Chefs Congregate at Glynwood for JBF’s Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change

More than a dozen chefs from around the country will convene for the James Beard Foundation's seventh Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change at Glynwood in Cold Spring, New York, from June 7 through June 9. This is the second time the multi-faceted program will take place at the agricultural nonprofit’s 225-acre farm. This series of workshops will provide chefs with the policy and advocacy skills they need to be effective champions for their chosen food-system causes. The intensive three-day session is programmed in partnership with the Chef Action Network (CAN) and made possible with founding support from the Osprey Foundation, with additional support provided by Glynwood.

The upcoming Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change will immerse participating chefs in sessions including:

Creating a Fair, Just, Sustainable, Nutritious, and Delicious Food System: introduction to public policy landscape and why policy matters.

Why Chefs Matter: what is advocacy, why do we do it, how do we do it, what to expect from policy—engaging chefs on food-system issues

How Policy Happens: overview of policy change at state and federal levels, illustrated using the 2015 Child Nutrition Reauthorization

Cultural/Social Influencers and Power of Networks: educating chefs on their powerful networks that can counteract/counterbalance other influencers

A is for Advocacy: why we need campaigns, how they work, how we build them 

Land-Engagement Activities: goat harvest and butchering demo led by JBF Award winner Adam Danforth

Participating chefs for this Boot Camp include:

• JBF Award Winner Rick Bayless, Chicago
• Jodi Cummings, Cold Spring, NY
• Tiffany Derry, Dallas
• Adam Evans, Atlanta
• Kevin Fonzo, Orlando, FL
• Erik Gabrynowicz, Armonk, NY
• Ruben Garcia, Washington, D.C.
• Evan Hanczor, NYC (Returning Alumnus)
• Mark Noguchi, Honolulu
• JBF Award Winner Ryan Prewitt, New Orleans
• Anthony Sasso, NYC
• Steven Satterfield, Atlanta, GA
• Alex Seidel, Denver
• Matt Weingarten, NYC

The Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change is part of the James Beard Foundation's broader Impact Programs to encourage dialogue between diverse stakeholders in the food system while providing an opportunity for chefs to help influence food decisions for the larger American population. Other programs include conducting a national dialogue on food-system issues at regional salons in cities around the country; the annual JBF Food Conference, which brings together a diverse group of food-system thought leaders; the annual Leadership Awards, which recognize visionaries helping to create a more healthful, sustainable, and safe food world; and the JBF Culinary Labs, which engage chefs in hands-on opportunities around food-systems issues.

 
More than 575 chefs have applied to the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change program since it launched. Participants are selected to represent regional and topic interest diversity, with consideration given to the voice that each chef has within their local community and on a national level. A full list of chefs who have attended the six previous Boot Camps can be viewed at jamesbeard.org/education/bootcamp.  Follow hashtag #ChefsLead on Twitter to track the chefs’ progress. For additional information, view the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change video feature on JBF’s YouTube channel. To apply or fund future Chefs Boot Camps for Policy and Change, please visit jamesbeard.org/education/bootcamp. Read the full press release here.