Food for thought from the Rome Sustainable Food Project

Cutting cucumbers...

At the American Academy in Rome, Executive Chef Mona Talbott is showing that food can be educational, artistic, and sustainable. Over the last five years, Mona has made the Rome Sustainable Food Project (RSFP) a beloved part of the scholarly and artistic mission of the Academy: Mona and others train interns in the kitchen, gardening and food preparation take place where others can watch and join in, and the chefs write books about their work. Throughout, the kitchen team does its best to connect those who eat the food to the network of local organic farmers who produce it.

The benefits of a project like RSFP for the Academy are clear. Suddenly, invitations to meals are coveted. People are excited to spend time with each other over delicious food, and feel well-nourished. The seasonal and largely traditional food connects the people eating it to the land and culture around them. By tying the food to the educational and artistic mission of the institution, Mona helps people see it as more than just a service.

In turn, Mona says, teaching makes her a better cook. She thinks it's important that people preparing food identify with something bigger than just chopping vegetables. Cooking is a way of working towards a mission, of expressing a point of view: For example, the RSFP resists the American idea that "more is more." Instead of producing a food-court-like smorgasbord of different options, Mona's kitchen team "edits" the choices available. The spread is focused, healthy, and artistic, sustaining the scholars of the Academy both physically and mentally.

Mona thinks many other institutions offer opportunities to transform ordinary dining experiences into something special, like she has done with the Rome Sustainable Food Project. I agree.

 Scholars at the Academy can admire the herbs and produce RSFP grows in this garden.