Hazon Food Conference 2010

Originally posted on the Jewish Food Alliance Blog. Written by Mimi Hall, Director of Building Operations at the Marcus Hillel Center.

In December, I attended the Hazon Food Conference East at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT with the help of the Shearith Israel Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

On Thursday December 9,  I arrived and missed the beginning of Vermicomposting and instead went to hear about “Growing Your CSA.”  This session opened my eyes further to potential membership communities, including the idea of targeting pre-schools in membership drives.  New mothers are really into nutrition...who better to join a group that supports local farms and delivers organic produce weekly to their neighborhood?  These CSAs have appeal not only to indie-types who want to eliminate steps between their consumption and the production of their food, but also new families yearning to feed themselves with delicious and nutritious produce. At this session I also met Jennifer from Houston who runs a CSA through her Jewish Community Center.  She, Naomi Rabkin and I were the extent of the Southern contingent at the conference.  Small and mighty, we started a conversation about the challenges that face our Southern communities - very different than those in the NE and California - one that I hope to continue now that we are back in our respective cities.

The CSA at Shearith Israel was founded in 2006 by Naomi and a core group of dedicated volunteers.  (CSAs are very cool and are popping up all over the U.S., Jewish and secular, that are a blog post all their own.  For more information please contact the Jewish Food Alliance.) I joined the Shearith CSA for the summer share in May 2010 and then stayed on for the fall share through November.  Not only did receiving new and different produce each week stretch my culinary ability and imagination but also allowed me to connect with other like-minded “foodie” types in my intown Atlanta community.

Thursday evening and Friday passed in a blur; I tried to get the most out of each session I attended.  Stacey Oshkello’s session on sprouting inspired me to seize an easy-ish opportunity to produce some of my food by sprouting my own almonds.  I went to an 8AM session on Friday about the national Food Policy.  Advocates presented on the array of policy issues from food stamps, to school nutrition to the production, distribution and subsidies of different foods.  Next I heard from Steven Wynbrant about his enormously successful experiment in creating an urban mini farm.  I wanted to bottle his energy and attach a spray nozzle.

After the last session on Friday - a walk around the lake where I met the famous Adamah Goats -  I noticed the grey of the sky darkening and the beginning of snow flurries as I hurried to get ready for a shockingly early 3:45 PM candlelighting to bring in the Sabbath.  The spiritual service challenged my prayer comfort zone, the Friday meal was wonderful and then we went into the evening program, a panel on the “State of the [Jewish Food] Movement.”

At the Friday night address Nigel Savage, Executive Director and Founder of Hazon, mentioned the teaching of Rabbi Simcha Bunam, a Hasidic master who taught that we should carry a scrap of paper in each pocket.  One that reads,  “The world was created for my sake” and in the other pocket a scrap that reads, “I am but dust and ashes.”  This balance between humility and the compulsion to make an impact came up throughout the conference and continue to pepper my thoughts.  When I question the impact of my turning off monitors around the Hillel building, I struggle with this issue.  When I encourage my friends to eat more consciously, I struggle with this issue.  When I wonder who will read a blog about my experience at a Jewish Food Conference, I struggle with this issue.  Following the panel, I voiced my cautious pessimism about the relevant impact of our individual actions to some new friends.  They gently but fervently reminded me that for every doubt that I have there are hundreds of grassroots organizations forming that support agents of change for communities worldwide, and thousands of people affecting change and therefore changing the world for the better.

Throughout the sessions I attended I learned about food. Obviously. But I also had numerous conversations related to challenges with growing, healthy Jewish communities and issues facing them. Examples: the growing relevance of accepting patrilineal descent, the impact of informal Jewish education, maintaining rituals versus sanctifying time.  These conversations, like mine with Jennifer about Southern CSAs are ones that I hope will continue into 2011. Shabbat concluded with the third meal, the seudah shlishit, where we were able to taste goat cholent.  The entire room was silent, thanking hashem, yes, for providing, but I would argue equal thanks were going toward the goat for giving its life and the loving souls who nurtured and then ended that life.

The conference re-energized and enforced for me the concept of mindfulness at mealtimes.  The “borei pri’s” aren’t necessarily my thing, but taking the time to think about what I am eating and how it got to my plate is something I can try to do before I consume.

Even with the best of intentions, at Sunday lunch when confronted with the yummiest burrito fixin’ line of my life, I didn’t hesitate to begin chowing down.   Check out me and Joelle Berman with the most satisfying burritos. Ever.

I am very grateful that I was able to be a part of an intentional, spiritual, Jewish community for even this brief conference.  I ask myself, “How can I take the best of this national movement and practically apply what I’m learning to my life and my home community?”  I know that personally I’d like to sprout some almonds and mungbeans, but what tangibly can I do beyond my own kitchen?

Neat things are already happening around local, organic food in Atlanta.  There are local co-housing, intentional communities, and excellent restaurants that emphasize locally raised protein and locally grown produce.  Neat things relating food and the Jewish community are also in the works.  The newly formed Jewish Food Alliance has untapped potential for bringing Jews together around food.  Disjointedly new Jewish mothers are signing up for secular farm-shares and CSAs.  Self-defined “foodies” are voting with their dollars and shopping at places like the Morningside Farmers’ Market and the Peachtree Road Market.  How can we unite these individuals in a new definition of Jewish community?

I want to play a role in defining Jewish, ethical consumption and in uniting southern Jews with the local food movement already rooted in Atlanta.  Can I support the founding of more congregational CSAs?Practically, what else can I do?

I’d like to participate and foster ‘greening’ our Jewish institutions in Atlanta – simple things like recycling (that has been around since before I was born!) still aren’t happening in every office at every Jewish agency.  I wonder... can I recruit my colleagues to become scrap-paper using and  “turning-out-light fairies” to lead within their institutions?  I question the feasibility of sustainable kashrut.  At Hillel my heart sighs every time we fill dozens of bags of trash from the one-time-use utensils necessary to maintain kashrus.  Can I find green dishwashing detergents and proper storage for china so that we can lessen our dependence on paper-goods and therefore lighten our environmental impact?  Can Hillel (reallyGoodfriend’s Grill at Ray’s Bistro) participate in Emory’s composting program?  I hope that my resolutions are feasible enough to hold and that Atlanta is ready and will welcome greening practices and access to yummy, organic food.

Click here to browse the complete schedule.  If you have questions about CSAs or about starting one in your community please comment below or contact the Jewish Food Alliance (in Atlanta) or Hazon (elswhere).

Mimi Hall is a resident of midtown Atlanta, a food lover and the Director of Building Operations at the Marcus Hillel Center at Emory University.