Lakeport >> Developments are underway in the Lake County food scene. Master Chef Brad Barnes from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) led a two-day Menus of Change workshop at the Lakeport Mendocino Community College campus, bringing together food service professionals from across the county for a discussion of shifting food and health trends.
It was the second workshop on this topic and part of the broader Eat Well Lake County initiative, a project made possible by the Partnerships to Improve Community Health grant, Hope Rising, and the Health Leadership Network.
Menus of Change: The Business of Healthy, Sustainable and Delicious Food Choices is an initiative created by the CIA and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health which brings together America’s chefs, nutrition and environmental scientists, farm and fisheries experts, food service executives and policy makers.
At the Menus of Change workshop on April 19 and 20, Barnes talked with local chefs and industry professionals about how they can be leaders in the fight against chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease by making thoughtful changes on their menus to increase plant-based and whole grain options, and reduce meat, sodium and sugary beverages.
Restaurants and food service establishments with representatives at the workshops were Running Creek Casino, Twin Pines Casino, The Boathouse, Judy’s Junction, The Blue Wing Saloon, Park Place, Old World Tavern, Nutriblends, Lower Lake High School culinary instructors, Loch Lomond Roadhouse, Wholly Bowl and the Highlands Senior Service Center.
At the workshops, Barnes emphasized that making healthy menu changes doesn’t necessarily mean designing a whole new menu, but more often that restaurants could make small adjustments to their existing menus.
At the Menus of Change workshop, John Bailey from North Coast Opportunities and the coordinator of the Mendo-Lake Food Hub, presented a new ordering and shipping system for fresh produce grown in Mendocino and Lake counties.
“The Hub” is an online marketplace where local farmers can list their produce, wholesale buyers can log on and make purchases, and then a convenient trucking system takes care of delivery, thus allowing buyers in both counties easy access to sweet, tender lettuce grown on the coast, while buyers on the coast can purchase crops like tomatoes and peppers which thrive in the warm inland climate.
Eat Well Lake County incorporates all of the many facets of healthy eating. There are numerous changes that people can make to improve their diets, and certain aspects will resonate differently with each person: some people may feel great incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables, while some people may choose to focus on reducing their intake of certain items such as soft drinks or processed snack foods, and other people might decide to shop at a farmers market more often.
For more information about Menus of Change and the Eat Well Lake County initiative contact Jen Dalton, of Partnerships to Improve Community Health Coordinator, at (707) 467-3226 or jdalton@ncoinc.org.
For more information about the Mendo-Lake Food Hub, log on to www.localfoodmarketplace.com/mendolake.
