More than a dozen chefs from around the country will convene for the sixth Chefs Boot Camp for Policy & Change on Avery Island, Louisiana, home of the world-famous Tabasco Sauce. The three-day, multi-faceted program, taking place March 15–17, will provide chefs with the policy and advocacy skills they need to be effective champions for their chosen food-system causes. The chefs will participate in an intensive series of workshops programmed in partnership with the Chef Action Network (CAN), and made possible with support from the Osprey Foundation, the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation and Eric Kessler, JBF Board Member and Managing Director of Arabella Advisors.
The upcoming Chefs Boot Camp for Policy & Change will immerse participating chefs in the following sessions:
Creating a Fair, Just, Sustainable, Nutritious, & Delicious Food System: Introduction to public policy landscape and why policy matters.
Why Chefs Matter: Chefs have community, culture, profile, trust, and networks. This session will give examples of chefs in the policy marketplace including PEW (Pew Research Center), Catch Shares, and Nutrition.
Why Advocacy?: What is advocacy, why do we do it, how do we do it, what to expect. Chefs change menus and raise awareness about causes.
Using Their Voice for Advocacy: Discuss examples of successful advocacy by chefs and how to use social media for advocacy.
Participating chefs for this Boot Camp include: Victor Albisu, Washington, D.C.; John Besh, New Orleans; David Carson, Atlanta; Asha Gomez, Atlanta; Michael Leviton, Boston (returning alumni); Reneé Loux, Los Angeles; Emily Luchetti, San Francisco, CA (returning alumni); Jud McLester, Chicago - Tabasco Exec. Chef; Kevin Mitchell, Charleston, SC; Seamus Mullen, NYC; Jamie Simpson, Milan, OH; Bill Telepan, NYC; Christian Thornton, Martha's Vineyard, MA; Lee Anne Wong, Honolulu; AND Sherry Yard, Los Angeles.
The Chefs Boot Camp for Policy & Change is part of the James Beard Foundation's broader Impact Programs that 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.
Read the full press release. Learn more about Chefs Boot Camp for Policy & Change.
