heroes and heroines (food for thought speaker series)

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Alice Waters (photographed by Annie Lebowitz)

What can $100 buy you these days? A designer sweatshirt, dinner for two, a tank of gas.....or 4 tickets to see 4 sets of guest panel speakers blow your mind at the Herbst Theatre. Below is the line-up I chose to see during my 2 days at the Slow Food Nation's 'Food For Thought Speaker Series'. Needless to say, I am still in the process of digesting it all.....

#1- Opening Session- The World Food Crisis

"It’s widely acknowledged that we are in the middle of a world food crisis. Skyrocketing food and fuel costs, water scarcity, and population explosions have communities worldwide in the grip of hunger and dire food shortages. Come listen to four of the foremost authorities on the subject as they share forecasts and potential solutions for this immense global challenge."

Michael Pollan (Moderator)- Author and the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.
‘In Defense of Food’ and ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’

Raj Patel- Author and Director of San Francisco Food Systems.
‘Stuffed and Starved’

Dr. Vandana Shiva- Physicist, environmental activist and author.
‘Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply’ and ‘Soil Not Oil’

Corby Kummer- Journalist and author.
‘The Pleasures of Slow Food’

Carlo Petrini- Founder of the International Slow Food Movement (1986), co-creator of The University of Gastronomic Sciences and author.
‘Slow Food (A Case For Taste)’

#2- Building a New Food System: Policy and Planning

"Urban planning, food policy, health and education initiatives – government policy at all levels can contribute to food systems that support the whole community. Learn from leaders in the field as they explore the first steps that governments—from municipal to state and beyond—can take to support and build a sustainable food system."

Timothy LaSalle (Moderator)- Executive Director of the Rodale Institute.

Paula Jones- Director of San Francisco Food Systems.

Marion Nestle- Author, Paulette Goddard Professor, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, NYU.
‘What To Eat’

Andrew Kimbrell- Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety.

AG Kawamura- Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Founder of ‘Incredible Edible Park’ in Irvine, which links nutritional education and interaction between schools and food banks.

#3- Re-Localizing Food

“In addition to preserving precious fossil fuel energy, buying food locally saves money and supports local economies. So why does everyone coast-to-coast buy their oranges from Florida? This panel explores the challenges of building a local food system, and compares the environmental and social impacts of both a local and global approach to food.”

James Oseland (Moderator)- Editor of Saveur Magazine.

Gary Nabhan- Founder of Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT).

Dan Barber- Chef & Co-Owner of Blue Hill Restaurant and Creative Director of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

Winona LaDuke- Native American activist, environmentalist, economist, author and Founding Director of White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP).

Michael Pollan- Author of In Defense of Food and Omnivore’s Dillemma.

#4- Edible Education

“In a nation where far too many people harm their health and the environment by eating poorly, public school lunch presents an enormous opportunity: right there, in the middle of the every child’s school day, driven by his own hunger and his own taste, lies all this time and energy set aside and devoted to food.” This panel will discuss the potential and challenges of creating a national policy around Edible Education - a means of educating all children about stewardship, sustainability and the connections between food, health and the environment."

Josh Viertel- Director of the Yale Sustainable Food Project.

Craig McNamara- President and Founder at Center for Land-Based Learning.

Katrina Heron (Moderator)- Writer, editor and a Director of the Chez Panisse Foundation.

Van Jones- Author and founder/president of Green For All.
‘The Green Collar Economy’

Alice Waters- Founder of Slow Food Nation, international vice president of Slow Food, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant and founder and president of the Chez Panisse Foundation.

#5- The Best of Slow Food on Film

"A special screening of award-winning short films and documentaries that promote a new critical awareness of food culture selected by Slow Food on Film, the International Festival of Cinema and Food. In collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna."

Featuring: Along Came the Rain, Silent Snow and The Price of Sugar.