Episode 9: The Role of Chefs in Food Policy Issues

On today’s episode of Eating Matters, host Kim Kessler interviews Chef Evan Hanczor and Chef Michael Leviton to discuss the roll of chefs in food policy; a roll that is becoming more and more relevant in the recent years. Kim first allows the chefs to explain how they got into food and how they grew in the industry. They then move onto discussions regarding the need for food sustainability and the various methods of encouraging this. Evan moved to New York City in 2009, working at Locanda Verde before nabbing a spot at Brooklyn’s Egg, where he mastered the many expressions of Southern cooking. In 2012, Brooklyn’s Egg owner George Weld and Hanczor opened Parrish Hall, whose Northeastern culinary expressions and sustainable infrastructure earned Hanczor a 2013 StarChefs.com Rising Star Sustainability Award. Michael Leviton has worked with some of the world’s top chefs and finest restaurants including: Joyce Goldstein at Square One, Alain Rondelli at Ernie’s, Gilbert Le Coze, Francois Payard and Eric Ripert at Le Bernadin, Elka Gilmore at Liberté and Elka, and Daniel Boulud at Le Cirque. In 1996, Leviton moved back to Boston to serve as Executive Chef at UpStairs at the Pudding. In February 1999, he opened Lumiere in his hometown of Newton, MA. In just a short period of time, Lumiere has become one of the best restaurants in the Boston area. This show was brought to you by Tabard Inn.     “When I learned to cook, there was no such thing as sustainability as it applied to food. It’s just that if you wanted to be the best chef, you needed the best ingredients” [6:30] —Michael Leviton on Eating Matters “Bootcamp was a really interesting program for me….Chef’s interested in sustainability, there’s an easy path in making an impact through your customers, through your supply train, through where you choose to buy, how you choose to serve etc. ” [14:30] —Evan Hanczor on Eating MattersSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.