Ethical Eating Series

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark's Green Sanctuary Committee and Newark Natural Foods Co-op have teamed up to present an Ethical Eating Series on the first Saturday of each month through April. This 3-part series will explore the concept of ethical eating in regard to consumer awareness, responsibility and choice. Local experts will speak on a variety of topics including the local food movement, organic farming, fair trade principles, and vegetarianism.

Enjoy FREE ADMISSION with a donation of a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank of Delaware. A complimentary healthy lunch will follow each event. All events take place at the UUFN at 420 Willa Road, Newark, DE  19711. For more information, please contact Donna Shand at 302-252-7654. View the Facebook event listing.

Ethical Eating Series Events

February 5, 9am - 12pm
Part 1: Eating Local Workshop
How far does your food travel before it gets to your dinner plate? The Eating Local Workshop details the locavore movement and offers shopping tips for farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and grocery stores. A question and answer period will be followed by a healthy lunch primarily made with locally sourced foods.  

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March 5, 10am - 12pm
Part 2: Vegetarian Winter Cooking Class and Raw Foods Class
Learn how to cook like a pro! At the end of each class, participants will enjoy a healthy lunch with foods prepared in their class. The cooking classes will run simultaneously. Class size for the Vegetarian Winter Cooking Class will be limited to 18.  

NOTE: The Vegetarian Winter Cooking Class in now full. There are still a few spots available in the Raw Foods Class.

Vegetarian Winter Cooking Class with Chef Robbie Jester
Guests can hope to learn some whimsical vegetarian techniques highlighting whole grains from  celebrated local "slow food" chef, Robbie Jester. The class will offer instruction in all aspects of the cooking process and will be valuable for both the novice and advanced home cook alike. You will walk away with the skills needed to prepare a nutritious, gourmet meal in the comfort of your own home. You will also gain a better understanding of the value of using ethically sourced, wholesome and natural ingredients in keeping with the principles of the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Chef Robbie Jester was born into a restaurant family and got his professional start at age 12 in his family's Maryland seafood restaurant. It was there that he learned a passion for food and the kitchen. He graduated with high honors from the Culinary Institute of America, quickly making his mark at the DuPont Country Club and Hotel DuPont in his early twenties. He currently divides his time as Executive Chef, Piccolina Toscana in Wilmington, Delaware, and as Chef de Cuisine, Harbor House Restaurant in Chestertown, Maryland. Jester was one of a handful of chefs chosen to cook for Maryland's "Buy Local Challenge" issued by the Governor in 2009 and 2010. Jester is also the Executive Chef for Farm Dinners on the Shore, a not-for-profit venture that executes unique dining experiences using local products in vineyards and farms on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and is a member of Slow Food Brandywine Valley. Jester was recently featured in Brandywine Signature, Delaware Today, and the News Journal.

Raw Foods Class with Chef Patricia Dean-Escoto
Come explore the world of Raw Foods and learn how this lifestyle can increase your vitality and sense of well-being. In this 2-hour demo you will learn about the basic techniques of raw foods such as juicing, marinating, and dehydration. If you are new to raw foods, and you'd like to use this platform to expand your choices of ethical eating, or would simply like to blend some of these techniques into your current lifestyle, then this introductory class is for you! You'll learn all you need to know to get started on the living foods lifestyle and walk away with some great recipes, too.

Patricia Dean-Escoto is a raw foods chef and founder of Pathways2Healing. She developed the H.E.A.L.T.H.Y.^TM eating program that utilizes nutrition therapy for the prevention of cancer. In addition to being a Holistic Nutrition Consultant, Patricia holds a Masters Degree in Education and is a breast cancer survivor. Currently, she hosts a weekly radio show, Pathways to Healing, which explores the mind, body, spirit connection. Her show airs on the VoiceAmerica health and wellness channel and she blogs about nutrition and cancer prevention at www.pathways2healing.us.

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April 2, 10am - 12pm
Part 3: Ethical Consumer Choices Panel 
The Ethical Consumer Choices Panel features six guest speakers. These local experts will speak on a variety of topics including the local food movement, organic farming, fair trade principals, and vegetarianism. A question and answer period will follow, and the day will culminate with a complimentary lunch provided by Newark Natural Foods.

Speakers for Ethical Consumer Choices Panel:

Denise Sherman Hartranft, Owner of Village Imports Fair Trade Store
Denise Sherman Hartranft will speak about Fair Trade commodities in regard to labeling and certification, and the integration of sustainable agriculture practices. She will also discuss how Fair Trade helps to stop human trafficking and child slavery.

Denise has undergraduate degrees in International Relations and Economics and a Master's degree in Special Education, with a specialization in Autism.  She lives in Newark, Delaware with her husband, Peter.

She has owned Village Imports Fair Trade Store since 2008. Village Imports is fully committed to Fair Trade and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation and Green America. Denise is a state representative for the organization, Fair Trade Independent Stores. The mission of Village Imports is to provide beautiful, unique Fair Trade products at reasonable prices and to educate the public about the importance of Fair Trade.

Pam Stegall Roberts, Owner, Calvert Farm
Pam Stegall Roberts will talk about organic farming and the survival of small farms. She will also discuss how to start a home garden.

Pam Stegall Roberts owns Calvert Farm with her husband Paul. Calvert Farm is a small certified organic farm located in Rising Sun, Maryland. They are in their sixteenth growing season. Calvert Farm participates in many farmers markets and also runs a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, in which they team up with other local small farmers to bring a variety of foods to their customers.

Robbie Jester, Executive Chef, Piccolina Toscana
Chef Robbie Jester will speak about the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Chef Robbie Jester was born into a restaurant family and got his professional start at age 12 in his family's Maryland seafood restaurant. It was there that he learned a passion for food and the kitchen. He graduated with high honors from the Culinary Institute of America, quickly making his mark at the DuPont Country Club and Hotel DuPont in his early twenties. He currently divides his time as Executive Chef, Piccolina Toscana in Wilmington, Delaware, and as Chef de Cuisine, Harbor House Restaurant in Chestertown, Maryland. Jester was one of a handful of chefs chosen to cook for Maryland's "Buy Local Challenge" issued by the Governor in 2009 and 2010. Jester is also the Executive Chef for Farm Dinners on the Shore, a not-for-profit venture that executes unique dining experiences using local products in vineyards and farms on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and is a member of Slow Food Brandywine Valley. Jester was recently featured in Brandywine Signature, Delaware Today, and the News Journal.

Allison Mielke, Widener University School of Law, Candidate for J.D., May 2013
Allison Mielke will speak about food deserts and issues with quality food availability in our area.

Allison Mielke is originally from Easton, Maryland. She has lived and worked in NYC, D.C., Atlanta, and Wilmington, Delaware. Allison attended the Culinary Institute of America and has been a chef/restaurateur for fine dining restaurants for the last 13 years. While living in Atlanta, Georgia, Allison got involved in the Farm to School program through a local non-profit. Farm to School connects schools and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers. After working with Farm to School, Allison decided that she wanted to pursue law for food security, regulation, funding, appropriation and policy issues. She is currently a law student at the Widener University School of Law and is helping to re-organize the local Slow Food chapter.

Karen Igou, Proprietor, Delaware Local Food Exchange
Karen Igou will speak about how to easily and affordably incorporate local buying into a family budget. She will include topics such as eating seasonally, preserving food, buying in bulk, growing some of your own food, cooking cooperatively, and the utilization of a whole chicken.

Karen Igou, BSW, is the propieter of the Delaware Local Food Exchange. She has her background in social work and was drawn into the world of sustainable agriculture through its social justice aspect--The idea that farmers should make a safe and fair wage, that communities should not be polluted from commercial agriculture, and that people should have healthy food choices for their families rather than the empty calories that tend to cover grocery store shelves.

Ten years ago Karen worked with the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) to start their community garden. Working with the DCH sparked her interest in farming and led her to volunteer at Calvert Farm, a certified organic farm located on Chrome Road in Rising Sun, Maryland. As Karen began eating fresh local foods, she found that living in the city of Wilmington did not offer her many options for feeding her family of five the healthy, local produce staples she had come to love. Karen partnered with other families in her community and created the Elsemere Local Food Buying Club, a group of 30 member families who bought cooperatively from local farmers and producers. With the help of some great volunteers, Karen managed the ordering and distribution of the Club's products. The Club was very successful and naturally progressed into the current Delaware Local Food Exchange, a retail space housed inside Nature's Way on Kirkwood Highway in Elsemere. The Exchange's mission is to provide their community with fresh foods at fair prices. They source all of their products from local, sustainable farms and producers.

Joan Ozelis Calpin, animal rights activist
Joan Ozelis Calpin will share the motivating factors in her decision to become vegan. She will discuss factory farming, the treatment of animals raised for food, the truth behind the labels, and the humane myth. Joan will have literature on hand - including one with a Christian focus, veggie starter kits with recipes, and dvd's for those interested in more information.

Joan Ozelis Calpin is a local activist who supports numerous organizations working to improve the lives of animals - including Mercy for Animals, Compassion Over Killing, The Humane Leagues of Philadelphia and Baltimore, Farm Sanctuary, and  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).  For the last three years she has been Farm Sanctuary's local Walk for Farm Animals coordinator for the Glasgow, DE walk.  She frequently tables at events and festivals promoting animal rights and veganism and often does sampling of vegan food at Newark Natural Foods.

Joan Ozelis Calpin graduated from Neumann University with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. She is employed in the accounts receivable department of a health insurance company. She loves to travel and when not planning her next trip she can be found socializing with friends, going to museums, reading, or watching movies. She currently lives in Middletown, Delaware with her husband of 15 years and their four cats.

Alan Coffey, the President of the Board of Directors of the UUFN will act as the panel moderator. Guests will be given 3x5 cards before the program begins and are encouraged to write down questions that come up during the speaker's presentations. The moderator will address the questions to the appropriate panelist.

Enjoy FREE ADMISSION with a donation of a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank of Delaware. A complimentary healthy lunch will follow each event. All events take place at the UUFN at 420 Willa Road, Newark, DE  19711. For more information, please contact Donna Shand at 302-252-7654. View the Facebook event listing.