Paul Virant

Paul Virant: A Good Food Chef Who Keeps On Giving

“Farm to table” dining may have become commonplace on Chicago’s restaurant menus. But Chef Paul Virant was in the vanguard of the movement just 13 years when he opened Vie restaurant in the suburb of Western Springs. And he is all about giving back to the community. Within a recent three-day span, Paul did a cooking demo with the Gardeneers audience for schoolchildren in Englewood, then was the honoree for Angelic Organics Learning Center at their annual dinner.

FamilyFarmed's Wholesale Success manual

FamilyFarmed To Expand Farmer Training in Agreements With USDA, Whole Foods Market

Chicago nonprofit FamilyFarmed will greatly expand its efforts to train farmers across the United States through cooperative agreements with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a partnership with Whole Foods Market. These developments also sync up with FamilyFarmed’s own new Direct Market Success program — aimed at “growing young farmers” — supported by an IndieGoGo crowd-funding campaign.

Atina Diffley is an organic farmer, author, and food safety trainer

First Person: Abundant Clean Water and Optimism

Organic farmer Atina Diffley’s trip to provide food safety training to small farmers in West Virginia underscored the fact that water quality and quantity is a difficult challenge.

Tell Us About Your New Farmer Training Program

Consumer interest in Good Food is growing fast — so fast that it will be impossible to meet demand unless the supply of sustainably and locally produced food expands. One requirement for that expansion is assisting a new generation of young farmers to get established, and giving them the tools they need to succeed. If you are part of one or want to bring one to the world’s attention, please click the link and post a comment.