Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

This week, I interviewed Kathy Nothstine, Program Manager for Regional Development at the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO).  Kathy performs research and develops training resources and peer learning programs related to regional planning, community and economic development, and transportation planning.  Nothstine received her Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Villanova University.  She recently authored “Regional Food Systems Infrastructure”, available for download here (PDF). 1. You work in an organization that promotes regional development.  How does food fit into that? As a national association representing America’s regional planning and development organizations, NADO focuses on regional solutions to planning and economic development issues.  Many of our members work in rural and small metropolitan areas, and so their districts often include agricultural lands and other working landscapes, as well as more urbanized areas.  We’ve found that food systems issues and

Today marks the first in a series of interviews with food systems planners, farmers, chefs, community activists, residents, and others who are making a positive difference in the world through their work.  The new feature, “5 Questions With…” will appear on Thursdays.  Five Questions with Lynn Peemoeller, Food Systems Planning Pioneer  Lynn Peemoeller is a food systems planner that blends expertise in natural sciences, urban planning, policy, agriculture, food, culture, nutrition, activism and the arts to study and work on a wide range of projects that address the human interaction with the complex cycle of food from the farm to the fork to the garbage dump, examining both the negative and positive state of humanity and development shaped by food.   For the past four years, she has been an independent consultant on projects in the U.S. and abroad.  She worked for several years organizing farmers markets in New York

This past weekend, I took my first trip to the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market.  There, I met up with my friend Maude from graduate school, who was assisting Stefano Frigerio of the Copper Pot Food Company.  Stefano was kind enough to give me advice about what to buy at the market to prepare dinner for some special guests, and his own pasta was a huge hit! (I prepared the cavatelli in a macaroni and cheese dish, and the tortelini with truffle and cheese fondue for dinner the next day.) According to the mission statement, “The Copper Pot Food Company is dedicated to the production of creative, chef-crafted products with unparalleled flavors and quality. Our products are crafted from locally sourced fruits and vegetables, which are respectfully cultivated and raised by small farmers in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Our unique assortment of jams, savory sauces and vinegars are