Mo' Food Panel

There are advantages to being a fan of Model D Media on Facebook. One of them is getting invitations to their events, such as this one.

Model D Speaker Series: Mo’ Food: Creating a New Local Economy

Last summer, Michigan's new Cottage Food Law opened the door to a whole new world of craft and commerce, allowing budding entrepreneurs to sell food products made in their own kitchens. Since then, Detroit has seen a growing movement of local food enthusiasts experimenting and sharing, some with an eye toward growing specialty food and retail businesses, others with established brands and restaurants.

From underground to upscale, micro-batch to mass-market, what are the emerging opportunities for Detroit's local food economy? Is the city open to new ideas and ways of doing business? How are markets and restaurants moving toward local sourcing? And, perhaps, most importantly: How is food shaping how we think about community?

Join us to hear from an expert panel including Dan Carmody, president of Eastern Market Corporation; Todd Abrams, food writer and co-founder of Gourmet Underground; James Garrison, kitchen manager at Honey Bee Market La Colmena; Joe McClure, co-founder of McClure's Pickles; and Jess Daniel, founder of Neighborhood Noodle. The discussion will be moderated by Noah Ovshinsky, WDET reporter and bonafide foodie.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the invitation in time either to turn it into a field trip for the class I teach on Tuesday nights, so I could go, or to tell the class I teach on Wednesday afternoons so they could use it for a class assignment. Darn.

Not all is lost, though. Model D filed a follow up report two days ago.

Last Tuesday, hundreds of metro-Detroiters gathered at Cliff Bell's for our speaker series "Mo' Food: Creating a New Local Economy". Co-sponsored by WDET and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), the event sought to spark a conversation centering on how food fits into the city's economic growth and development.
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Speaker Series coordinator Claire Nelson assembled the panel of guests, a cross-section of leaders in the food community...Nelson pitched the event as an opportunity to discuss "everything from urban agriculture and food justice to artisan food production, mobile food service and fine dining. We'd like to offer a broad view of the food landscape, highlighting emerging trends and creative solutions, as well as needs and opportunities."
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Ovshinsky, the panelists, and the audience touched on many of the other topics set forth by Nelson and although they are too numerous to fully cover in this space -- listen to Ovshinsky interviewed about the event and the local food economy in this WDET radio feature -- we hope that the event will be a jumping-off point for these conversations to continue among Detroit's current and future food entrepreneurs, concerned citizens and food lovers.

Sounds like a great evening. As I wrote yesterday, exciting things are happening here in Detroit, and I wouldn't miss living here for the world.