Fresh Take: Finding Inspiration Ahead Of Climate Week

It’s about to be Climate Week in New York City, and I’ve already had a taste of inspiration. I spent some time earlier this week in Huron, Ohio at the beloved speciality grower Chef’s Garden for the farm’s annual Roots Conference. I let myself take it all in. And I ate! I enjoyed so many bites of raw produce from the farm’s bounty—from fairytale eggplants and cucamelons to a dozen varieties of tomatoes, peppers and squash. The squash blossoms blew my mind, as did the edible flowers and microgreens. The micro lemon balm I snacked on was another one of my favorites.

You may remember Chef’s Garden from the video we did with co-owner Farmer Lee Jones on how he bought back the farm his family lost when he was in high school. It’s a special story, and I’d recommend a watch if you haven’t seen it yet. What makes it so powerful is now that the farm is secure, the Jones brothers have been able to invest for the long-term—in a way I wish more farms could but few do.

Not only has Chef’s Garden fully embraced the principles of soil health and regenerative agriculture, but the farm has gone a step further. It has been working to shore up its on-farm energy supply, thanks to recycled corn cobs and a lot of other projects, and the farm is now going to be able to source 70% of all its electrical demand on its own. That’s huge—especially since energy grids are over-extended as it is, and when an extreme weather event hits, local governments typically prioritize the energy for residents before businesses—even the ones that feed us.

I’ll be taking this energy with me into Climate Week. And I hope I’ll see you there! I’m moderating at a bunch of different events, and it’s bound to generate real yet hopeful discussions. Check out my panel schedule below, and I’ll look forward to hanging out in-person!

Food Tank x James Beard Foundation Summit

Monday, September 23

• 11:20 a.m. – Intersectional Approaches to New York City Food and Agriculture Policy
• 11:45 a.m. – The Role of Grocers and Brands at the Nexus of Farmers and Healthy Eating

Forbes Sustainability Leadership Summit

Tuesday, September 24

• 4:45 p.m. – Championing Hope For Our Oceans

Food Tank x Natural Resources Defense Council

Wednesday, September 25

• 3:45 p.m. – Pollinators and Pesticides

— Chloe Sorvino, Staff Writer

Order my book, Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat, out now from Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books.

This is Forbes’ Fresh Take newsletter, which every Friday brings you the latest on the big ideas changing the future of food. Want to get it in your inbox every week? Sign up here.

What’s Fresh

How De La Calle Is Transforming Tepache Into A Modern Mexican Soda

Alex Matthews, the founder of De La Calle, discusses his journey from curiosity to creation, bringing the authentic flavors of Mexico to the U.S. market.

Depriceflation: Fast Food Giants And Retailers Respond To Pressure

Inflation has made shoppers more cost-conscious, fueling interest in stores’ private label products and leading companies to downsize portions and offer deals. The worst may be behind us, but mindsets have changed.

Eco Chef Gives Rescue Bears At Sanctuary The Fine Dining Treatment

TV Host and Chef Priyanka Naik had an opportunity of a lifetime this summer to feed some very special VIPs: rescue bears at a Four Paws sanctuary in Germany.

Thanks for reading the 120th edition of Forbes Fresh Take! Let me know what you think. Subscribe to Forbes Fresh Take here.

Chloe Sorvino leads coverage of food and agriculture as a staff writer on the enterprise team at Forbes. Her book, Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat, published on December 6, 2022, with Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books. Her nearly nine years of reporting at Forbes has brought her to In-N-Out Burger’s secret test kitchen, drought-ridden farms in California’s Central Valley, burnt-out national forests logged by a timber billionaire, a century-old slaughterhouse in Omaha and even a chocolate croissant factory designed like a medieval castle in northern France.