1) Where does your passion for food come from?
I explore the world through my stomach. I hunger for tangy flavors and aromas. I crave quality nutrition to boost my energy. I seek a personal connection to the land and people who grow my food. I like to know the farmer and explore how they practice farming.
2) Tell us about your culinary journey.
“My mom and dad taught me how to cook Italian beef recipes. I shaped meatballs for pasta bolognese and burger patties to grill with the family. We shopped at the closest grocery store and bought ground beef as a commodity.
My culinary journey has since opened my eyes. 97% of grocery store beef comes from concentrated feedlots. Congress repealed Country of Origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken in late 2015. Grocery stores are not required to tell us where our meat comes from. A pound of grocery store ground beef may contain the meat of 100 cows from 6 different countries. Mystery meat forces me to assume the worst.
I joined Crowd Cow to discover the world of craft meat from small, independent farms. Know your farmer. Know where your meat comes from with 100% traceability. This puts an end to mystery meat. Phew.
I can taste the difference. The flavor of craft beef varies by region, breed, and feed. Grass-fed, grass-finished beef tastes more tangy. I visit Harlow Cattle Company in Spanaway, Washington, to speak with farmer Becky Harlow Weed and see her Angus-Hereford cattle grazing on grass. The seasonal native grasses of the Pacific Northwest bring out unique flavors, too.
Ground beef continues to be my childhood comfort food. But now I like to choose my farm and order with Crowd Cow.”
3) Where is your favorite place to eat?
Home kitchens are my favorite places to eat. I like to cook with friends and family in a relaxed atmosphere.
4) Where do you source your ingredients?
I source my beef, chicken, and turkey from my favorite farms on the Crowd Cow marketplace. I shop for seasonal fruits and vegetables from the local farmers markets.
5) Tell us about a new product you are working on.
Crowd Cow launched Thanksgiving turkey from the family-owned and operated Gunthorp Farms in LaGrange, Indiana. Greg and Lei Gunthorp raise broad-breasted white turkeys on pasture at their family farm in northern Indiana. The flock is raised entirely without the use of hormones or antibiotics, and roams free on Certified Organic pasture, foraging for grasses and insects. Order by November 4 and the turkey will be delivered to your doorstep the week of November 12.
