Add Passion And Stir

When you wake up in the morning, can you say you’re proud of what you built? James Beard award-winning Minneapolis chef Ann Kim joins Billy Shore to talk about her immigrant experience, approach to food, and observations about her community in the wake of the George Floyd murder. “It is our job to make changes, educate and learn. We can’t make decisions rooted in fear,” she says. “People scream when they feel like they’re not being heard. I was trying to listen and I wasn’t quite sure how I was to react, except that I wanted to support the black community,” explains Kim.Kim talks about her immigrant experience and the importance of the dinner table. “There is no room for hate in food. Food is about nurturing and taking care of people. It’s about making people feel special and welcome. It really is the great peacemaker,” says Kim, who is a staunch supporter of No Kid Hungry.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why is it so important to support black-owned businesses, particularly right now? FieldTrip chef and owner JJ Johnson talks to Billy Shore about being a black business owner and what drives him to succeed. “Don’t say you care about black lives if you can’t walk into a black-owned business and look on the shelves and give it the same amount of money that you give a white-owned business,” says Johnson. There continue to be systemic barriers, as well. “When I was applying for my PPP money, I got declined three times. There are a lot of black-owned businesses that just weren’t able to get PPP money to stay alive,” Johnson explains about the Payment Protection Program within the CARES Act that has provided support for small businesses during the pandemic. “I hire from the community. It gave this sense of hope that every time the lights would come on at Fieldtrip, it meant that someone could have a job, that we’re coming back and it’s going to be ok,” recounts Johnson about staying open throughout the pandemic

What will happen to our neighborhoods if independent restaurants do not survive the pandemic? Chicago’s award-winning chef and Mexico: One Plate at a Time host Rick Bayless joins Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about the struggle to survive for independent restaurants. “If we don’t get some assistance, I’m afraid we’re going to see our neighborhoods just devastated. They are going to lose their character. Restaurants are a major part of our culture,” explains Bayless about the urgent need for restaurant stabilization legislation. “Independent restaurants have never had any representation in Washington and yet we are the second largest employer in the United States. 11 million people that work in restaurants in the United States.” Bayless was is well-known for his support of underserved communities in Chicago. “My eyes have been opened… around Black Lives Matter and the inequities in our own community. We have been talking to a lot of chefs around Chicago about how we can promote enterprises that

How are kids getting enough nutrition with all the constraints on schools during this pandemic? What about the restaurant industry? In this poignant episode taped early after COVID-19 struck the US, with an updated introduction from host Billy Shore, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and Executive Director of Student Nutrition Services for the San Francisco Unified School District Jennifer Lebarre discuss the challenges for families and workers and the importance of a federal response. “This is nothing short of apocalyptic,” says Zimmern. “We are incredibly reliant on the federal government right now, at a point in time where many of us have felt a lack of leadership and a lack of empathy for the last couple years.” Lebarre explains how school meals are an essential service for over half of San Francisco public school students. “It is a day-to-day struggle,” she relays. “As this crisis continues, more and more families are going to have to rely on the national school lunch program.” Listen to learn how two p

What responsibilities do corporations have in the communities where they work? Host Billy Shore welcomes two guests from Sodexo, Inc.: Chief Diversity and Sustainability Officer for the Americas Gerri Mason Hall, and Director of Culinary Delivery Desmond Fannin to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion within their company and society at large as well as the impact COVID-19 has had on their work. Sodexo is a No Kid Hungry partner and Add Passion and Stir sponsor. “What organizations have to do is recognize talent, recognize those underrepresented, and create opportunities... Part of my job is to recognize that talent, often overlooked because of unconscious biases,” explains Mason Hall. “You know [the discrimination] is there, and you… have a responsibility to push through because other people will need to navigate those waters as well,” observes Fannin. When schools were forced to close earlier this year, Sodexo ramped up their anti-hunger efforts. “In this pandemic when schools shut down, we continued

Why should Americans care about hunger around the world? World Food Program USA President and CEO Barron Segar and food and lifestyle personality Sandra Lee join Debbie and Billy Shore to talk about the importance of combatting hunger around the world. “Food is a basic vaccination against chaos. When you don’t have food, you have increased unrest and conflict. Maybe we don’t have a vaccination against COVID, but we certainly have a vaccination against starvation,” observes Lee. Segar agrees, based on his work in Ethiopia on the South Sudanese border. “I saw so many kids and moms and grandmothers that were fleeing violence to stay alive. I saw how they walked for days and weeks… I saw how food literally brought a child and a mom back to life,” he says. “I will never forget these kids and moms looking me in the eye and just so appreciative of what [we] were doing to keep them alive.” “I was raised on welfare and food stamps. It’s important to remember where you come from, and when you come from a place

How do we meet the increased need COVID-19 is causing in our country? San Antonio Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper and Hotel Emma chef and culinary director John Brand talk to Debbie and Billy Shore about the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their city. Billy Shore asks Cooper about the now iconic image of a massive line of cars outside the San Antonio Food Bank in April. “I saw the line and I just panicked. I thought we were going to run out of food,” says Cooper. However, they were able to meet the need that day. “I waited for the last car to be served. I went to apologize… but I was greeted with this resiliency and gratitude that was amazing,” he shares. “The biggest thing we’ve all learned is compassion - compassion for each other,” observes Brand, who used his restaurant to feed first-responders during the first months of the pandemic. “Where a lot of the world has retreated, we are able to connect on a deeper level with food,” he explains. The guests discuss the larger problem of hun

What truly gives you meaning and purpose? Eleven Madison Park (NYC) Chef and Owner Daniel Humm joins Billy Shore to discuss how the pandemic has given him new purpose . “If we want to continue the way we’ve done things, I believe 5 years from now, 10 years or maybe already next year, it will be irrelevant and empty,” he says. Humm has transformed Eleven Madison Park into a pandemic food provider of 5,000 meals a day in partnership with Rethink Food NYC, which creates delicious, nutritious meals from restaurant food waste. “The recipe I want to really share with the world is the recipe of doing what we’re doing, but also feeding the people in need, under one roof,” he says. “When every restaurant was shut down and I saw that people wouldn’t get food… I realized I had a kitchen and connection to all the farmers and to Rethink. It felt like a very obvious thing to do.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do we fix our broken food system? Food Tank co-founder and president Danielle Nierenberg joins Billy Shore to discuss the connections between food, nutrition, the environment and democracy. “People are thinking about food and agriculture as something more political… this citizen eater who votes not only with her fork, but votes for the kind of food system that she wants,” explains Nierenberg. “We have a broken democracy right now. It’s not just the change we want to see, it’s the change we need to make this democracy a working one again,” she says. Nierenberg observes that the current pandemic has exposed the problems in our current food system. “Our modern food system has always been fragile and now with COVID we’re seeing all of these cracks and things that don’t work,” she says. “This is not going to be the last disruption that we see in the food and agriculture system worldwide… We have a lot to get into place so that we can withstand those disruptions,” she warns.  Join us for this critical

How do we create allies instead of adversaries? In a powerful episode taped right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani, Amparo Fondita executive chef Christian Irabien, and No Kid Hungry Manager of Federal Advocacy Meredith Jorss joined host Billy Shore for an in-depth discussion about immigration and how to counter its polarizing effect on American culture. “Most Americans, especially conservative and moderate Americans, don’t see [immigration] as a matter of politics and policy, they see it as a discussion around culture and values,” explains Noorani. “Ultimately, we’re advocating for fair and just immigration policies that balance the idea that this country can be a nation of laws and a nation of grace,” he says.“One of the main ideas behind me trying to open a restaurant is figuring out ways we can effect positive change in local Latin American communities, which make up 80% of back of the house operations,” says chef Irabien, who immigrated to the US

How can big consumer brands help make the world a better place? Brown Sugar Kitchen Executive Chef Tanya Holland and Kellogg Ready to Eat Cereal General Manager Doug VanDeVelde share their insights on food insecurity, giving back to the community and the effects of COVID-19. “When the COVID pandemic first started, there was a certain sense of obligation in our company to help secure the food supply… There was a feeling that we had an obligation to help feed the nation,” recounts VanDeVelde. “I’m making an effort to thank everyone who comes in and supports us because it’s a choice they make and a risk they take. Probably 7 times out of 10, they respond, ‘Thank you for what you do for the community,’” says Holland. “As I started to go through my career at Kellogg’s, it became more and more clear to me that brands need to have a purpose and need to be able to do good in the world,” says VanDeVelde, who recently helped No Kid Hungry raise $700K. “This country has so much bounty, it’s just shameful if we can’

Why haven’t we been able to create the groundswell to end hunger? Bread for the World President and CEO Reverend Eugene Cho joins Billy Shore to discuss the connections between racism, poverty and hunger and how faith can inform social justice work. “Let’s not deny racism and… our complicity in some of these policies and structures,” advises Cho. “People are sensing that there is a significant moment right now. We don’t want to look back years from now and say to ourselves, we didn’t show up, we didn’t raise our voices,” he counsels. Cho is hopeful that we can end hunger together. “We should never diminish our ability to make change. [However], we should never overestimate what we can do. This work can never be done by one person or one organization. We’ve got to keep incubating the partnerships and coalitions,” he explains. “The church, we certainly don’t monopolize compassion and justice. But I think for those that come from a faith perspective, it answers the why we do what we do,” he says about his o

How will restaurants survive the economic collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? Award-winning Washington DC chef Kwame Onwuachi (formerly of Kith/Kin) talks to Billy Shore about the how the current crisis is exposing the vulnerability of the restaurant industry and the fundamental changes that must occur for independent restaurants to survive. “I would hope we don’t just go back to the same normal, that we create a new normal that really makes sure that we’re taking care of our staff and our community as well as the bottom line,” says Onwauchi. “The power is in the dollar. Where you spend your money is where publications go, what they write about,” he explains. In his memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef and a recent article in the Washington Post, Onwuachi takes on issues of race and diversity in the culinary world. “I went through a struggle in trying to find a path to the cuisine of my heritage. Investors and owners have constantly pushed me to do what they think is right, instead of what was auth

How do we improve access to school meal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic? Congressman Will Hurd (TX 23) talks to Billy Shore about the root causes of childhood hunger, working in Congress and making better use of technology to deliver federal assistance to those who need it. Hurd is well known for his bipartisan work in Washington. “The only way big things have ever been done in Washington DC is if you do them together. I’m of the opinion that… way more unites us as a country than divides us. Let’s focus on those things rather than those issues on the fringe that we may never agree on.” Shore states that two months after Congress approved billions to replace school meals, only 15% of eligible kids are getting it. “Oftentimes we have these programs that have support, but because of the inefficiencies of how we deliver that support, it takes a long time to get to the intended beneficiaries,” explains Hurd. He believes the current pandemic is showing us that we can do better. “’Recovery’ means you go b

We must also reject the illusory safety of silence. We must speak out, even though it may seem implicit in who we are. We must say out loud that every form and manifestation of racism is unacceptable. And for those who don't think that that's the business of an anti hunger organization, we must also say out loud, it's the business of all human beings. Share Our Strength Co-Founder and Chairman Billy Shore As people mobilize across the country to confront racism in all of its manifestations today, we are sharing a curated episode that revolves around our painful legacy of racism in America and how we can overcome it. Guests that include:MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Dr. Joe Marshall, Chef Tanya Holland, social justice champion Reverend Jim Wallis, thought leader and businessman Robert Lewis, Jr., Brandeis University’s Ira Jackson, and Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Faith Mitchell These leaders speak powerfully and thoughtfully about o

As COVID-19 continues to impact jobs, families and financial futures worldwide, celebrity chef, author and television personality Cat Cora joins Billy Shore to discuss how this pandemic is exposing our humanity and what the lasting impacts might be. “This is a human recalibration. We’re recalibrating the world. We are more authentic than we’ve ever been... We’re all on a level playing field, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. We needed that as a society,” she says. However, she does also urge government assistance of small restaurants and businesses. “So much support needs to go into small businesses because they really are the quilt of American hospitality. The small mom-n-pop restaurants and small businesses are what keeps America going.”Cora is involved with various efforts to help people during this difficult time, including supporting the No Kid Hungry campaign through her Chefs for Humanity organization and a new live web series. “[CORA-ntine Cuisine] is our service to the world. We’re cooking dinner

How will COVID-19 reshape the fight against hunger? Urban Institute senior fellow Elaine Waxman joins Billy Shore to share her data-driven insights on food insecurity in America during the pandemic. “SNAP is our number one line of defense for food insecurity,” she explains. “One of the persistent gaps has been that even though SNAP has been a great first line of defense for food insecurity, those benefits continue to be inadequate… The biggest thing we need is Congress to increase the maximum benefit for SNAP,” she says.Waxman also cautions about the extreme health consequences that can result from food insecurity, particularly during a pandemic. “In the U.S., we typically look at food insecurity as a social welfare problem, and it’s not. It’s a public health problem,” she remarks. “What we’ve learned from research over the years is that if you live in a food insecure household, you are more likely to experience poor health outcomes.”Listen to one of our foremost experts on food insecurity, nutrition and heal

How do you feed 1.5M of people every day? NYC Department of Sanitation commissioner and recently appointed food czar Kathryn Garcia talks to Billy Shore about leading the city’s massive and complicated hunger relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s really been the sheer scale and magnitude of how many people are in need. Not any one piece of it is necessarily difficult in and of itself, but the scale is really massive,” says Garcia. “We’re a city of incredible variation. We need to be able to deliver the right food at the right time… People want to eat the food that comes from their culture, and if it doesn’t, they may not eat what you deliver to them,” she notes. With more than 500 public schools distributing food every day, Garcia reflects on what she’s learned about school nutrition programs. “There are specific funding streams that drive the development of the programs, rather than being more kid focused. What works for [the kids] rather than what works for reimbursement?,” she asks. 

Can the current pandemic strengthen our resolve to eradicate hunger? Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot talks to Billy Shore about what she is witnessing on the frontlines of the escalating hunger crisis caused by COVID-19 and the opportunities it presents. “There are lots of opportunities in this pandemic to come out of it better than we were going into it,” she says, referring to the increased public awareness of hunger in America. “Do you really want four-mile-long lines [outside food banks] or would you prefer, as I do, to provide people with the dignity where they can go into a grocery store just like the rest of us?” she asks. Babineaux-Fontenot and Shore discuss how their organizations partner and collaborate, particularly during this pandemic. “Our short-term analysis was that over the first six months, the gap for the charitable food system for our network was $1.4 billion. ... We're making progress in closing that gap, but it's not completely closed. We're going to work with you guys

What innovations will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic? On this episode, host Billy Shore reconnects with noted DC chef Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto, Brothers and Sisters, ABC PONY, Spoken English) on helping the community. “This has been a wake-up call for me. I’ve always been wading in the water of being a public servant and [I’m] finally jumping into it,” says Bruner-Yang. He recently launched a crowdfunding plan called The Power of 10 that keeps restaurant workers employed while providing free meals to those in need.“I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life working and building up this neighborhood that we live in, and when this passes, that could all be gone… We can make a difference and leverage the resources we have just to try to keep our communities intact,” he observes. His four restaurants have had to downsize from 225 employees to about 30. “Food security issues have existed long before this pandemic - the pandemic only highlights how bad it is.” Listen to this informative discussion about one s