Add Passion And Stir

What does food have to do with politics? Baker Mark Furstenberg (Bread Furst, The Breadline) and writer and food critic Corby Kummer (The Atlantic, Aspen Institute Ideas Magazine) join fellow social justice champion host Billy Shore (Share Our Strength) to discuss food, politics and community in this episode of Add Passion and Stir. When Shore asks about the political climate and issues like immigration reform, Kummer expresses concern. “This is something that every restaurant owner and food supplier and somebody who cares about food has to take on for themselves. Personal responsibility is a lot more important than we want it to be, but - in the absence of government leadership – it has to be,” he says. Furstenburg is also worried. “It’s impossible to not be affected by the political climate,” he says. “The word ‘poor’ has disappeared from our political vocabulary… [but] food is the most basic concern of poor people.” Furstenburg – who started baking after the age of 50 and went on to win the 2017 James

Why do we so often treat the symptoms of a problem and not the root cause? The gamechangers on this episode of Add Passion and Stir go straight to the cause. Barbara Petee, Executive Director of The Root Cause Coalition, and Lauren Shweder Biel, Executive Director of DC Greens, speak with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about solutions to deep-rooted social problems like hunger and poor health outcomes. Petee explains how the health care industry could be doing more to keep people healthy, which led to the creation of the Root Cause Coalition. “We need to engage the health care industry in addressing hunger as a health issue because the cost to health care is about $130.5 billion annually,” she says. “Should we not be investing more at the front end as opposed to paying at the back end?” Shweder Biel describes how DC Greens is doing that locally, working across sectors to discover systems-level solutions to food education, food access, and food policy. “Food is not a luxury,” she says. The

What happens when we invest time and resources in young kids? How does it impact their futures and the future of our nation? Legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer (Union Square Hospitality Group, Shake Shack) and child psychologist Emily Chinitz (Center for Child Health & Resiliency, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore) have answers on the latest episode of Add Passion and Stir. “Ages 0-5 years is a critical time in development of young children,” says Chinitz, who treats children with a variety of issues like anxiety, depression, trauma, parent-child relationship and attachment issues, and adjustment difficulties related to loss or other family/social stressors. “A lot can be done if we either prevent difficult things from happening, or support children and families when kids are still really young.” Chinitz has seen the benefits of early interventions like therapy, help with food insecurity, and giving parents new skills. “You don’t have to be fully defined by your experience,” she says. Share Our Stren

What will it take to help our nation get healthy? Add Passion and Stir guests chef Seamus Mullen, (Tertulia in New York City) and Sam Kass (former Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy for the Obama White House) are passionate about nutritious, good food. Kass has experience setting the Obama family up for better food choices. “We eat what we see,” he says. “If we’re constantly having to fight ourselves and rely on willpower, we’re going to lose every time.” Mullen discovered the miraculous power of good food during his own health crisis. In the midst of very severe, life-threatening symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, he thought, “What are the factors that create an environment in which the body can be either healthy or ill?” He realized he could fight his illness. “I didn’t have to be a sick person… Food was a tool I had at my disposal.” He completely eliminated his disease by changing his diet. Both guests talk with host Billy Shore about the broad impact of en

Which is more important, ‘what’ you do or ‘why’ you do it? The two trailblazing business leaders on this episode of Add Passion and Stir are driven by more than just the bottom line. Jeff Swartz, former CEO of Timberland, and James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Maws (Craigie on Main, Kirkland Tap and Trotter) prioritize social justice in their work. Speaking with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore, Swartz and Maws express their passion for purpose beyond profit. “It took me 30 years to figure out that the question is not ‘what?,’ it’s ‘why does it matter,’” says Swartz. “It wasn’t altruistic – it was deeply needful. I wanted a purpose beyond making the quarter.” Under his leadership, Timberland supported nonprofits like Share Our Strength and City Year. Maws sets high standards for his work fighting child hunger with the No Kid Hungry campaign. “I wish I could do more. There are kids that are not being provided with food and the happiness that comes with it… to me it’s just revolting,” he states.I

Do you know the #1 cause of death in America? It is not what you think - our diet has surpassed smoking as a cause of death. Michel Nischan, chef and Founder, President and CEO of Wholesome Wave, and Lindsey Seegers, Program Manager of Nutrition Education at Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, MD know that food-related disease is both deadly and preventable. They join Share Our Strength founders Debbie and Billy Shore to explain some promising ways they are addressing the root causes of diet-related diseases. “We spend about $1.4 trillion a year on diet-related disease,” says Nischan. Yet the economic disparities of a disease like Type 2 Diabetes are stark. “I learned that the majority of the people that struggle with that condition lived at income levels so low they couldn’t even afford the basic ingredients to help them prevent the disease in the first place.” Seegers works with thousands of families in Montgomery County on nutritious eating. “Healthy eating is not just for the rich,

What do you do when you witness profound need? Do you stand by and feel badly, or do you do something about it? Changemakers Jim Ansara, founder of Build Health International and hunger advocate and Boston chef Michael Scelfo (Alden & Harlow, Waypoint) are driven by the need to make a difference. On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Ansara, Scelfo and podcast host Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore discuss the stubbornness and resilience it takes to do something about a big social problem. When he first witnessed the extreme poverty and deep injustice in Haiti even before the devastating earthquake of 2010, “At first I was totally overwhelmed,” he says. “And then I was determined to do something about it.” He worked for years after the earthquake to build the largest solar-powered hospital in the work to serve the profound need in Haiti. Scelfo similarly acted to address the need in communities close to his restaurants working with the No Kid Hungry campaign. “Our work

What would happen if an entire industry banded together to solve a problem? According to the two leaders on this episode of Add Passion and Stir, the industry would completely solve that problem. John Miller, CEO of Denny’s and Amanda Hite, Co-founder and CEO of Be The Change Revolutions think that the restaurant industry can end child hunger in America. Hite describes the industry as “massive, powerful and influential.” “We’re the industry that feeds people for a living,” says Miller. “Shouldn’t we be involved in being the solution to ending child hunger in America. If not us, then who?” Podcast hosts Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore agree. “We can’t wait for the tipping point; we have to force it,” Debbie believes.  Both guests are heavily involved with Dine Out for No Kid Hungry, a restaurant-led campaign that raises funds for No Kid Hungry’s work on getting more kids access to school breakfasts, school lunches and summer meals. Denny’s has been a participant for many years, raising

Do you have to be a certain age to solve a problem in your community? Does it take a specific level of experience to see someone in need and offer to help? In this powerful episode of Add Passion and Stir, hear from two young people from the next generation of leaders. Millennial chef Bobby Pradachith (Thip Khao) and recent college graduate and anti-hunger advocate Alana Davidson (University of New Hampshire) join Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore to share how they are already making big impacts in their communities. When Alana discovered that a quarter of her college classmates struggled with hunger, she sprang into action by contacting the governor and the dean of students. “I couldn’t sit on the number,” she says. “I had to do something about it.” Her efforts resulted in Swipe It Forward, a stigma-free meal donation program for any student experiencing food insecurity. Chef Bobby leads his unique Lao restaurant – the only one in DC - with bold and authentic menu options that both intrigue

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 abo

Is there a way to unite people with different values and ensure everyone works to be at their absolute best? On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, three innovative leaders and a visionary young artist discuss possible solutions to our most pressing social problems. David Simpson (Executive Director of All Our Kids), Ashley Koff (nutrition expert) and Tahrook (23 year-old painter) join Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore for a conversation about how we need to bring out each individual’s potential in order to succeed as a country.“Kids deserve to feel loved and valued,” says Simpson. “If we can help them become successful happy adults – why would we not?” He describes how nonprofit All Our Kids is encouraging young people in the DC area that they deserve to dream, and often that encouragement occurs over a community meal. Koff agrees. “We need a country of individuals who are all better at what they choose to do,” she says, and access to healthy food is critical. “If we continue to make access to

Do you need to take care of yourself first so you can take care of others? What are the physical and mental benefits of doing something athletic for a cause? In another special edition of Add Passion and Stir taped at Chefs Cycle, hear from chef Jeff Mahin (Stella Barra Pizzeria, Do-Rite Donuts, M Street Kitchen) and pro athlete-turned-chef Lentine Alexis on what cycling for the cause of hungry kids means to them. The two chefs join Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore and Share Our Strength Associate Director of Chefs Cycle Adele Nelson on Day 2 of Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride in Santa Rosa, CA for No Kid Hungry. Chefs of all cycling levels – 230 this year, up from just 6 in 2014 - care deeply about feeding hungry kids. Mahin feels that helping is contagious, especially in the culinary world. “We all as chefs understand how powerful food is, and then when you combine that with being and athlete and understanding hunger, then [Chefs Cycle] is real close to home.” Former profess

How does racism in America impact how children of color envision their futures? How can we help kids succeed despite this racism? Two impactful guests tell us about their efforts to empower, guide and support kids in their communities. MacArthur "Genius Award" winner and nonprofit founder Joe Marshall and Oakland chef Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen, Food Network) discuss racism with Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore on this episode of Add Passion and Stir. “Being black in America is you start in this hole,” says Marshall, “and you’re continually climbing out of this hole.” Chef Holland agrees, “What I find most painful about racism is when people have low expectations of you. They don’t expect you to be intelligent or ambitious or resourceful… That judgement is a big hurdle.”Yet both of these community activists are fighting racism and ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations.’ In 1987, Marshall started the Omega Boys Club, which is now a nationally recognized youth development and violence prev

How much do you think about how you contribute to society? Is it important for you to help others and give back? Two social sector advocates whose deep values and empathy guide their own career paths discuss the importance of doing good. Dan Cardinali, CEO of Independent Sector, and Bren Herrera, Cuban private chef and lifestylist, chat about food, culture, personal transformations, and their deep passion for helping others with Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength, on this episode of Add Passion and Stir. Cardinali, a champion for the social sector (nonprofit and philanthropic institutions), reveals its vastness: 1.5 million institutions that employ 1 in 10 Americans and serve or engage 1 in 4. However, that impact is often overlooked and there is a misperception that the sector is weaker and less effective than the private sector. “Nonprofit and philanthropic institutions are critically important to America because they often are working on those issues that neither government nor market stra

Can one event feed hungry kids, promote fitness AND celebrate amazing food? This special edition of Add Passion and Stir was taped at Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride in Santa Rosa, CA for No Kid Hungry. Chef Jason Roberts and Bon Appétit Deputy Editor Andrew Knowlton joined Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore and Share Our Strength National Director of Chef and Culinary Relations Jenny Dirksen to discuss the true meaning of the ride. As one of the founders of Chefs Cycle, Jason says “We’re changing lives. We are creating futures and opportunities… We are not just connecting [kids] to food but also to opportunity.” Andrew underscores the importance of the mission in these uncertain times. “It doesn’t matter which [political] party you believe in – everything [Share Our Strength] is doing is for the kids.” Both citizen activist guests have been involved with No Kid Hungry for many years: Bon Appétit was the first major sponsor of Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry and opened a lo

More than 200 chefs from across the country were joined by Grammy Award-winning international rock star P!nk in a fundraising bike ride that raised $2 million for the No Kid Hungry campaign from Share Our Strength. In an exclusive interview for Add Passion and Stir, the podcast from Share Our Strength hosted by brother and sister co-founders Billy and Debbie Shore, singer-songwriter P!nk, says, “What’s awesome about Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry is that [they] really make it doable to help… [They] make it really fun. [They] make where people’s dollars go make sense. It’s really easy to understand, and it’s universal – it’s kids!” This special edition of Add Passion and Stir was taped at Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride in Santa Rosa, CA. Alecia Moore Hart – better known as P!nk – sat down with fellow riders husband Carey Hart, chef Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill), chef Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Café, St. Louis) and Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore to discuss the impo

Sometimes disrupters come from unexpected places. In order to solve our major social problems like poverty, hunger and education, we need innovation and new thinking to solve them on a grand scale. Would you expect a bankrupt nonprofit to have the answer? Or a restaurant that opens in an unpopular part of town? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two provocative thinkers share their creative strategies with host Billy Shore. Entrepreneur, author and activist Dan Pallotta is known for the creation of multi-day charitable events like the Breast Cancer 3-Day walks and AIDS Rides, as well as his iconic TED talk on how the way we think about charity is dead wrong. Boston restauranteur Garrett Harker restaurateur makes a practice of using his restaurants to activate up-and-coming neighborhoods and empower staff members to engage in this community revitalization. Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength and an innovator himself, asks Pallotta and Harker about how they use their respective platforms

Our country is leaving behind the families who have made the biggest sacrifices for our safety and freedom. How are military and veteran families among our most vulnerable and struggling with poverty and hunger? How can we justify raising defense spending without protecting and strengthening services like SNAP (food stamps) that help them? In this timely and poignant episode of Add Passion and Stir, an expert on military hunger and a chef who is also an Army veteran have a serious conversation with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore. All are concerned about President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). Josh Protas is the Vice President of Public Policy at MAZON, a national advocacy organization based on Jewish values that is working to end hunger in the United States and Israel, where he coordinates and implements the advocacy agenda. Alex Samayoa is executive chef at Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, DC, and ser

Could we end the debate about health care by focusing on healthy food? What will it take for our country to address the root of our health problems? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two experts who improve health from very different perspectives chat with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore about the role of healthy lifestyle choices on our nation’s health. Randy Oostra is President and CEO of Promedica, a mission-driven, not-for-profit, nationally distinguished health care system serving northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Promedica has initiatives outside health care settings that aim to keep people from needing health care services. Rocco DiSpirito is a James Beard award winning chef, health advocate, coach and author of 12 cookbooks that illustrate how healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive. Rocco has personally coached, advised and fed thousands of clients who want to lose weight and be healthy. Both experts believe that prevention is more effective that treatment, and

What can we do when politicians prefer polarizing rhetoric to concrete action? We can roll up our sleeves and serve those who need help. Meaningful service can be the antidote to disappointing political paralysis. In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, two longtime leaders in service, Michael Brown of City Year and Boston chef Jason Santos (Buttermilk and Bourbon) talk with host and Share Our Strength founder and CEO Billy Shore about why it is so important to ‘turn on your social justice nerve’ and ‘flex your service muscle.’ Michael founded City Year in 1988 in Boston and grew it to a national service program of 3,100 18-25 year olds improving academic performance in high-poverty, poor performing schools in 28 cities. “Service is part of the American spirit… it is at the very heart of how we perceive ourselves as a nation,“ he declares. Jason began volunteering with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign more than 20 years ago as a very young chef, and since then has taught many Cooking Matters cours