A Day to Celebrate Food
by Kimi Ceridon
Student Kimi Ceridon recaps October 24th’s Food Day Event in Boston.
Food Day comes but once a year. With no gimmicks, costumes, bunnies or men in red suits, Food Day in the United States not only celebrates the foods that sustain us but also encourages people to think about their diets and get involved in the policies that impact the food system locally and worldwide. The October 24th celebration grew out of the internationally recognized October 16th World Food Day celebration which honors the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization, a UN organization aimed at eradicating hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
This year, Food Day Massachusetts began with a Food Day Eve celebration at Babson College and continued with an official kick off at the Massachusetts State House the following day.
Babson’s Food Day Eve Event was served up in “five courses”. The first course started the day off with Andrew Zimmern, Gail Simmons and other panelists telling their own food stories. While Zimmern is probably best known for his television show “Bizarre Foods,” there was nothing bizarre about his commitment to addressing issues of social justice and the food system. In Zimmern’s personal food story, he told how his thinking about the food system has evolved over the years. In recognizing Babson’s leading role in entrepreneurship, he proclaimed that entrepreneurs would save our planet. Following the morning’s panel discussion, the second course was a locally sourced meal set among a group of food entrepreneurs introducing their products. There was everything from Fedwell homemade dog food to Pure Maple Water to egg-free mayo from Hampton Creek and many more.
The third course had four food entrepreneurs crowd source ideas to address their toughest challenges. It also never hurts to get advice from successful entrepreneurs like Simmons, Zimmern, Tom Ryan of Smashburger and Chef Adam Melonas of Chew Lab. The fourth and fifth courses were squarely aimed at looking at careers in the food industry, and a panel of food industry professionals gave insights on how to get a job in the industry. The day closed with a final panel featuring some of Boston’s most prominent restaurateurs telling their own stories about navigating a food-related career.
Food Day in Massachusetts officially commenced the following morning at the Massachusetts State House. The rainy morning could not dampen the spirits of the crowd gathered in the great hall. In keeping with Food Day’s goal of raising awareness about food policy, the kick off event was centered on the Massachusetts Food System Plan. Food Day represented one of the first milestones for the Massachusetts Food System Planning Team where they reported on outcomes from the statewide listening sessions that occurred earlier in the year. Since the last time Massachusetts had a statewide food system plan was in 1975, there was a lot to be told.
Aside from the Massachusetts Food System Plan, the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources Commissioner, Gregory C. Watson, offered a rousing speech outlining the many food-related reasons Massachusetts residents have to celebrate. In keeping with the World Food Day theme, “Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth,” Watson outlined how family farms in Massachusetts are leading in innovation saying, “Our real strength stems from our ability – more than that – our willingness to integrate old and new – traditional and innovative.”
In what would be his last Food Day as Massachusetts State Governor, Governor Deval Patrick took the podium. He further recounted the efforts of his administration in making Masssachusetts a leader in farming, agriculture and food policy before proclaiming October 24th Food Day in Massachusetts.
While Food Day was October 24th, there are many ongoing celebrations. Find a celebration near you at FoodDay.org.