May 2023                                                                Good

Last month, we held our Annual Gathering at Hammerling Wine in Berkeley, where we (re)connected with nearly 50 of our supporters and community. It was a great opportunity to catch up after the past couple of years of the pandemic and share the goals and plans for 2023.

One of the event's most memorable moments was a stimulating brainstorming activity, where participants shared their individual perspectives on what Slow Food represents to them and their curiosity in today’s changing food system. Folks also shared outstanding community organizations that they thought the rest of us should be aware of.

So what did we learn?

• Slow Food means knowing your food source, choosing mindfully, savoring with love, building community, and feeling joy!
• People’s concerns? The climate crisis as it links to the future of farming is top of mind plus issues of affordable food access, corporate power, and problematic food additives.
• You suggested over 25 organizations for us to connect with for future partnerships and support

On this last note, reflecting on our core value of “Good” food, some of these organizations stood out to us. These folks tirelessly work to provide equitable access to delicious, healthy and culturally relevant food in our East Bay community -  we find their efforts truly inspiring.  Thank you to Cocina Del Corazon, Essential Food & Medicine, Fresh Approach, Spiral Gardens and Kula Nursery for your important work!

And here’s to ALL the good work, 
The SFEB Team
 

RESOURCES

📰 Read

Getting Something to Eat in Jackson: Race, Class, and Food in the American South | Joseph C. Ewoodzie Jr.
Joseph Ewoodzie Jr. examines how “foodways”—food availability, choice, and consumption—vary greatly between classes of African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi, and how this reflects and shapes their very different experiences of a shared racial identity.
 
An immigrant farmer grew produce for restaurants. California floods ruined her crops | The Guardian by Maanvi Singh
Without immediate, emergency aid, many small farmers risk losing their leases, and their businesses. “We hold up small farmers as essential, but they’re treated like they are dispensable.”

Two States Have Proposed Bans on Common Food Additives Linked to Health Concerns | The New York Times by Dana G. Smith 
“But anything that we can do to reduce our exposure to carcinogens, whether known or suspected carcinogens, is a step in the right direction.”


🎧 Listen 

Zee Husain and Kula Nursery on KCRW's Good Food podcast
Zee Husain's curry leaf plants have a waitlist...


📺 Watch 

The Edible Education Series: Generational Family Farming with Mas Masumoto
Mas Masumoto speaks on his experience on being a 4th generation, Japanese American peach farmer out of Fresno.

📅  UPCOMING EVENTS

Decolonizing the Food System by Shape up SF Coalition & SFDPH Healthy Eating Active Living
Tickets available here
Date: Monday May 8th
Time: 12noon-1:30pm
Location: Virtual 
A virtual conversation with a diverse panel sharing their unique perspectives and offering insights into how we may decolonize the food system. Speakers include Dr. Rupa Marya, Esperanza Pallana, Anjali Prasertong, and Shakirah Simley.


BIPOC Land Access and the Farm Bill 
Date: Tuesday May 9th 
Time: 11am-12:30pm 
Tickets & further information available here
Location: Virtual 
A Wisconsin-based farmer and a Land Advocacy Fellow for the National Young Farmers Coalition will share advocacy efforts to ensure BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) land access is part of the 2024 Farm Bill.


BBQ without Borders by No Immigrant No Spice
Tickets available here 
Date: Saturday, May 13th
Time: 5:00-9:00pm
Location: Oakland Museum of California 
Join NINS to celebrate immigration through the lens of regional Barbecue. Featuring local chefs and live entertainment, this is a family friendly event with kids activities. All profits go to a microgrants program administered by NINS


Illyanna Maisonet: Disaporican 
Tickets and further information available here
Date: Tuesday, May 23rd
Time: 5:30-6:30pm 
Location: Virtual or in-person at Commonwealth Club (SF) 
Maisonet’s cookbook, Diasporican, provides a visual record of Puerto Rican food, ingredients and techniques. She traces the island’s flavor traditions to the Taino, Spanish, African, and even United States’ cultures that created it.

 

As a reminder, you can find all the East Bay Food Systems events on the SFEB public events Google calendar. Make sure you subscribe! And If you want to submit a community event to be featured, please fill out this form.

🐌 CALL TO ACTION

Help Kristyn Leach @namu_farm @secondgenerationseeds secure a long-term home for her farm project, The Gohyang Seed Campus.

The project's funding of Gohyang Farm, Second Generation Seeds, Seed Stewards, Grower's Collective, Seed Steward Residency Program, and other community-based initiatives is related to equitable food access. They address food insecurity by growing and donating fresh produce to food banks and shelters, ensuring access to diverse and regionally adapted seed varieties, and keeping decisions about heritage crops in the hands of Asian communities. These initiatives also promote sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices while distributing ownership shares to future land stewards.

They have until May 12th to close the $200,000 gap. Contribute here!