9: Comfort Food Mindfully Made

Using hyper-locally food, butchering whole animals in-house, solar power, and preserving in-season fruits and vegetables to use throughout the year, Aimee Francaes and Jess Hassinger owners of Belly of the Beast in Massachusetts feed their community without waste and with foods they can trust, eat and share. Making everything from scratch, they - and their staff - know everything goes into the menu items, how it is prepared and that it is a necessity, they are teaching what it means to be hospitable with the food with they serve. Jesse said, "It is an adventure....I think people to look at like that rather than a burden." And, Aimee, If you're not taking things seriously, you are not doing it right. "If we get enough people, or if see that there is a trend or a request for a certain thing, we will find a way to have it be part of the menu." Plus, with a mission to give back to the community, they are also producing and donating 100 meals a week to the local school system. "You will never see a tomato on our menu outside of August thru October unless it is pickled." https://www.bellyofthebeastma.com/ https://www.facebook.com/bellyofthebeastma https://www.instagram.com/bellyofthebeastma/ https://thrivemeetings.com/2020/03/tales-from-the-belly-of-the-beast-aimee-francaes/