The Place of Food; The Food of Place

Food is a precious commodity. What if the foods you love were no longer available? What if the ingredients you have relied upon and taken for granted suddenly could not be found or were in such meager supply that their cost was prohibitive?  
Chefs Collaborative, along with project partner and author Dr. Gary Nabhan of Renewing America's Food Traditions (RAFT), announce the publication of Foods at Risk in the Gulf Coast. 

As a result of the Gulf oil disaster, Foods at Risk in the Gulf Coast, a booklet containing essays by Richard McCarthy, Sara Roahen, Dr. Lance Hill, Louis Michot, Poppy Tooker and others along with scientific documentation regarding Louisiana's imperiled food culture, was quickly published. 
 
"The Gulf Coast is home to America's most diverse and robust food culture," says Melissa Kogut, executive director of Chefs Collaborative. "This booklet serves as an important testament to the fragility of that culture in the face of this disaster." 
 
"As an organization of chefs and culinary professionals, we are closely watching the impact of the oil disaster on the Gulf's food culture, as well as on this important domestic fishery. We support the Gulf Coast seafood industry and encourage our members around the country to do the same by continuing to buy the seafood that has been deemed safe by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and the Food and Drug Administation (FDA)," says Kogut.  

NOAA has closed 35% of federal Gulf waters to fishing; hundreds of miles of state waters have also been closed.
 
For the past five years, Chefs Collaborative has worked with Dr. Nabhan, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Slow Food USA and others to document and restore endangered foods of the U.S. as part of the RAFT project. 
 
Chefs Collaborative is the leading nonprofit network of chefs that fosters a sustainable food system through advocacy, education, and collaboration with the broader food community.
 
To download the booklet, see the Chefs Collaborative website. 


Other useful links:  http://www.slowfood.com/
       http://www.slowfoodusa.com/