Berry Good Talk – Specialty Produce Network

Kelli Gray-Meisner, RDN, is a registered dietician nutritionist who specializes in helping individuals with gastrointestinal conditions. She has expertise in integrative and functional principles, with an emphasis on a whole foods based diet and biologically appropriate lifestyle. She focuses on whole-food based nutrition assessment and education with all patients, meeting the patients where they are and assisting them to get where the want to be with their health. Kelli has always been interested in integrative and functional medicine and promoting personalized nutrition as a foundational component for overall health. Her research interests include integrative nutrition, microbiomes and lifestyle medicine. She also teaches at Cuyamaca Community College and volunteers giving healthy eating presentations to the general public as well as local support groups, including the San Diego Chapter of the Celiac Support Association. In this episode we talk about the current state of our food system, healthcare, and how nutritious food can heal and empower us.

In this episode we sit down with Cindy Lin. Cindy is the co-founder and CEO of Hove Social Good Intelligence, a mission-to-action lifestyle company working to connect people to Do Good companies and companies to positive impact. Hove’s new consumer facing product, Hey Social Good, will be launched Jan 2020. Hey Social Good will connect people to purchasing with purpose by building meaningful data stories to show positive social and environmental impact. Their mission is to enrich people's lives with well researched information and social good alternatives that inspire people to become a force for good. IG: @heysocialgood TW: @heysocialgood FB: @hovesocialgood Website: http://www.heysogo.com

In this episode we speak with Nita Kurmins Gilson, Co-founder of ProduceGood, a food recovery nonprofit in San Diego County. Nita and her team are recovering some of the 40% of food that is wasted daily and delivering this to the 1 in 6 people who are food insecure. They do this by recovering excess from backyards, farms & Farmers Markets; upcycling unwanted produce to the food system; and engaging and inspiring our community to reduce food waste & hunger We asked Nita what she is most excited about, right now. Here is her inspiring answer: “KIDS! I just gave a presentation to 5 classes of first grade gardening students at Cardiff Elementary. Their gardening instructor, a wonderful young man named Jonathan Kardos, wanted to teach the kids about the whole food system, including food waste and food insecurity. They offered to donate the harvest from 10 of the 20 beds of veggies they had grown. I believe that Berry Good Foundation granted Mr. Kardos funds to build another school garden in the district, at Ada Harris school. So, it was WONDERFUL to see the full circle! Kids feeding community. They were so stoked to be able to harvest 70 pounds of their own grown bounty and donate this to Community Resource Center, a local charity that does amazing work, in Encinitas.” Tune in to learn more about the evolution of this incredible company. http://www.producegood.org/ https://www.facebook.com/producegood/ https://www.instagram.com/producegood/ https://twitter.com/ProduceGood

Meet Jamie and Marie, a dynamic couple who have built great businesses based on their belief that good food should be humble and comforting. These two are firmly committed to sourcing great ingredients, and letting those ingredients shine by “getting out of their way.” Learn about this team’s journey from event planners to caterers to restaurateurs, as they raised a family and stayed true to their core values about food. http://www.instagram.com/homesteadsolanabeach https://www.homesteadsolanabeach.com/

Meet the co-founder and Executive Director of Changing Tides, a group of adventurous female change-makers that team up with local organizations globally to raise awareness and address social, environmental, health and safety concerns. In this episode Becky talks about her evolution as an advocate and shares tips for a zero-waste lifestyle that are easy and accessible to all. She also shares about her work with The Community Compost Movement, and gives us the scoop on how we can compost at home! Huge thanks to Becky Mendoza for taking the time to tell this inspiring story! @actionsportslaw @changingtidesfoundation www.changingtidesfoundation.org

Meet Farmer Paul, a former Marine Corps officer and accountant who grew tired of BS labels and green-washing and decided to make a change in the poultry industry. Now that largest pasture poultry producer in the US, Paul and his Pasturebird family are passionate about raising animals the right way. Hear about how his farming practices contribute to human and environmental health, and how we can all make better choices as consumers of local and responsibly raised meats. Paul says: “My vision has less to do with size and more to do with impact. I want to leave a positive mark on global agriculture. I want to see environmentally destructive factory farming come to an end. I want to see antibiotics, especially prophylactic antibiotic use, come to and end - preferably before a major outbreak of antibiotic resistance caused by livestock. I want to see a future that's regenerative, where manure is an asset and not a liability. Where we're building soil organic matter, producing a nutrient dense chicken, and giving animals a high level of welfare that we can be proud of and transparent to.” Website: http://www.pasturebird.com Instagram: pasturebird

This locally-driven chef has been a force in the SD culinary scene! Chef Esteban grew up in National City and studied culinary arts in San Diego. After launching his career at The Guild in Barrio Logan, Craft & Commerce, and Tender Greens, Esteban traveled to New York City to cook at David Chang’s famed Momofuku Ssam Bar. Upon his return to San Diego, he worked at Nine-Ten before helping to open The Cork & Craft in Rancho Bernardo. In 2016, Esteban joined CH Projects (Born & Raised, Ironside) as the group’s research and development chef. He has been a supporter of local farms, fishermen and non-profits, and last weekend he was a featured chef at the Berry Good Food + Coastal Roots Farm collaboration, 'Revive our Roots.' Chef’s next project, WellFed, will take him back to his roots as he returns to National City to create a restaurant project that will be inspired by his Filipino heritage and his goal of giving back to the city where he grew up. Meet the WellFed team and learn about their plans to integrate into their community and build a culture fed by creativity, inclusivity, and delicious Filipino food! https://www.instagram.com/experiencewellfed/

To launch our new podcast, ‘Growing a Food Movement,’ we have brought together a great representation of our Berry Good Board of Directors, and are excited to share our story. Berry Good Food is comprised of an all-volunteer board of local food advocates and enthusiasts. We want to make sure ALL members of our community understand the importance of and have access to healthy food. We also believe that local food is often best for our bodies and for our environment, and we want to empower and connect individuals to make good food choices.

A short discussion with Chef Steve Brown and farmer Mannah Gbeh about the labor of farming and a preview of the now passed panel discussion on 11/15/2017. For more information about upcoming BGFF events, visit our FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/BerryGoodFoodFoundation/