Help Naomi Study Food Justice
Donation protected
Hi there!
If you don’t know me, my name is Naomi Silverman and I am 26 years old. I am hoping to raise money to help fulfill my long-time dream of attending a holistic, plant-based culinary school called the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, located in Austin, Texas. For years, I have been finding and looking for ways to bring my two passions together - food and social justice - and I feel this is the most important step I can take to build a meaningful career that allows me to make true social change through food.
I have been involved with food and social justice in many ways, whether it was teaching kids about food and farming, growing and cooking organic food alongside and for homeless trainees, running a CSA, cooking for two-hundred children at an after-school program, teaching kids cooking classes, and for the past 3 years, working at Habitat for Humanity, raising funds for affordable housing.
This is a big financial undertaking, particularly because it's not a traditional unviersity and doesn't offer financial aid or loans, so I am reaching out to friends, family, and strangers who may be able to contribute to help fund this next step, and support me in becoming a powerful advocate for healthy food in my community. Anything you are able to contribute, whether a little or a lot, will make a difference and will mean so much to me. School starts at the end of September, so I am hoping to raise $5000 in the next few months, which will fund close to a third of culinary school!
I am planning to build a career that uses healthy food as a means of social change. Along these lines, I have several goals:
-Partner with agencies such as schools, universities, hospitals, and health care providers, and provide them with the tools to maintain nutritious, plant-based food options in their cafeterias.
-Find engaging ways to create future advocates of food justice and healthy eating through kids cooking classes, tastings, and demos, particularly in underserved populations.
-Work with communities to address issues of food access and increase the presence of healthy food options, without destroying local culture or displacing native residents and businesses.
-Work one on one with people with disease, chronic illnesses, food sensitivities, and emotional food issues to develop unique diets and meal plans that support their overall health and happiness.
-Write a cookbook, share my passion for plant-based foods, and cook for my friends, family, and all the people that are supporting me through this journey.
More about the school:
The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts is a professional culinary arts training school devoted to conscious cooking and a health supportive, plant based diet. We embrace a holistic view of health and believe that diet, when consciously and masterfully designed, can support health on all levels. We are committed to the belief that there is no one diet that suits every person’s health needs.
The Natural Epicurean trains professional chefs in the theory and practice of meal planning and preparation in a wide variety of styles: macrobiotic, ayurvedic, classical vegetarian, vegan and raw foods. We emphasize the preparation of locally available, seasonal natural foods to please the senses and promote health. Students are trained in the business skills and ethics necessary to prepare them for rewarding culinary careers as entry level chefs, cooks, personal chefs and as proprietors of their own businesses.
http://naturalepicurean.com/professional-culinary-program/
Thank you so much for reading my story; please contribute anything you are able, and spread the word to anyone who might be interested in supporting an aspiring plant based chef and activist!
If you don’t know me, my name is Naomi Silverman and I am 26 years old. I am hoping to raise money to help fulfill my long-time dream of attending a holistic, plant-based culinary school called the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, located in Austin, Texas. For years, I have been finding and looking for ways to bring my two passions together - food and social justice - and I feel this is the most important step I can take to build a meaningful career that allows me to make true social change through food.
I have been involved with food and social justice in many ways, whether it was teaching kids about food and farming, growing and cooking organic food alongside and for homeless trainees, running a CSA, cooking for two-hundred children at an after-school program, teaching kids cooking classes, and for the past 3 years, working at Habitat for Humanity, raising funds for affordable housing.
This is a big financial undertaking, particularly because it's not a traditional unviersity and doesn't offer financial aid or loans, so I am reaching out to friends, family, and strangers who may be able to contribute to help fund this next step, and support me in becoming a powerful advocate for healthy food in my community. Anything you are able to contribute, whether a little or a lot, will make a difference and will mean so much to me. School starts at the end of September, so I am hoping to raise $5000 in the next few months, which will fund close to a third of culinary school!
I am planning to build a career that uses healthy food as a means of social change. Along these lines, I have several goals:
-Partner with agencies such as schools, universities, hospitals, and health care providers, and provide them with the tools to maintain nutritious, plant-based food options in their cafeterias.
-Find engaging ways to create future advocates of food justice and healthy eating through kids cooking classes, tastings, and demos, particularly in underserved populations.
-Work with communities to address issues of food access and increase the presence of healthy food options, without destroying local culture or displacing native residents and businesses.
-Work one on one with people with disease, chronic illnesses, food sensitivities, and emotional food issues to develop unique diets and meal plans that support their overall health and happiness.
-Write a cookbook, share my passion for plant-based foods, and cook for my friends, family, and all the people that are supporting me through this journey.
More about the school:
The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts is a professional culinary arts training school devoted to conscious cooking and a health supportive, plant based diet. We embrace a holistic view of health and believe that diet, when consciously and masterfully designed, can support health on all levels. We are committed to the belief that there is no one diet that suits every person’s health needs.
The Natural Epicurean trains professional chefs in the theory and practice of meal planning and preparation in a wide variety of styles: macrobiotic, ayurvedic, classical vegetarian, vegan and raw foods. We emphasize the preparation of locally available, seasonal natural foods to please the senses and promote health. Students are trained in the business skills and ethics necessary to prepare them for rewarding culinary careers as entry level chefs, cooks, personal chefs and as proprietors of their own businesses.
http://naturalepicurean.com/professional-culinary-program/
Thank you so much for reading my story; please contribute anything you are able, and spread the word to anyone who might be interested in supporting an aspiring plant based chef and activist!
Organizer
Naomi Hannah
Organizer
Berkeley, CA