麻豆精品

Fall 2014

The notion of eating local isn 麻豆精品 S檛 new; there used to be no other option. People ate what was available, either from their own gardens or from a nearby farm. The idea of a fresh strawberry in winter was absurd.聽As consumers become more concerned about the integrity of the food they eat and the impact its production has on the environment, local food growers and the people who support them are more in demand. And all along this alternative supply chain, you can find UCF alumni fostering change.

Planting the Seed

For Jonathan Winfrey, 麻豆精品 S�10, a seed is not just a seed 麻豆精品 S� it has a history.

Winfrey is the owner and operator of Organic Sanctuary, a farm in Geneva, Florida, which specializes in heirloom seeds. On a restaurant menu, the term 麻豆精品 S渉eirloom 麻豆精品 S� is often associated with tomatoes or other produce, but it doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 mean that it has been in the chef 麻豆精品 S檚 family for generations. It signifies that the produce has been grown from seeds with an organic heritage. Though there isn 麻豆精品 S檛 a standard definition for heirloom, 麻豆精品 S淚 would say … it 麻豆精品 S檚 been bred true to parent variety for at least a hundred years, 麻豆精品 S� says Winfrey, who majored in environmental science.

Winfrey 麻豆精品 S檚 business resembles less a commercial farm than a house with several large garden plots. There are carambola and Key lime trees, sunflowers, tomato plants and Seminole pumpkins that were a staple of the Native Americans who once lived in the area. He eats some of what he grows in his 麻豆精品 S渇ood forest, 麻豆精品 S� but the real value is the bounty of seeds that he carefully harvests from each plant. 麻豆精品 S淚t can take up to several weeks to get a good seed ready, 麻豆精品 S� he says. Each must go through a drying process that requires daily attention.

When they 麻豆精品 S檙e ready, the seeds are packaged by hand and sold through the Organic Sanctuary website or in specialty stores.

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麻豆精品 S淚t can take up to several weeks to get a good seed ready. 麻豆精品 S�

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Delivering the Goods

As a distributor, Rebecca Reis-Miller, 麻豆精品 S�06, helped restaurants interested in serving fresh, local ingredients find the people who grow them.

Reis-Miller, who has a bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in political science and a master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in public administration, helped lead Slow Food Orlando, a grassroots organization chapter that promotes environmentally friendly food production. With her co-leader Trish Strawn, she created Growing Synergy, a food distribution company in Central Florida that works with local farmers and artisans.

麻豆精品 S淲hen we started our company, 麻豆精品 S� Reis-Miller says, 麻豆精品 S渨e wanted to focus on supporting small farmers who use grass-fed production methods. 麻豆精品 S� Then several large hotels sought out Growing Synergy for their access to fresh, local products that include poultry, beef, fruits and vegetables. 麻豆精品 S淎 lot of the hotels don 麻豆精品 S檛 want their guests going off-site to dine, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S渟o they 麻豆精品 S檙e really improving the quality of the products they have in-house. 麻豆精品 S�

Reis-Miller recently left Growing Synergy and has joined her husband, Charles Miller, 麻豆精品 S�03, in his business, Lake Nona Deli and Market. She continues to advocate for local food purveyors, including Growing Synergy, and offers locally produced goods that include bread, coffee, produce and eggs.

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麻豆精品 S淲hen we started our company, we wanted to focus on supporting small farmers who use grass-fed production methods. 麻豆精品 S�

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Growing a Community

When Dandelion Communitea Cafe opened as a counter-service establishment in Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 Mills 50 district, owner Julie Norris, 麻豆精品 S�01, worried about the long lines of people waiting to order her vegan and vegetarian dishes. She converted to full service with staffers taking tableside orders. 麻豆精品 S淚t was the worst thing we ever did, because I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 realize how much actual community engagement happened in that line. 麻豆精品 S� As a result, she switched back to counter service.

For Norris, food fosters connection. 麻豆精品 S淚 like to talk about our relationships with our food, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淒o I know the person that 麻豆精品 S檚 making this, growing this, repackaging it? 麻豆精品 S� Norris feels it 麻豆精品 S檚 important for her to have firsthand knowledge that her providers are following best practices, so even if their products aren 麻豆精品 S檛 certified as organic, she 麻豆精品 S檚 certain that they 麻豆精品 S檙e of equal integrity.

麻豆精品 S淭he best relation I can have with my food is the food that 麻豆精品 S檚 growing in my backyard, 麻豆精品 S� says Norris, 麻豆精品 S渂ut I can 麻豆精品 S檛 get everything from my backyard. 麻豆精品 S� So next she might look to her neighbor 麻豆精品 S檚 backyard, then to a local farmer. But she doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 feel the need to procure food within a certain mile range. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 not so much about local in your ZIP code as localized. 麻豆精品 S�

Norris, whose degree is in business administration, believes that the awareness local food producers bring through their growing practices is key to Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 future. 麻豆精品 S淭he farm-to-table movement is critical to rounding out our sense of place. 麻豆精品 S�

Fertilizing a Movement

麻豆精品 S淎 lot can happen across the table over a meal, 麻豆精品 S� says Gabby Lothrop, 麻豆精品 S�05, who grew up in a large family in Panama. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e always had strong opinions about food. 麻豆精品 S�

When her family moved to the U.S., she was surprised by how much fast food people ate. 麻豆精品 S淪o much of our life happened around meals, 麻豆精品 S� she says of her formative years, 麻豆精品 S渁nd I just didn 麻豆精品 S檛 understand why food wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 as important here. 麻豆精品 S�

In 2009 Lothrop offered to assist a friend who was starting a community market in Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 Audubon Park neighborhood. 麻豆精品 S淪he said, 麻豆精品 S楪reat, you can be the director, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Lothrop says with a laugh. 麻豆精品 S淲e opened with about five vendors, and it was kind of a sad little operation. 麻豆精品 S� Thanks to her leadership, the market flourished and currently hosts more than 30 vendors. Lothrop has since become the managing director of East End Market in Orlando.

Lothrop, who graduated with a degree in political science, was recently named a regional governor for Slow Food USA, whose mission is 麻豆精品 S済ood, clean and fair food for all. 麻豆精品 S� That relationship began when she heard about the Orlando chapter and sought them out for guidance 麻豆精品 S� and connections to local farmers. Now she 麻豆精品 S檚 working with other chapters to find unified projects that meet Slow Food USA 麻豆精品 S檚 mission, while promoting the pleasures of enjoying delicious food.

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麻豆精品 S淪o much of our life happened around meals, and I just didn 麻豆精品 S檛 understand why food wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 as important here. 麻豆精品 S�

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Building a Hub

John Rife, 麻豆精品 S�10, was born into a real estate family 麻豆精品 S� one that developed, among other projects, The Mall at Millenia in Orlando. In college, he was intent on going into film. Both of those fields led him to where he is today as the owner of Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 East End Market, a nexus of artisan food purveyors, a restaurant and an urban garden.

Rife, who earned a master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in digital media, wanted to produce a series of videos about gathering Thanksgiving meal ingredients at local farms. But when he realized it wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 feasible, he opted to bring the farmers and purveyors together so people could purchase goods for their own Thanksgiving meals. He approached Lothrop, and the pair organized the highly successful Winter Park Harvest Festival. 麻豆精品 S淲e had tears in our eyes and were hugging each other and saying, 麻豆精品 S榃ow, people really are interested in this stuff. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�

Rife went on to use his knowledge of real estate development, remodeling a former church in Orlando to create East End Market. The two-story building houses local merchants selling items such as artisanal cheeses, produce, sauces, breads and organic juices; a demonstration kitchen; meeting spaces and a full-service restaurant.

And in keeping with Rife 麻豆精品 S檚 vision, the entrance to the market is landscaped with a large garden, where produce is grown for use by market tenants.

Reaping the Benefits

Alexia Gawlak, 麻豆精品 S�05, traces her interest in local food sourcing to a chef at culinary school who, in her words, 麻豆精品 S渨as a little nuts. 麻豆精品 S� Subscribing to conspiracy theories, the chef was so particular about edibility that 麻豆精品 S渉e even made his own cat food, 麻豆精品 S� says Gawlak, who graduated from the Rosen College of Hospitality Management with a B.S. in restaurant and foodservice management.

While she didn 麻豆精品 S檛 buy into the chef 麻豆精品 S檚 theories, he did prompt her to consider using reliable local food sources. That notion was emphasized when she went to work at Primo at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes hotel for chefs Melissa Kelly and Kathleen Blake. 麻豆精品 S淭hey taught me the importance of knowing the farmer, 麻豆精品 S� Gawlak says. 麻豆精品 S淚 already knew from cooking local food that it tastes better, it 麻豆精品 S檚 fresher and it 麻豆精品 S檚 more interesting. 麻豆精品 S�

Gawlak was recently named chef de cuisine at Siro Urban Italian Kitchen at the Orlando World Center Marriott. 麻豆精品 S淢arriott is very committed to this, and that is the reason why I signed up, 麻豆精品 S� she says. At Siro, Gawlak is using local meats and poultry, and, of course, Florida seafood. She has introduced a fritto misto, or mixed platter, with Apalachicola oysters, Florida grouper and Key West pink shrimp. She uses a lot of Florida produce too, but 麻豆精品 S渢hat slows down a lot for the summer season. 麻豆精品 S�

But seasonal availability is part of what inspires Gawlak about local sourcing. She says it makes her job as a chef easier. 麻豆精品 S淚f you 麻豆精品 S檙e letting what 麻豆精品 S檚 in season drive your menu, you don 麻豆精品 S檛 have to think as hard 麻豆精品 S� you already know what 麻豆精品 S檚 there. 麻豆精品 S�

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麻豆精品 S淭hey taught me the importance of knowing the farmer. 麻豆精品 S�

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Completing the Cycle

Alex Stringfellow, 麻豆精品 S�12, wants unused foods 麻豆精品 S� peels, rinds and leftovers 麻豆精品 S� to convert into organic compost for farmers and gardeners to use to repeat the growing cycle.

Stringfellow, who has a B.S. in psychology, became interested in composting while managing the edible garden at the UCF Arboretum. 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 a whole facet of ecological value of being able to take food from when it 麻豆精品 S檚 grown and use it as a resource for our own energy, and then reuse it, 麻豆精品 S� he says.

The initiative, Compost Orlando, which he developed with Kathleen Shannon, 麻豆精品 S�05, has begun as a residential program but will eventually expand to include restaurants.

The Fresh Market and Publix grocery store chains have donated food-grade buckets for reuse as compost bins. For a monthly fee, participants leave their scrap-filled bins out for pickup by the composters, who use bicycles with trailers to retrieve them, minimizing the company 麻豆精品 S檚 carbon footprint.

Currently, the team is serving the Audubon Park, Baldwin Park and Colonialtown neighborhoods in Orlando. They also provide opportunities for customers to drop off their food waste at several locations in the same areas. But no matter how the raw materials come to them, it all ends up in the same place.

麻豆精品 S淭he food comes to us, we process it, and it goes back out to different gardening initiatives. 麻豆精品 S�