Come listen to our fellows discussion how they not only defended themselves against the daily challenges of running a food businesses, but also how they mustered the courage required to dream of solutions, new possibilities, collaborations & a new future.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/foodlabs-fellowship-for-change-tickets-108643020198

Chef Omar Anani, founder of Saffron de Twah, closed his restaurant to the public and focused on providing free meal distribution to Detroit residents in need, showing that a plate of food represents much more than a recipe. In a crisis, it says that someone cares. /2

Edythe Ford manages The Commons, a coffeeshop & laundromat. Her neighborhood is 90% Black & many residents live in poverty. She’s focused now on making sure her staff is well supported. Being a barista at The Commons is not just about serving coffee, it requires empathy & care /2

Tony Vu, Chef/Owner of The Good Bowl transitioned to online ordering when the pandemic began. With the support of his community, The Good Bowl has bounced back & continues to pivot their business model based on what's safe & created a retail line of products to enjoy at home. /3

Sandy Levine, of Chartreuse, says with third-party apps, there's little control over the timing of the delivery & little incentive for drivers to go the extra mile — Chartreuse will be launching its own delivery service this month, offering hot food as well as wine & cocktails./4

Until the robots roll up, Korean eatery Miss Kim looks like any other COVID-stilled storefront in downtown Ann Arbor. Inside, chef & owner, Ji Hye Kim, cooks takeout orders. “With a robot, they pull up, we drop the food in, close it & it’s on its way. It's safer for our staff."/5

Apart from running Sweet Potato Sensations, Espy Thomas is also a grief specialist, so she understands how stress and grief manifest physically in one’s body. She knows her neck & back pains come from the loss of family & friends who have contracted the coronavirus & have died./6

Angela Davis, @thekitchenista, is a self-taught cook & author of four self-published digital cookbooks.
Amidst the pandemic & social and political unrest, her business has actually grown. She scaled back catering & shifted that time and energy to creating more digital content./7

Darlene Alston, owner of Just A Bit Eclectic tea shop trains kids from the neighborhood. Ms. Darlene has begun creating a toolkit for them
that deals with the inequities & balancing it w/where justice lies. Sending them out unarmed is not an option that they or she can afford./8

Admist the pandemic, The Mushroom Factory shut down production & owner, Deana Wojcik, reassessed the business & asked about her role in Detroit’s food landscape: “How can a white owned business model anti-racism? How can personal assets be reimagined into community assets?" /9