Origins

Franklin and Poe Trust Company is a veteran-owned consultancy and retail store committed to providing the highest quality clothing and goods for men and women. Owners Chris Caquelin and Andrew Li specialize in American-made quality clothing and durable goods, from raw selvedge denim and Red Wing boots to natural beauty products.

Old Westminster Winery is the project of three siblings with one vision: to put Maryland wine on the map. Their meticulous vineyard care and cellar work yield wines that display complexity, character and -- most importantly -- are a joy to drink. A bottle of wine reflects its maker’s passion and creativity. Wild yeast fermentations, sparing additions and minimal intervention are key to crafting wines that are expressive of our soil, climate and geography.

This week's guest on ORIGINS is Mike Curtin, CEO of DC Central Kitchen. After graduating from Williams College in 1986 with a BA in Religion, Mike lived and

worked in Osaka, Japan as a teacher, copywriter, and bartender at his neighborhood pub. Upon

returning to the US, Mike began a 20-year career in the hospitality business, which included

owning and operating his own restaurant, The Broad Street Grill in Falls Church, Virginia, before

joining DC Central Kitchen (DCCK).

When Mike joined DCCK in 2004, he drew on his experiences as an entrepreneur in the

restaurant business to expand the Kitchen’s social enterprise program from less than $500,000

in 2005 to over $7 million in 2014. Under his leadership, DCCK’s social enterprise portfolio

expanded from a small catering outfit to include a full-service catering, contract meals, locally-

sourced, scratched-cooked school meals and a wholesale program that delivers fresh produce

and healthy snacks to corner stores in Washington, DC’s food deserts.

Richfield Farm is a family owned and operated vegetable, fruit, and flower farm based out of Manchester, MD serving Maryland, DC, and Virginia farmer's markets and restaurants for over thirty years.

Andrew Bahrenburg is the National Policy Director for the National Young Farmers Coalition. Prior to that, he worked for years as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives before returning to his native Vermont to farm organic specialty crops and pastured poultry. Andrew has served as an instructor in the University of Vermont's Farmer Training Program, as a founding member and organizer for the Vermont Young Farmers Coalition, and as the policy advocate for Rural Vermont. He holds a B.A. in political science from Macalester College.

This week's guests on Origins are the Vetter Brothers, proprietors of Tessemae’s, the nation's best tasting #1 selling Organic salad dressing and condiment company.

Chef Spike Gjerde is joined by the legendary Alice Waters on a special episode of ORIGINS. Alice Waters is a chef, author, food activist, and the founder and owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California. She has been a champion of local sustainable agriculture for over four decades. In 1995 she founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, which advocates for a free school lunch for all children and a sustainable food curriculum in every public school. She has been Vice President of Slow Food International since 2002. She conceived and helped create the Yale Sustainable Food Project in 2003, and the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy in Rome in 2007. Her honors include election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007; the Harvard Medical School’s Global Environmental Citizen Award, which she shared with Kofi Annan in 2008; and her induction into the French Legion of Honor in 2010. In 2015 she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama, proving that eating is a political act, and that the table is a powerful means to social justice and positive change. Alice is the author of fifteen books, including New York Times bestsellers The Art of Simple Food I & II and The Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea.

Preservation expert Lauren Sandler of Canning Shed joins ORIGINS to discuss the ins and outs of canning, preservation and sustainability at large.

Jon Shaw has been using all natural, sustainable, raised bed, no-till methods for many years. Jon operates what might be called a large “market garden” in Monkton, Maryland that sits on some of the best soil in the state. He enjoys experimenting by growing unusual plants including heirloom varieties while trying to extend their season without the use of fossil fuel based heating.

Nat Shaw has been working in his Dad’s garden since he was a child. As a student of Entrepreneurship at the University of Baltimore, he began researching vertical hydroponic vegetable growth and found Freight Farm’s Leafy Green Machine. After working with a team to develop a feasibility study, Nat convinced his father to consider using an LGM to supply Karma Farm’s restaurant customers with leafy greens through the entire year. The result… Karma Farm Leafy Green Machine, coming April 2017!