Our agenda is 95% finished, and we want to give you a sneak peak of the full day! Stay tuned for final touches as October 28th nears!
Registration is now open – please email Annie Rowell annie.rowell@sodexo.com for more information.
We couldn’t be more excited to announce that we are hosting the Taking Root Student Symposium on October 28th at the University of Vermont, in partnership with Vermont Farm to Plate and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
This symposium is designed for all Vermont college students to celebrate farm to institution and learn about what it means to chart a career in food. We are pleased to
share that our keynote speaker will be Ben Hewitt, a Vermont-based author of many books including The Town That Food Saved and Making Supper Safe. Throughout the day, students will learn about:
And let’s not forget about lunch!
Vermont producers who “close-the-loop” through the creation of their product. From waste-free production to soil health management, Vermonters are leading the way in innovative practices. Meet the producers and fill your bellies with the “loop.”Are you a Vermont college student interested in attending? Here’s what you need to know:
I am excited to attend the Taking Root Student Symposium at UVM because I was inspired by Ben Hewitt’s book ‘The Town that Food Saved’ when I was introduced to it as an undergrad. Also, I will be looking to find employment soon, so getting to learn more about current food-related positions and Vermont-based employers is a great opportunity. Overall, I can’t wait to meet people with similar passions as me and people who want to learn more!
– Ann Chiarenzelli, UVM Food Systems Master Student & Taking Root attendee
The statewide college student gathering is a perfect opportunity for our students in our learning community “A Call to Action: Building Sustainable Communities”. […] The symposium lands at a perfect place and time to support our goals; we hope that many students, faculty and staff from other Vermont colleges and universities attend.
– Ellen Hill, Faculty, Northern Vermont University at Johnson
Here is a glimpse of some of the panelists, producers, and employers you can expect to see there!
Stay tuned for more to come! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @vermontfirst for more information!
We are very excited to announce the creation of the Vermont First Advisory Board! The Vermont First Advisory Board will support Sodexo’s Vermont First Initiative in realizing Sodexo’s goal of strategically increasing the purchase of Vermont products across Sodexo’s Vermont accounts. The Advisory Board is a tremendous ally in providing guidance to moving Vermont First objectives forward. The Board is made up of the following members:
| Name | Organization | Representation Category |
| Bill Suhr | Champlain Orchards | A person who operates a conventional vegetable farm (Eco-Apple Certified) |
| Jon Slason | Harlow Farm | A person who operates an organic farm |
| Tony Risitano | Deep Root Organic Coop | A person with an intimate understand of food aggregation operation |
| Mike Rosenberg | Garuka Bars | A value-added food product business owner |
| Sean Buchanan | Black River Produce/Black River Meats | A person with expertise in meat (slaughter, processing, marketing, storage) A distributor who distributes local food |
| Abbey Willard | Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets | A person involved in creating or advising policy in Vermont |
| Erica Campbell | Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Vermont Farm to Plate | A person with experience in research and data analysis A person involved in creating or advising policy in Vermont |
| Olivia Pena | University of Vermont | A student who attends a Sodexo campus account in Vermont who eats campus food |
| Abbie Nelson | NOFA-VT VT FEED | A person who educates others about food and/or food systems A person with experience in research and data analysis |
| Vern Grubinger | UVM Extension | A food safety specialist |
| Heather Lynch-Ellis | St. Michael’s College | A person who educates others about food and/or food systems |
| Christina Erickson | Champlain College | A person who educates others about food and/or food systems |
| Doug Lantagne | UVM Food System Initiative | A person who educates others about food and/or food systems |
| Jane Clifford | Clifford Farms Green Mountain Dairy Federation | A person who operates a dairy farm |
The experience and perspective of this strong group will be instrumental in moving the needle forward on Vermont First objectives.
Earlier this week, I came across an article called Is it Time to Table Farm-to-Table? by Corby Kummer, published in Vanity Fair. This article captures part of an unfortunate trend that questions the integrity of the local food movement. Kummer went so far as to say that no one cares about where their food is from anymore: “That’s where the future of farm-to-table should be: food that speaks for itself without having to tell you where it comes from.” I read the article, starting writing about it, but couldn’t get beyond saying that it was just plain wrong.
I didn’t realize it then, but I was reading the article at the right time. I was heading into a week of learning from people who would have some thoughts on this topic – and fairly opinionated thoughts at that. On Wednesday at a local food campaign meeting put on by the Vermont Farm to Plate network, Megan Sheridan of the Vermont Fresh Network, measured up “that Vanity Fair article” as a case of the counter-local food movement missing the mark.
Yesterday, at the New England Food Summit in Boston, I was catching up with Scott Sawyer of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. I couldn’t help but seek out his opinion on the article, and in the way I was secretly hoping he would, he brought it full circle. Kummer offers a shallow review of what could be best categorized as a first world problem – tiring of too much of a good thing. In Vermont, it has been just over five years since the launch of Vermont Farm to Plate, our state’s strategic plan. We have made it through the first sprint, but now is the critical time to test our endurance and commitment to not be a trend but a fundamental shift.
Scott encouraged me to move my focus from Kummer to focus instead on some of the larger indicators of the real impact of our work in building a resilient food system. He referenced evidence of large companies who are adapting to target a customer who is demanding fresh, sustainable, and local products.
“Like Sodexo?” I offered.
The purpose of our work in Vermont First is to keep the integrity in the words we use to describe our local and sustainable purchasing, building trust with and between our partners in the food system. We are part of the growing indicator that the local food movement is not just a short-lived trend.
Sodexo's Commitment to Buying Vermont First 