The Center of Everything: How Food Changes the World

About This Episode

Is food the center of the world? How do your life and your values relate to food? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two culinary greats discuss how food changes the world. Former Food & Wine editor-turned-podcast host Dana Cowin (Speaking Broadly) and Betony chef-turned-liquor entrepreneur Eamon Rockey (Rockey’s) join Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore to provide insights into how celebrity chefs are opening our minds and influencing our social justice concerns, the evolution of how we prefer to access food, and maintaining the successful trajectory of nonprofits like Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Their conversation illustrates how food impacts everything from culture to lifestyle choices to social causes. “Food is at the center of everything; it’s at the center of the world; it’s at the center of each individual’s life,” says Cowin.   “Chefs introduce Americans to cultures,” Cowin believes, by introducing us to global cuisines. She thinks experiencing and learning about other cultures’ food opens our minds. “Those of us who care have become much more accepting of the entire world.” Both guests are inspired by the No Kid Hungry campaign. “What differentiates Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry from all others – head and shoulders above others… is giving people the opportunity to make a difference and feel that difference,” Rockey states. He believes the key is how the campaign harnesses the skill and energy of chefs at its fundraising events. “[The chefs] know their efforts are going to translate into good… because the happiness they derive out of it and the impact they make are so clear and apparent,” he says. Cowin underscores No Kid Hungry’s ability to innovate, such as turning a few chefs’ “hard-core passion” for cycling into the now-annual Chefs Cycle fundraiser. Both Cowin and Rockey also discuss their recent major career transitions and what comes next for each of them.   Listen to the conversation and tell us how it inspires you!