Your food may taste amazing, but is it good? Three national organizations recently gave nods to St. Louis-area nonprofits and artisans for their efforts to raise awareness of and produce products that are mindful of community health or the environment.
The James Beard Foundation and Food Tank recently announced their Good Food Org Guide, a national listing of nonprofits that work to educate their communities about about food and create healthier, more informed citizens. Two St. Louis nonprofits made that list: EarthDance, an organization that teaches farming and the importance of community agriculture and, Urban Harvest STL, which creates urban gardens on vacant property around St. Louis.
“The heart of Urban Harvest is to bring food systems back into where people live,” said Mary Ostafi, founding director of Urban Harvest STL.
In other “good food” news, both Kaldi’s Coffee and Kakao have been recently nominated for Good Food Awards, headed by sustainable food advocate and St. Louis native Sarah Weiner. Now in its fifth year, the Good Food Awards celebrates local food manufacturers from across the country that provide delicious, healthy food while respecting the environment. With more than 1,000 entrants in 11 categories, Kakao was named as a finalist in the confection category for its Turkish coffee truffle and gazpacho pate de fruit, while Kaldi’s received a finalist nod for its Ethiopia Dama coffee.
Kaldi’s marketing director Chris Reimer said the honor was a testament to the roasters’ talents. “They really use their senses during the entire coffee making process,” Reimer said. “They use their ears to hear the first crack of the bean and carefully smell the beans, as well. If they have a cold, we have to find a replacement for the day.”
Neither establishment are new to the Good Food Awards; Kakao won earlier this year for its lavender truffle, while Kaldi’s was a finalist three of the last five years.
This article appears in November 2014.