"John Turenne really gets the fact that is not just about serving good food to children, but its also about letting them in on the secret of where food comes from, the impact of food choices on their health and the planet, and the joy of preparing real food."
Sharon Lauer, Head
Unquowa School
|
"Sustainable food is food grown or raised by local small to
mid-sized farmers and producers who commit to the vitality of the earth, their
livestock and their workers. It is prepared in ways that
maintain and respect purity, freshness and flavor. Therefore sustainable food promotes economic,
environmental, nutritional and social well being."
John Turenne
Sustainable Food Systems LLC
|
"The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them"
Paul Hawken |
Sustainability in the Food Industry
Now Available
|
Forward to a Friend or Colleague
|
We would like to thank...
PERMISSIONS/CREDITS
Photo credits. Unless otherwise noted, all photos, are either the property John Turenne or purchased on Fotolia and cannot be copied or used without the express permission of the photographer.
|
|
|
|
The Sustainable Food Journey
Harvest Time - EAT!
This is it! The nirvana of
our growing season. The season reaped full of food memories. September
through November isn't called The Harvest for romance sake. It is
indeed the time of year here, when the fruits (and vegetables) of our labor are
at their best and tell us "It's now or never - Pick Me". From late
summer's tomatoes and corn through the family gatherings of late November
filled apples, squash, hearty greens and turkey, we are truly blessed. The sun may be spending a little less time with us each day and traveling a
little lower on the horizon, but farmers and chefs are working harder than ever
to find ways to maximize the rewards of months of hard work and toil.
In September the heirloom tomatoes, peppers and herbs peaked - perfect for fresh salsa and
gazpacho. October's orchards are ripe for pies, cobblers, buckles and
sauces, while November harkens us to start putting up and battening down for
the long, cold nights that lie ahead. Early fall doesn't want to let
summer go while the later season signifies comfort food and hearty dishes
filled with wild game, roots and hearty greens that harken to friends and family.
|
Sustainability Tip
 Halloween is just around the corner and we can all do our part to make Trick or Treat treats much healthier. Buy food items that are free of artificial ingredients, preferably organic or pesticide-free. If you're hosting a Halloween party, try making your own costumes and treats. For inspiration on how, become part of "Green Halloween", a movement with extensive resources on their website for everything Halloween made healthier for us and the planet.
|
Community Servings - Boston, MA
 Community Servings is an organization in Boston, MA dedicated to providing free, home-delivered meals throughout Eastern Massachusetts to people who are homebound with HIV/AIDS and other acute life-threatening illnesses. Their goal is to help their clients, over 700 in total, maintain their health, dignity and preserve the integrity of their families by providing nutritionally and culturally appropriate meals and send the message that someone cares. Over 3,300 lunches, dinners and snacks are provided each week by staff and volunteers
The organization, already a leader in the provision of highly nutritious and medically suitable meals, has hired SFS to take them to the next level of sustainability. SFS Chef Alden Cadwell has been working with Community Servings, assessing current practices and recommending changes that will have a real impact on the overall sustainability of the organization, influencing energy consumption, use of re-useable packaging materials and waste management and the purchase of locally produced foods that benefit the local economy. We are very excited to be working with an organization that is so committed to the idea of sustainability in their community, and look forward to developing a long-term relationship that can influence real change.
To learn more about Community Servings visit their website.
|
The Celebration of Connecticut Farms
Imagine for a moment that you are in the middle of a field in the beautiful rolling hills of northeastern Connecticut, about to eat lunch. You stop for a moment to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine on this clear, September day before deciding on the beverage to compliment your choice of food. Spoiled for choice, you waver for a moment before settling on something. If this was your dilemma on Sunday, September 13th, then you could only have been at the Celebration of Connecticut Farms, a benefit for the Connecticut Farmland Trust held this year at Gray Wall Farm, Lebanon, a 700 acre dairy farm and home of The Farmer's Cow.
The event, now in its ninth year, considered to be the original "dinner on the farm", boasts a list of chefs and restaurateurs, wineries, breweries and artisan food producers that reads like the "Who's Who" of food in Connecticut. Guests pay $150 a ticket to sample the very best of what Connecticut has to offer, and rub shoulders with their favorite chefs.
Connecticut Farmland Trust has partnered with SFS for the past four years, to manage the food and beverage side of the event. No small task, it involves among many other things, the pairing of farm producers with chefs to create not just local dishes, but seasonal dishes. Much of the food and the labor are supplied by donation, with a view to having as much of the proceeds go to the Trust.
 Jacques Pepin, host-farmer-Robin Chesmer & Faith Middleton-Photo courtesy of John
Columbus
For more information about the Connecticut Farmland Trust and the work they do to protect farmland in the State, visit their website.
|
The Toyota Hybrid Farm to Table Tour
 The Toyota Hybrid Farm to Table Tour made its only Connecticut stop at the Coventry Farmers' Market, held at the historic Nathan Hale Homestead, on Sunday, September 27th. Billed as a celebration of the connection between home cooks, chefs and the farmers that bring fresh, locally grown products to their communities week after week, John Turenne was one of eight local chefs selected to participate. Jim and Carol Brzozowy who own Maggie's Farm in Lebanon, CT, supplied a beautiful selection of vegetables including cool weather greens, squash and exotic mushrooms which John transformed into pizzas cooked on a charcoal grill with a little help
from son John.
Visitors to the market lined up to taste-test John's creations in the pouring rain and chilly temperatures. Apparently, the pizza was worth the wait as many people came back for seconds and thirds and fourths to try out all the combinations: winter greens and fresh goat cheese, mashed russet potato with caramelized onions and gruyere-type cheese, apple and cheddar cheese with honey, and roasted butternut squash with blue cheese. The cheeses were sourced from local producers Beltane Farm and Cato Corners.
The tour is making just thirteen stops nationwide and offering test-drives in Toyota hybrid powered vehicles. Check out their website.
|
Green Seal Environmental Standard for Restaurants and Food Services
Sustainable Food Systems recently contributed to the development of the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Restaurants and Food Services, GS-46. The
standard was released in April and is available for restaurants and food
services to get certified through Green Seal. Since you have been working
toward environmental improvements in your business.
In addition to certification by Green Seal, the Green Seal standard
and the additional resources provided by Green Seal are excellent tools for
organizations interested in improving their environmental impact. This is
because Green Seal's standard is based on life cycle research and focuses
on leadership environmental improvement in the key impact areas - food, waste,
and energy. Metrics, performance, and practices are combined in this
standard to help operations make meaningful environmental improvement. In
addition, organizational commitment is included to ensure the
environmental efforts are long lasting.
You can contact Green Seal for
more information or to submit an application at 202-872-6400 or via their web site
|
Our Menu of Services
Sustainable Food Systems offers consulting
services that return simplicity and quality to your food service program with
better control over your ingredients, menus, recipes and costs.
Your food service
can become healthier for the community you serve, the environment you live
in, and your financial bottom line. We offer a three-fold service: -
Identification
and Planning. We identify opportunities
for implementing simple, sustainable changes based on your food system, needs
and clientele to create a realistic action plan.
-
Implementation.
We implement the agreed upon action plan through education, recipe and menu
development, staff support, and linkages with local food producers.
-
Assessment and
Support. We periodically assess
the impact of changes through consumer feedback, community impact, and
financial performance. We then recommend ways to enhance your action plan to ensure continued sustainable growth.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you on your journey.
|
John's Upcoming Presentations
November 12th - Washington Environmental Council, Washington Depot, CT
|
Thank you for your continued support. We value your feedback on our offerings!
We are hopeful that you enjoyed our e-newsletter and would like to share with your friends and colleagues.
Six Seasons
We all know that the calendar tells us that
there are four seasons in the year. However, our environment often dictates
that differently when it comes to growing food. In the
northern climes of the US, we actually find that there are six
seasons when it comes to growing and eating food. Therefore, we
will follow this reality and produce six issues of the Sustainable
Food Journey annually.
John Turenne
President
Sustainable Food Systems, LLC
_____________________________________________________
|
Sustainable Food Systems offers a unique consulting and technical assistance service that partners with institutions and organizations interested in incorporating planet healthy practices into their food programs. Utilizing sustainability practices in food production and preparation strengthens our local communities and economies and the larger world around us. Let us help you deliver food better.
_____________________________________________________
|
|
|
