of Fluff Bake Bar, to hear how she’s doing and what we can do to help her city. Also stopping by is Katie Quinn, the YouTube personality known as QKatie. and author of the Short Stack Editions cookbook on avocados. Ashley Stanley will join us as well. She’s the founder of Lovin’ Spoonfuls, an organization that has rescued more than 7 million pounds of food and distributed it to Boston-area homeless shelters, food pantries, and soup kitchens.
In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Boston chef Ming Tsai (Blue Ginger, Blue Dragon) and Boston Medical Center pediatrician Debbie Frank talk with Share Our Strength founder Billy Shore about the vulnerability of children to food insecurity. Chef Ming and Dr. Frank bring different perspectives to the concept of food as medicine, particularly for children and families with few resources. Listen to their timely conversation about the profound health and economic consequences of poor nutrition and the responsibility we all share to protect children in our communities. Listen and Learn • The invisible effects of malnutrition - developmental, behavioral and medical impacts on kids • The serious and even fatal consequences of policy decisions that cut social programs like Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps), and threaten the stability of immigrants • What chefs and individuals can do to help families who are food insecure Resources and Mentions • No Kid Hungry nokidhungry.org Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. • The Grow Clinic for Children bmc.org/programs/grow-clinic is an outpatient subspecialty clinic at Boston Medical Center that provides comprehensive specialty medical, nutritional, developmental and social services and dietary assistance to children from the Greater Boston area. • Family Reach family reach.org A lifeline for families fighting cancer. Family Reach is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides assistance to families with a child or parent afflicted with cancer. • Lovin’ Spoonfuls lovinspoonfulsinc.org Lovin’ Spoonfuls is a 501c3, non-profit organization that is legitim
Lovin' Spoonfuls - Why We Do It: Alleviate hunger The face of hunger in America has changed. Food insecurity affects a rising number of families in communities across the nation. Here, one in five Bostonians are classified as food insecure, and the number of residents participating in federal meal assistance programs is at an all-time high. At the same time, the influx of cheap, processed food items over the past four decades has contributed to the alarming spike in obesity rates and diet-related health risks, especially among low-income populations. Traditional models of hunger relief rely on the convenience of non-perishable pantry staples typically laden with high levels of sodium, sugar, and chemical preservatives. But why should we stop at non-perishables when there is so much fresh food already available? Reduce food waste In the United States, we produce 430 billion pounds of food, enough to feed far more than our population, and as much as 40% of it goes to waste. Even though there are over 700,000 food insecure residents, in Massachusetts, there is no lack of food available. Our work connects people in need to the bounty of unused food that exists in our community. We’re working to address the problem of food insecurity locally while simultaneously minimizing the astounding amount of food that ends up in landfills nationally. Food waste in the US is estimated at over 70 billion pounds each year, 95% of which went directly into landfills in 2012. We’re also wasting precious natural resources in the production and subsequent trashing of this food. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the production of food that ultimately goes to waste in America accounts for 25% of the nation’s total freshwater use and over 300 million barrels of oil every year. Additionally, $750 million in tax dollars are spent annually to incinerate discarded food, and the value of that food is over $165 billion. While the numbers are shocking, the message is clear: there is enough food out there to feed those in need, and Lovin’ Spoonfuls is here to help. Change the conversation In addition to our direct distribution services, we work to foster increased awareness of the ongoing issues of food waste and food insecurity in our local community by educating the public and serving as a local platform for Boston to join the national conversation on food waste. We have an extremely strong and dedicated community of advocates in the Boston area that support us by participating in our program, attending events, helping us raise awareness, and donating their time, money, and resources to our cause.