What sets Common Roots apart from most hunger-focused organizations is that you're not just feeding people…you're teaching them. Is there a particular skill or recipe that you’ve seen genuinely create change for people?

“I know the one recipe that changes the way children think about food…it's our carrot turmeric soup. Whether we make it for the food shelf or in the classroom, kids literally lick out their little stainless steel cups. And the kids who aren't sure they like it see everyone saying, ‘Can I have more?’ and a little peer pressure kicks in.

“I think the magnitude of the stories would surprise people. A fifth-grade boy came into the farmstand last summer and said, ‘Mom, can we get some tea?’ She said, ‘You don't drink tea.’ And he said, ‘Oh yeah, I've learned all about it in Farm to School!’ We give students nine lessons a year, preschool through grade five. That's 54 lessons over six years, and the tea lesson is the one we always circle back to.

“These experiences are what builds the capacity to understand food as medicine. And from May to October, we bring fresh bins of food three times a week to the food shelf and we teach from those bins. We can influence people one set of taste buds at a time…one family, one neighborhood, one community. So getting in the classrooms, and being at the food shelves is the perfect match for us. And the younger we reach them, the more opportunity to guide those taste buds.”

Restaurants and chefs play a huge role in strengthening the local food system here in Vermont. Are there things you think the restaurant world can be doing to help your mission?

“We've been providing food education lessons for 18 years with zero dollars in any school budget…because none of this would stay in a school budget. But how powerful would it be if, when people dine out, there was a place on the receipt for food education right next to the tip line? Diners could choose whether they wanted to contribute.

“We provide food education in 74 classrooms a month…we're at 180,000 lessons. And food education is not on any curriculum. We're graduating people who really don't know what a healthy larder looks like, or how to nourish themselves. The difference between feeding and nourishing is pretty big. We would love to partner with restauranteurs to consider a line for food education and food equity, because the two go together.”

Is there an ingredient you wish more people in Vermont used or understood better?

“Wow…there are so many! But I think one is the power of microgreens. When we teach microgreens in the classroom — our farmer grows trays of them whenever we need them — we help kids see that whether they're eating bean sprouts, sunflower sprouts, alfalfa, or broccoli shoots, those tiny stems and leaves contain all the nutrients of the full plant. It blows you away that in one forkful of microgreens, you have the nutrient density of a full portion. Mother Nature puts those nutrients right into the seed, and as little as they are, they are just packed full of nutrients.”

Bonus Question: What does dinner look like at your house on a random weeknight?

“To be honest, as a full-time (plus!) Executive Director, my favorite meals are the ones I bring home from my chef! Tonight it's his homemade sauce, with organic tomatoes from our farm. He never oversalts, and he always seasons with amazing herbs. It's just my husband and me, so I really can't compete with what chef is doing in the kitchen with the interns!”