Growing Local with Whole Foods Market

The StorySlam Dessert Roundup

Together with Presenting Sponsor Whole Foods Market, we’ve selected a few local producers who’ve long partnered with Whole Foods Market locally + globally to serve up a special dessert for us at StorySlam on May 22.

We connected with each of the producers to hear a little more about their journey with Whole Foods Market. What did we find? Inspiring stories of connection and a reminder of how important patience and opportunities are for a growing food business.

TCHO CHOCOLATE

We caught up with TCHO Chocolate team members Jessica (National Director of Sales) and Laura (Source Program Manager). Before joining TCHO, Jessica was a Whole Foods Market buyer in the Rocky Mountain region. She remembers the first time she was presented with TCHO, “TCHO was bringing the idea of origin based foods to the chocolate set, which at that point was really a new concept.” TCHO was able to grow slowly at Whole Foods Market, region by region, allowing time to invest the dollars they needed to scale and maintain their ingredient integrity. As the business grew, they built ten bean-to-bar chocolate making factories around the world, empowering the producers to understand their own cacao from a flavor perspective.

“As we grow, we’re still always grateful for our local following and the stores that got us where we are today.” - Laura

RUBICON BAKERS

Rubicon Bakers has an incredible social mission employing, training, and supporting people who need a second chance. So, when Whole Foods Market called looking for a natural marshmallow, they answered. This quickly turned into cake blanks and all sorts of sweet beginnings, becoming a long lasting partnership that supports Rubicon’s mission to continue opening doors for people who need an opportunity!

GELATERIA NAIA

Little did they know that as plans were coming together for a new Whole Foods Market in Oakland, the Store Team Leader was already a regular at their Berkeley Gelato shop. She requested Gelateria Naia for the gelato counter, and within the next year, Gelateria Naia was at all NorCal Whole Foods gelato counters! Co-founder Trevor Morris credits Whole Foods Market with the brand’s entry into grocery and credibility as a high-quality product. (They even have a TCHO chocolate gelato bar!)

One of the storytellers for the evening is also a Whole Foods producer!

NONA LIM

Nona Lim, then named Cook SF, first got into Whole Foods Market stores through the local forager program. The relationship grew and in 2012 they received a loan through the Local Producer Loan Program. A second loan came in 2014 to rebrand and launch noodles and the very first bone broth in pouches nationwide. Nona Lim, founder of Nona Lim, expressed the importance of the team’s willingness to take risks and innovate alongside smaller brands. “Whole Foods Market was patient with me in the early years to give me time to grow and be successful”

Did you know??

In addition to featuring local products in their stores, Whole Foods Market provides up to $10 million in low-interest loans to independent farmers, ranchers and artisan producers through their Local Producer Loan Program. Nona Lim and Gelateria Naia have both been recipients of this program!

Join us at StorySlam on May 22. There are just a few tickets left!

A Charu Recipe from Sylvie Charles

“Whenever I was sick my mom would make charu. It’s called charu in South India, but in other parts of India you’ll hear it called rasam. When I told my mom I was talking about charu tonight, she didn’t even blink an eye- she was like ‘oh yes, charu, your uncle’s in the hospital and he just called me for some charu.’ They don’t know about charu outside of East Godavari. I loved hearing the pride in her voice, talking about this broth that was just so authentic to where she grew up, to where she came from. So whenever I was sick, fever, cold, the first thing my mom would do was make us some charu. And she would mix it with chicken curry, and that fermented mango pickle, that I loved so much. - Sylvie Charles

INGREDIENTS

For Tamarind water:
1/4 c tamarind block
6 c warm water

For Charu:
Tamarind water
10 curry leaves*
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 scant Tbsp salt
1 small onion
1 Tbsp grapeseed or sunflower oil (do not use olive)
1 Tbsp urad dal*
2 dried chili peppers
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T chenna dal*
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp coconut sugar, optional

*you can find these ingredients at Indian markets

RECIPE
1. Soak tamarind block in warm water for about 20 minutes. Squeeze the pulp in the water with your hands, pulling the pulp away from the seeds and threads, to make a tamarind water. Strain the tamarind seeds and threads.

2. Place tamarind water in a stock pot with curry leaves, turmeric powder, and salt

3. Slice the small onion super thin and place the slices in the stock pot as well. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat when it comes to a boil. 

4. While the water is coming to a boil, heat oil in a separate pan. Lightly fry urad dal , dried red chili peppers, garlic cloves, and chenna dal over low-medium heat until lightly browned. Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and brown mustard seeds and fry for 2 minutes until mustard seeds pop. 

5. Add the spices to the boiling tamarind water. 

Note from Sylvie: My mom adds a tsp of sugar, but I don’t. I bet coconut sugar would be a good replacement if you want a hint of sweet to balance it out. 

Round Jubilance →

Surprisingly large plumes of dust rise from each step I take; the 7am sun, low on the horizon is already exceedingly strong and there's a group excitedly forming around Mas, the beloved proprietor of Masumoto Family Farm, an 80-acre organic peach, nectarine and raisin farm near Fresno.

I join the fray, not wanting to miss any of the orientation and truthfully, the air of fellowship and camaraderie is magnetizing. Since moving to SF, being part of a group, and the companionship that comes along with it, is more rare (getting better by the month, but still fairly infrequent); I feel a sense of oneness with everyone present because we're all preparing for the noble task of harvesting.

While I feel light-hearted and the instructions are simple enough, there's a sense of responsibility...Mas and his family have spent all year fully committed to extremely long hours, stress surrounding weather conditions and hard physical work to ensure a spectacular crop and now we're here to pick the last of the fruit for the season.

The well-thinned trees are heavy with fruit and the orchard feels both solemn and majestic, like a place of worship. We're grateful for the shade they provide as we all begin to gently squeeze peach after peach to ascertain if it is the right time to pluck it from a branch, its birthplace and home. Empty boxes become full and our hands become sticky from devouring robustly ripe fruits, dusty skin and all. My harvest team and I all talk cordially and easily, the fruit and the task at hand tying us together, creating a bond amongst strangers that is so effortless...it's easy to forget we aren’t all old friends catching up and shooting the breeze.

Hearing Mas and his family speak of their work both in person and through their writings, it's abundantly clear that with all their efforts, they hope to create something special with each tree and every fruit; they are undoubtedly accomplishing this, but I believe their true gift is the community they're building one peach and nectarine at a time - the beauty of this is that fruit lasts a season, but community lasts a lifetime. I won’t soon forget my experience in Del Rey and the feeling of how blessed I felt to be a part of the Masumoto family and farm, even for just a brief few hours.

Note: I learned of the Masumoto Family Farm tree adoption program from Real Food Real Stories, for more info about both visit www.masumoto.com/adopt-a-tree-2  and www.realfoodrealstories.org.

Written by Jenny Hwa and originally posted at https://www.loyalestudio.com/blogs/news/round-jubilance

From the Lens of an Intern

The room buzzed with fervent whispers, the inviting scent of fresh arepas wafting as attendees bustled through our Sweet & Salty night market – the lights dimmed as our first storyteller stepped on stage, graciously inviting us into their world. Sharing the challenges and triumphs of their personal journey in the food space, each storyteller brought a different flavor to the evening, creating a feast of stories for us all to indulge in. The level of transparency, honesty, and vulnerability displayed fostered intimacy within a group of strangers -- a transient experience with a depth of influence, these connections were what so many long for amidst the anonymity of modern society.

Real Food Real Stories’ first annual StorySlam was a roaring success, and playing a role in its creation was inspiring. The event boasted 300 attendees, 40+ volunteers, 9 storytellers, and 13 local food businesses -- individuals from all walks of life, from farmers to entrepreneurs, chefs to business owners, bloggers to photographers -- we all gathered, shared, and enjoyed an evening that celebrated the strength in diversity, the potency of mutual support, and the power of sharing our hearts with one another.  The storytellers were raw and real, delivering their messages in a myriad of moving forms – Rebecca King shared a poem reflecting her life as a piece of cheese, Nik Sharma emotionally shared the tribulations of being a person of color in the food world, Erin Gleeson divulged her transition from a vegan Catholic to a pork-loving Jew, and Keba Konte told of how coffee has forged a path of healing in his homeland Senegal.

The beauty of Real Food Real Stories, an innovative storytelling organization empowering today’s most dedicated and passionate food changemakers, lies in its core mission. Our purpose is to inspire and connect, giving often unrecognized food-folks a platform for sharing their story. We are a community organization promoting human connection, a food systems non-profit humanizing the faces behind our food, and a storytelling group offering probono storytelling coaching as a way to give voice to the voiceless. We address aspects of the entire food chain, reconnecting eaters with those responsible for growing, harvesting, distributing, and cooking our food. We ultimately seek to promote environmental and human health by creating a system of empowered producers and conscious consumers. Together, we work tirelessly day by day toward a regenerative and sustainable food system for the masses, not the few.

RFRS hosts a variety of different events throughout the year, most of which include a delicious meal, a moving story, and an opportunity to mingle with likeminded food-folks. The brave and tenacious storytellers encourage us to stand up, to support our local food movement and play an active role in its evolution. One event may highlight the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur in the beer business, elucidating gender issues in a typically male-dominated industry, while the next may tell the tale of an African-American woman who found the joy of gardening and opened Acta Non Verba, a phenomenal urban farm in Oakland teaching kids how to plant, grow, and harvest food. Another may trace the plight of strawberry farmers in Salinas, the racial challenges of immigration and the difficulties of balancing profit and sustainability. Their stories are salty and they are sweet, a reflection of the delicate balance of food, of life, and of the interconnection between the two. Events are beneficial for all involved – attendees have the opportunity to network, learn about incredible changemakers, and are encouraged to follow up with suggested “action steps” to continue making waves in the food system. Chefs or restaurants who provide the meal gain publicity and support. Storytellers learn more about themselves through our founder Peiru’s incredible storytelling coaching, and also share their passion with attendees who may not otherwise know about their cause, company, or organization.

Joining the RFRS team this fall offered me insight into the joys and challenges of working with a small nonprofit. I was able to hit the ground running as an integral part of our small team, working intimately with our three staff members, Pei-ru, Brie, and Sophia on a variety of projects. From crafting newsletters to managing social media, from assisting with events to helping food prep for supperclubs, from participating in priorities meetings to drafting grants applications, I truly saw the behind the scenes world of RFRS. Working with these powerhouse women was inspiring and encouraging, and I am so grateful for their mentorship and support over this past semester. The experience I gained as an intern was incredible, and the exposure to so many passionate changemakers truly empowered me to continue working in the food world. I am thrilled to watch as the organization grows, expanding its breadth of influence through their recently launched podcast + other exciting events in the works!

Real Food Real Stories is a hidden gem in the foodspace – there’s something about the way Peiru is able to evoke such authentic emotion from people, to coach them gently, to craft a cohesive story from the fabric of their lives. Hearing other people’s stories often inspires you to share your own, and thus begins a chain reaction of restored connectedness across families, communities, and beyond. One of the greatest challenges in our fast-paced, industrialized world is the fact that in pursuit of faster, better, more we have lost our connections to each other. Individualistic to a fault, America is a place of personal striving at the fault of societal improvement – we compete more than we collaborate. And maybe, just maybe, if organizations like RFRS were able to bring people together in a genuine way, perhaps we might realize that, despite political, social, and environmental flux, at the end of the day, there remains far more that unites us than divides us.

-Arianna Maysonave