Unprocessed

Parker Brook is the founder of Lovebird Cereal, a family-run brand on a mission to “clean up junk food” with real, nutrient-dense ingredients you can actually pronounce. After years working at General Mills, Parker became a dad and that changed everything. He walked away from the corporate food world to make a cereal he’d be proud to serve his daughter, free from glyphosate, artificial dyes, and ultra-processed fillers.
In this conversation, we discuss:

• The hidden health costs of conventional cereal and processed food

• The challenge of competing with subsidized, artificially cheap products
• How grassroots consumer choices can transform the food system
• The role of ingredient transparency and trust in building lasting change

Dr. Molly Anderson is a food systems expert and author of "Transforming Food Systems" (2024). With decades of experience in research, teaching, and food system planning at local, state, and regional levels, she has witnessed firsthand the environmental and social costs of industrial agriculture and champions agroecological alternatives that prioritize both planetary and human health.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The hidden costs of CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations)
• The difference between organic farming and agroecology, and why both matter
• The New England Food Vision and the push for 30% regional food production by 2030
• How consumers can navigate a food system designed to hide the true costs of cheap meat and produce

Kendra Atkins is a mom of 3, Youtuber, and health enthusiast who has been creating content for over 13 years and has hundreds of thousands of subscribers. She advocates for from-scratch cooking, raises backyard chickens, makes weekly sourdough bread, and maintains a household focused on avoiding processed foods and plastics. As both a content creator and mother, Kendra balances sharing health knowledge with navigating the challenges of social media and raising children with proper nutrition awareness.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• From-scratch cooking
• The benefits of raising backyard chickens for fresh eggs
• Teaching children about nutrition and healthy eating habits
• Avoiding processed foods and plastic packaging concerns

• Managing social media challenges as a health content creator

Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health Emerita at New York University and a widely cited authority on how industry and policy shape what we eat. She has written seminal books—including Food Politics, Unsavory Truth, her 2022 memoir Slow Cooked, and The Fish Counter (2025)—and continues to advise national bodies on nutrition and public-health issues. In this episode, we discuss:

- The critical role of government in breaking (and fixing) the American food system

- The decline of small scale family farming

- How consumers can make conscious food choices at the store or market

- The importance cooking literacy plays in healthy eating across economic backgrounds

- What makes shopping for fish and seafood uniquely difficult

Jared Seidman is a content creator, college student, and local food enthusiast. With his unique perspective as a 20-year old committed to health and wellness, this episode dives into:

    ⁃    The benefits and challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in college

    ⁃    Navigating buzzwords and claims at the grocery store and farmers market

    ⁃    Combining modern tech with ancestral wisdom for optimal wellness

    ⁃    The importance of balance

    ⁃    The problem with health influencers

Dave Chapman is the co-director of the Real Organic Project, owner of Long Wind Farm in Vermont, and a passionate advocate for soil-based organic agriculture. With decades of experience, Dave has served on the USDA Hydroponic Task Force, is a founding member of Vermont Organic Farmers, and actively participates in the Policy Committee of the Organic Farmers Association. He has been at the forefront of the movement to "Keep the Soil in Organic" and works tirelessly to protect the integrity of organic standards.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Problems with organic certification
• The critical importance of soil health
• Corporate monopolies in our food system
• Nutritional differences in true organic produce
• The fight for transparency in food labeling

Kyle Rasch is the owner of Third Leaf Farm, an organic apple farm with nearly 200 varieties of apples and other produce, continuing the legacy as a third generation farmer. In this podcast, we discuss:

• What he's learned traveling the world seeing different farming practices
• How Third Leaf Farm uses organic and regenerative practices, while being at the forefront of using technology and analytics
• The unique things the Third Leaf team does to cultivate the soil
• The wave of next generation farmers taking over family farms

Sylvan Table is a farm-to-table restaurant in Sylvan Lake, MI committed to exceptionally crafted local food and environmental sustainability. We are happy to be joined by Nicole Ryan, the owner of Sylvan Table, and Chris Gadulka, the executive chef.

In this podcast, we cover:

• What has contributed to the overwhelming success of Sylvan Table since opening in 2021
• The types of consumers drawn to the local dining and why
• How seasonality impacts menu planning and business operations, especially being located in the Midwest
• The challenges of maintaining a true farm-to-table models that consumers might realize
• The relationship with farm partners and nuances of departing from the traditional restaurant sourcing model
• How a seasonal dish goes from concept to table
• What aspiring farm-to-table restaurateurs should know before they open
• And much more!

Locavana's new Director of Marketing, Ben Johnston, joins Chris and Seth to discuss his journey to Locavana and his passion for local food. In this podcast, we also cover key issues in the food supply chain, such as glyphosate, imports, mislabeling, and greenwashing, and what Locavana is doing to help fight against these problems.

Christine O’Driscoll and Carly VanDuinen are the co-founders of New Growth Project — a non-profit, “better than Organic” farm in Rockford, Michigan that employs individuals with cognitive differences.

In this podcast, we cover:

• What qualities make farm work fulfilling and well-suited for individuals with cognitive differences
• Agro-therapy and the physical and mental benefits of low-stimulation, outdoor work
• The importance of chemical-free agriculture
• The relationship between soil health and the nutrient value in food
• Why Organic certification isn’t always the best indicator of food quality
• and more!

New Growth Project CSA members can have their produce delivered by Locavana and bundles will be available for all customers soon at Locavana.com.