208 pages
6 x 9
no art
Look at any list of America’s top foodie cities and you probably won’t find Boise, Idaho or Sitka, Alaska. Yet they are the new face of the food movement. Healthy, sustainable fare is changing communities across this country, revitalizing towns that have been ravaged by disappearing industries and decades of inequity.
What sparked this revolution? To find out, Mark Winne traveled to seven cities not usually considered revolutionary. He broke bread with brew masters and city council members, farmers and philanthropists, toured start-up incubators and homeless shelters. What he discovered was remarkable, even inspiring.
In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, once a company steel town, investment in the arts has created a robust new market for local restaurateurs. In Alexandria, Louisiana, “one-stop shopping” food banks help clients apply for health insurance along with SNAP benefits. In Jacksonville, Florida, aeroponics are bringing fresh produce to a food desert.
Over the course of his travels, Winne experienced the power of individuals to transform food and the power of food to transform communities. The cities of Food Town, USA remind us that innovation is ripening all across the country, especially in the most unlikely places.
"An inherently fascinating and impressively informative read throughout, Food Town, USA: Seven Unlikely Cities That are Changing the Way We Eat is an original and seminal work of exhaustive research and insightful relevance. An exceptionally well written, organized and presented study that is highly recommended."
Midwest Book Review
"Whether it’s a racially diverse farmers’ market thriving and building bridges in historically segregated and racially oppressive Alexandria, or a longshot brewpub in Bethlehem that became the epicenter of a food-centered revival of the city’s Main Street, Winne details the cascading impacts that farmers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, governments, and individuals have on the cities that make up Food Town USA."
Civil Eats
"Mark Winne’s Food Town, USA is a tasty, heartwarming journey through towns we’d never thought much of but suddenly want to move to. It happily reminds us that when we devote ourselves to people and places we care about, wonderful and unexpected things seem to happen."
Mark Bittman, author of the How to Cook Everything series, Food Matters, and VB6: Eat Vegan Before
"Food Town, USA may prove to be the most hopeful and important book to take the food movement out of the predictable culture wars between big city and forgotten countryside, between blue and red, and between glamorous and unfashionable places. Whether it’s craft beer or food sovereignty, Winne gives voice to those who are reinventing the food movement in their own language."
Richard McCarthy, Executive Committee, Slow Food International
"As only a longtime leader in the food movement can, Mark Winne introduces us to the unsung heroes of local food revitalization, demonstrating how food policy councils, farmers' markets, community gardens, and farm-to-school programs can help struggling communities rebuild."
Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground and coauthor of Grain by Grain
Introduction
Chapter 1. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Chapter 2. Sitka, Alaska
Chapter 3. Alexandria, Louisiana
Chapter 4. Boise, Idaho
Chapter 5. Youngstown, Ohio
Chapter 6. Jacksonville, Florida
Chapter 7. Portland, Maine
Conclusion
On December 12, Mark Winne, author of Food Town, USA: Seven Unlikely Cities That are Changing the Way We Eat, will appear at Tabard Inn for a book talk and signing as part of an ongoing speakers series with the DC based Fearless Fund. Winne will discuss how food advocates are utilizing good food –healthy, local, sustainable food– to drive prosperity in communities from Portland, Maine, to Sitka, Alaska.
On December 13, Mark Winne, author of Food Town, USA: Seven Unlikely Cities That are Changing the Way We Eat, will lead a seminar as part of the University of the District of Columbia’s CAUSES Research Seminar Series. He will discuss his book and explore how food advocates are utilizing good food –healthy, local, sustainable food– to drive prosperity in communities from Portland, Maine, to Sitka, Alaska.
Healthy, sustainable fare is changing communities across this country, revitalizing towns that have been ravaged by disappearing industries and decades of inequity.
What sparked this revolution? How are communities making their ideas a reality?
In this webinar with ioby, food leaders discuss their projects, from idea to reality and the ways they are transforming their communities. Moderator Mark Winne will provide a brief presentation on the transformations that he saw across his travels while writing his book, Food Town, USA: Seven Unlikely Cities that are Changing the Way We Eat. A representative from ioby will share how their organization is helping drive community-led positive change through crowdfunding.
Join The American Public Gardens Association as they host a book talk with Mark Winne, author of Food Town, USA. The book looks at local food movements in 7 cities across the US, and how these movements are transforming towns impacted by disappearing industries and decades of inequity. This book reminds us about the power of community and how important food can be in bringing people together. We encourage you to read the book before the talk, but it is not required.
Members: $15
Non-Members: $30
The Power of Food: Cultivating equitable policy through collective action is going virtual! Same dates, (mostly) same program, and now in many places. The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) is organizing the first-ever national forum for food policy councils and similar groups from September 20-22, 2021. Mark Winne, author of Food Town, USA, is one of their speakers.
The intent of the forum is to:
Join us for a lunch and learn with author Mark Winne to dicuss his book Food Town, USA. The book looks at local food movements in 7 cities across the US, and how these movements are transforming towns impacted by disappearing industries and decades of inequity. This book reminds us about the power of community and how important food can be in bringing people together. We encourage you to read the book before the talk, but it is not required. Island Press is generously offering a 25% discount on books purchased through its website. Use code APGA to take advantage of this discount.
Healthy, sustainable fare is changing communities across this country, revitalizing towns that have been ravaged by disappearing industries and decades of inequity. In Food Town, USA: Seven Unlikely Cities that are Changing the Way We Eat Mark Winne travels across the US to find out what sparked this food revolution. What he discovered was remarkable, even inspiring.
One of the cities Winne visited is Sitka, Alaska, a city that is accessible only by air or water. Sika has some of the highest food prices in the country but Sitkans have mobilized to create alternative food production and distribution methods. Learn more about Sitka in the excerpt below.
