Photo above: High tunnel at Loma Farm, by Jeff Smith This Thanksgiving weekend, we’re grateful for the innovative Farm2Neighbor program. It’s a collaboration among the Northwest Food Coalition, GoodwillNMI Food Rescue and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities...
Fustini’s Teams up to Expand Local Food and so Much More
Above: Fustini's founder Jim Milligan and General Manager Liz Lancashire Founded in 2008, Fustini's Oils & Vinegars quickly became one of Michigan's most desirable, respected, and trusted speciality food brands, and that only happened through innovation, bold...
What’s Ahead for NMC’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute?
A conversation with Director and Chef Les Eckert. (Pictured above at Lakeview Hill Farm, Leelanau County.) We invited Chef Les Eckert, director of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute since June 2019, to give us a sense for how the institute is evolving and how the next...
Reflecting on the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health
On Wednesday, September 28th, I participated in the White House conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. It’s been more than 50 years (longer than my entire professional life) since these deep-rooted issues have received this level of attention. It’s the first time...
Combatting Farm Stress
This article first ran in the Traverse City Record-Eagle Ag Forum. Above photo: Farmers face many challenges, and you can help simply by purchasing local food. (Photo by Dan Meyers) Local farms are a staple of the community, and they enrich Michigan’s environment,...
Connecting local food to our regional healthcare providers is the goal for Groundwork’s Farms, Food & Health program
From the earliest days of our Farms, Food & Health program—with its emphasis on culinary medicine methods—we have worked closely with physicians and other medical professionals to spread the word about the importance of cooking and eating nutritionally rich,...