Tom and Giving Kitchen co-founder Jen Hidinger-Kendrick discuss the state of mental health in the restaurant industry, how the pandemic has added pressure and hardship to some circumstances, and what Giving Kitchen does to support people in the restaurant industry. We learn how Giving Kitchen reaches food service workers, and discuss common issues affecting an industry that offers a comfort to so many. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Tom talks with Hudson Valley Seed Company Co-Founder and Creative Director Ken Greene about heirlooms, seed sovereignty and how seeds reflect human history. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Tom and Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon discuss the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and have a wide-ranging discussion about where legislation around environment and food intersect. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Reclaiming the food you threw away and up cycling it into nutrient-dense animal feed. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

In early March, slim pickings on grocery store shelves, news of meat plant shutdowns, skyrocketing demand for food bank services, predictions of supply chain breakdown and food shortages drove many Americans to do what we haven't collectively done since WWII: plant home gardens. Tom checks in with journalist Morgan Levey about the boom in seed sales and interest in home gardening. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Tom Colicchio talks with "Free for All: Fixing School Food in America" author, Dr. Janet Poppendieck about the history and future of school lunch programs. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

What do chefs and the food industry owe black Americans? Tom Colicchio talks with chef and historian Michael Twitty about the effects of racist systems on American foodways and how food and culinary history could be addressed through the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Americans aren't hungry because of drought or famine. Some say Americans are hungry because there isn't political will to make sure everyone is fed. How did we get here? In this episode, Tom Colicchio adds a chapter in his food policy primer season. He's joined by Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, who provides a short lesson in U.S. nutrition assistance programs and the future of fighting food insecurity in America. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Small food suppliers like oyster farmers and cheesemakers are really who set restaurants apart. In most cases, a majority of what they produce is sold to restaurants. But with the pandemic, many restaurants have closed -- and when restaurants close these small businesses are left without a market. Tom Colicchio talks to Peter Stein of Peeko Oysters and Mateo Kehler of Jasper Hill Farms about how they've changed their business models. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

In this stripped-down episode, Tom Colicchio talks to Gerardo Reyes Chavez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers about the work leading towards systemic solutions to end modern-day slavery and put a stop to crimes against growers across the food system. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more