Women of FEAST
photography by Talitha Schroeder & text by Donna Hecker
Food Equity & Access Sustain Tomorrow. These five words spell FEAST, FoodChain’s signature fundraiser, launched in 2017 under the leadership of Chef Ouita Michel and FoodChain founder Rebecca Self.
As we prepare to celebrate our fifth FEAST on May 24, we’ll also celebrate the growing influence of female chefs like Abra Berens, Jamilka Borges, Amy Brandwein and Joy Crump, who’ve all been there from the start.
They’ll be joined this year by more than a dozen sister chefs from the Bluegrass and beyond. Women like Top Chef favorite Sara Bradley, Crank & Boom’s Toa Green, Kristin Smith of the Wrigley Taproom, Martine Holzman and Sam Fore, recently named a James Beard finalist. And newcomers like Berea’s Katie Startzman, “Pie Queen” Brie Golliher from Bowling Green, Babz Goldman Nartowicz of Maysville and our very own Holly Hill Inn Chef de Cuisine Hannah Arvin.
These women run restaurants, catering companies, food trucks, and patisseries. Chef Abra, who oversees the kitchen at Granor Farm in Michigan, has written three cookbooks – ruffage, grist and pulp. Each examines a single food category – vegetables, grains and fruit. pulp has just been released and includes tips on selecting fruit; a glossary and baker’s toolkit; and conversations with growers, farmers and other food activists.
We were lucky enough to explore Granor Farm last winter when Chef Ouita and Holly Hill Culinary Director Tyler McNabb prepared a Kentucky-inspired dinner to accompany Chef Ouita’s signing of her Just a Few Miles South cookbook. Chef Abra will return the favor later this year with a dinner at Holly Hill Inn featuring dishes from pulp: a practical guide to cooking with fruit.
We can’t wait! But until then, there’re still multiple ways to connect with Chef Abra and enjoy her food. Get your hands on a copy of pulp, try the recipe for beet carpaccio w/strawberries that she shared with us; best of all, come to FEAST.
FEAST lives up to its name because of women like Abra Berens. She and her sister chefs bring a level of expertise, excitement, culinary creativity, and commitment to food access and sustainability that is simply unmatched by any other event. Chef Abra recalls meeting Ouita Michel and participating in FEAST for the first time –
I met Ouita back in 2016. At the time, I had no idea what an inspiring leader and friend she would prove to be. When she invited us to Lexington in 2017, I also had no idea how it would be more than just showing up to do an event. It was being invited into a community of passionate and dedicated people that I'm so thrilled to now call friends. FEAST has not only strengthened my community but has made me invested in the success of FoodChain and the great work they are doing. None of that would have happened without Ouita. I'm so grateful to be in her world.
In the ensuing years, the scope of FoodChain’s work and influence has expanded exponentially to include farm to school and other educational outreach, meal delivery and thrice-weekly meal distribution, and spring break and summer feeding programs.
We hope you’ll join us for FEAST 2023. Meet the dynamic women chefs like Abra Berens who are reshaping our culinary universe and the way we think about our food economy. Help FoodChain realize its vision of Food Equity and Access to Sustain Tomorrow. As we like to say, our neighbors could use a helping hand. And there’s no better way to provide that help than by sharing good food, good drink and a good time with friends.
Related Content
beet carpaccio
Chef Abra Berens shares the recipe for this vibrant salad just as local beets and strawberries are on the way! Unsprayed violets, redbud blooms or pansies would all make great garnishes and her candied fennel seeds are the secret ingredient we never knew we needed until now.
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