30 Under 30: Futurist Foodies

Name: Nate Lada and Jill Sweetman
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Age: 25 and 22
Food Business: Green Things Farm
Position: Farmers
Website: greenthingsfarm.com

You don’t need much experience to start working the land, a lesson quickly learned by Nate Lada and Jill Sweetman, young farmers at Green Things Farm. What started with Lada’s enthusiastic farming of four acres of his grandparents’ land and Sweetman’s exposure to organic farming quickly grew into a joint business venture to grow good food. With the help of Tilian, a grant-funded program in Ann Arbor that provides new farmers with infrastructure and mentorship, Lada and Sweetman were able to turn their interest in fresh foods into a successful profession. Of course, the nurturing Michigan community helps by signing up for community supported agriculture (CSA) memberships and frequenting the local farmers markets. Green Things Farm projects to make a profit in its first year.

What challenges do you face in the food industry?
“The current food system is seriously flawed — while it is great to eat pineapple year-round, the reality is that tropical fruit doesn’t grow in Michigan. It is challenging to try and encourage people to eat locally and seasonally. While there is a lot of crop diversity to be had during winter months — tons of greens, squash, potatoes, root veggies, and onions — as a culture, we are used to finding anything we want at the grocery store.”

If you could describe your style with three words, what would they be and why?
“Timing, flexible, enjoyable. Farming is a lot about timing and being flexible — especially this season of extreme cold, hot, and rain. We need to get work done during very specific times of good weather in order for a crop to succeed. On the flip side, running our own business allows for a great deal of flexibility as to how we do the work. We have a ton of room to be creative and try new techniques. And finally, we make sure that our days are enjoyable so that both we and our friends want to keep coming back to farm more.”

What do you do to make yourself stand out in such an over-saturated field?
“We try hard to be involved and make connections with our community by befriending volunteers, volunteering ourselves at Selma Café, which hosts a weekly breakfast that raises money to give farmers hoop house loans, going to the restaurants that support local food, growing cabbage for the local brinery, giving tours to families with children, and hopefully partnering our CSA with a local elementary school.”

We’ve heard that many folks in the food biz don’t eat nearly as well as home as they do at work. Is that true for you? What’s a typical weeknight dinner at home like?
“It is true that we have much less time and energy to make bread and meals like we used to. Dinners for us are still important because we need to rejuvenate, relax, and re-hydrate. We usually drink a big glass or two of water, eat a salad with mustard greens mixed with leaf lettuce topped with 18-year-old balsamic vinegar, and sometimes toss together a pizza with homemade dough and sauce topped with fresh mozzarella and a mound of greens, radishes, garlic, and onions from our farm.”

What three tools should any self-respecting home cook have in their kitchen?
“Good knives, salad spinner, and a stand mixer.”

Name: Tanya Kerssen
Location: Oakland, California
Age: 29
Food Business: Food First, The Institute for Food and Development Policy
Position: Researcher and Program Director of Food Sovereignty Tours
Website: www.foodfirst.org, www.foodsovereigntytours.org

Largely influenced by parents who maintained a densely packed backyard garden and picked seasonal fruit from nearby farms, Tanya Kerssen credits her dedication to spreading sustainable agriculture to her folks. As a researcher at Food First, she produces resources to help people understand the fundamental causes of hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation. More important, she makes people aware of the movements working to transform the current corporate food system. By connecting people to these movements, she has been able to help bring awareness of global food reform to Bolivia, Cuba, and France through Food First’s travel program, Food Sovereignty Tours. In the end, relieving global poverty and hunger requires citizens of the world to embrace a sustainable food system, she says.

What challenges do you face in the food industry?
“By far the biggest challenge we face is the corporate control of our food system and the ‘rules of the game’ biased in favor of large corporations. A whole regulatory structure at the national and global levels has been built up to treat food like a commodity — to be bought, sold, and speculated on. This global structure makes it incredibly difficult to be a small business, small farmer, or small anything. And it’s the ‘small’ of the world that are sustaining communities.”

What advice can you give readers who are interested in supporting local and sustainable agriculture?
“My advice would be to go beyond consumption, and get your hands dirty (literally and figuratively). It is, of course, great if you can afford to buy organic products, shop at your local farmers’ market, and patronize green/ethical businesses. But it is also important so support organizations working to change policies, and fighting for food justice in marginalized communities like low-income neighborhoods and farmworkers. Support or get involved with your local food policy council, or start one in your community.”

What advice would you give someone else interested in pursuing a food-related business?
“I think we’re in a difficult economy for young people looking for existing, conventional jobs. The best thing to do is develop your skills in whatever way you can — as an intern, apprentice, or student — and hook up with people and organizations already doing the kind of work you want to do, whether it’s cheese- making, farming, or policy analysis.”

What do you hope your audience takes away from your work?
“At Food First, we deal in incredibly depressing statistics every day, about the number of hungry people in the world, about land grabs, repression, and undemocratic forms of ‘development.’ But we don’t allow ourselves to get depressed, at least not for long. I hope that people feel empowered and inspired by our work and the resources we provide.”

Do you have any success stories you can share with us?
“In February, we attended the launch, in Dakar, Senegal, of an important campaign for African food sovereignty called ‘We Are the Solution.’ Food First had played an advisory role for several years, as African farmers unions and women’s groups planned the campaign. It was a powerful moment to see the campaign officially launched and meet with some of the African women farmers leading the movement.”

Name: Elissa Bernstein
Location: Boston
Age: 19
Food Business: 17 and Baking, food blog
Position: Blog creator, writer, photographer, baker
Website: 17andbaking.com

College student and food blogger Elissa Bernstein considers herself equal parts photographer, food enthusiast, and writer. Her blog, 17andbaking.com, features stories of Bernstein’s life just as much as the baked goods she consumes in her daily life. Her narrative and exquisite photos have undoubtedly kept her readers coming back. Readers can even follow her personal baking goals, like making mochi, and wish list purchases, including “cute ramekins.” Oddly, a KitchenAid stand mixer, a sorely missed item she had to leave at home in Seattle, is not on her list.

What makes the food industry unique from other fields of work?
“Food blogging is a unique field. Bloggers have to be multi-faceted — it isn't enough to be a good cook or recipe developer. You have to have an eye for composition, lighting, food styling, and photography, and you have to write engagingly. Overall, your blog needs to have a voice and a theme.”

What do you enjoy most about your work?
“Every day I discover new recipes, unexpected ingredient pairings, and creative ideas. Food blogging encourages me to practice writing, photographing, and baking on a weekly basis. I also love the connections that come out of food blogging. I love emailing other young adults who are passionate about food and photography, making online friends around the world.”

What advice can you give readers who are interested in supporting local and sustainable agriculture?
“I think it's worthwhile to wait months and months for strawberries to reappear on local stands, rather than buy imported, out-of-season produce. In-season produce simply tastes better. The book Animal, Mineral, Vegetable by Barbara Kingsolver inspires me to support local and sustainable agriculture.”

What do you hope your audience takes away from your work?
“I hope that readers leave the blog feeling uplifted and energized, inspired to put their pencil to paper or to sift flour.”

What do you do to make yourself stand out in such an over-saturated field?
“Many food bloggers focus on unique, self-developed recipes or magazine-style photography. While I'm passionate about my recipes and photos, my blog places equal, if not stronger, weight in the writing. I try to make my words more than a paragraph accompanying a dessert — each essay is meaningfully written.”

Most recently, the trends have been to eat locally and sustainably, and gourmet cupcakes and doughnuts were also a big hit. What upcoming trends can we look forward to next?
“Gluten-free is getting bigger and bigger. Some bloggers gravitate toward it for health reasons, others for the challenge of baking without flour. It's amazing how many desserts can taste incredible without gluten.”

How has business been lately?
“17 and Baking is successful! Most recently, I was invited to speak at BlogHer Food '11 in Atlanta. It was my first visit to the South, I tried a fantastic gluten-free burger, and met some of the most respected cooks and writers in the food industry.”

What three tools should any self-respecting home cook have in their kitchen?
“Since I moved away for college, I appreciate my KitchenAid stand mixer and food processor more than anything. My other favorite kitchen tool is my Microplane grater. I love zesting citrus, and the way it leaves fragrant oils on your fingertips.”

Name: Jeramie Issac Robison
Location: Houston
Age: 27
Food Business: Restaurant CINQ at La Colombe d'Or Hotel and sister restaurant Zimm's Little Deck
Position: Executive Chef
Website: restaurantcinq.com, zimmslittledeck.com

Executive Chef at Restaurant CINQ at La Colombe d’Or Hotel and Zimm’s Little Deck in Houston, Jeramie Issac Robison offers no illusions about what it takes to be a successful fine dining chef. In addition to a more-than-generous time commitment and never ending patience, creative perfectionists like Robison require an extra set of eyes and hands whenever possible to ensure that everything makes it to the table just as he intended. This sort of dedication comes from those who are passionate and proud of their foods. Robison is among this group. All the while he is committed to supporting his local farms in order to serve his customers the highest quality foods.

When did you first get into the food business? And who were your biggest influences?
“My first job in a restaurant was when I was 15 while growing up in Louisiana. I moved up to cook at 16, and from there, I’ve been cooking ever since. My biggest influence would have to be my dad and his brothers. They are all farm-to-table eaters and really enjoy cooking.”

What do you enjoy most about your work? And what are you most passionate about?
“I love the interaction I have with clients and my team — sharing stories with a customer, cracking a joke with the dish washer, or running through specials for the night with the waiters. I am lucky to be in a position where I look forward to coming to work every day and appreciate all the different aspects that my job entails. I’m passionate about everything I do, but I really enjoy stock work and cooking a great piece of fish.”

How do you support local and sustainable agriculture?
“I have been searching out — and using — local product since I arrived to Houston. I love the feeling of knowing that I’m getting a vine ripened tomato or a pig from 20 miles away and supporting a small business. With a local farmer, you are getting product as it ripens on the vine and in its freshest state, rather than something that’s been bought in bulk and maturing in a warehouse.”

What do you hope your customers take away from your work?
“That all my flavors are balanced, and the product is as fresh as it can be. I would like them to leave thinking ‘That was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.’ I’m very picky about timing with my food. The fish is not in the pan until the order is fired. I’m a very a la minute cook.”

What advice would you give someone else interested in pursuing a food-related business?
“Your passion for food better be there, because if it's not, it will never work. This field entails a lot of work and a lot of missed holidays. You’ve got to understand the sacrifices before you pursue a food-related job.”

What three tools should any self-respecting home cook have in their kitchen?
“A bamboo or boos block cutting board, a high-speed blender, and a good set of all-clad pots and pans.”