Ciao, my name is Ariela. I was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio. For as long as I can remember I have vivid memories of coming home from school and seeing my dad, dressed in a red and white apron, cooking in the kitchen. The smell of rice, cumin and cardamom would fill the house and distract me as I tried to get my homework done. At that point and until my second year of college, food was something that nourished my body and that I also happened to enjoy. I had not yet realized that it was actually possible to study food and have a career that would enable me to provide others with a similar sense of nourishment and enjoyment. My passion for food eventually led me to the perfect place to study it, Italy. Nestled in the northwestern corner of Italy, close to Turin, was the University of Gastronomic Sciences, where I spent three unforgettable years. From the philosophy of food to sensory analysis, from food processing to the history of agriculture, I was finally learning about food in a multidisciplinary way alongside others who were just as excited as me to be studying the complexity of food and food systems.  Check out the full post to learn more ...�

A very big thank you to our friends at the Finger Lakes Fresh Food Hub and Challenge Workforce Solutions for hosting us for a tour and engaging discussion on food hubs, food safety, GAPs certification, product development, and much more! Did you know that you can get their whole wheat tortillas, made with Farmer Ground Flour, in many grocery stores? View a map of locations here, or check facebook for the latest updates.