Q&A with Sustainable Business Oregon
Portland’s Deborah Kane, vice president of the food and farms program with Ecotrust, was named by Fast Company magazine as one of the 10 most inspiring people in sustainable food, alongside such names as Michael Pollan, author of the Omnivore’s Dilemma, Jamie Oliver, of the television program The Naked Chef, and Robert Kenner, the director of the documentary Food Inc.
Kane was honored in part because of her work on FoodHub, the online match-making service that connects chefs with food producers, that was launched by Ecotrust earlier this year.
Sustainable Business Oregon checked in with Kane to talk about the Fast Company list and to catch up on FoodHub:
Q: How has this honor changed your work week?
A: It has made me spend a lot of time thinking about my equally deserving colleagues and peers; in some cases it’s provided the perfect excuse for some fun trips down memory lane. I’ve been fortunate to work with hundreds of colleagues who just as easily could have been on this “top 10” list.
Q: Which of your co-honorees would you most like to share a meal with?
A: Jamie Oliver, no question. A lot of what we do at Ecotrust involves trying to change the school food landscape. Jamie once did a video in which he made, from scratch, chicken nuggets with school kids. I think he was following the ingredient list from one of the major food processing companies that supply chicken nuggets to schools. Having seen what goes into some school chicken nuggets, every kid in the room opted for the baked chicken breast. I thought it was brilliant and I’d love to get to tell him that in person.
Q: How are things going with FoodHub since the launch?
Continues… Find the complete Q&A at www.SustainableBusinessOregon.com.