Everyone loves food—from biting into that sandwich at your favorite neighborhood joint to selecting the perfect tomato at a farmer’s market—it is not only a prerequisite for sustaining life, but also an enjoyable aspect of our lives that brings diverse communities and cultures together. But, in order to maximize both the economic and social benefits of a food sector, a local food system must be resilient, diverse, and invested in by its surrounding community. Despite Connecticut’s relative lack of food-related infrastructure, the sector has experienced continual growth and investment. With the current ‘locavore’ trend demanding a shift toward locally-sourced food, an increase in both restaurants and farms, as well as a large conceivable workforce due to the food industry’s low barriers to entry, the local food system represents a viable route toward economic and community-based development. At reSET, we see this kind of potential for Connecticut’s food economy to sustain a robust food system and to foster a vibrant culinary community. The question is: How do we go about making this innovative food system a reality?

There may not be one concrete answer, but reSET is working to provide a collaborative forum for local food entrepreneurs to join forces in an effort to begin solving this question and optimizing Connecticut’s food system. As the kickoff event for a series on food entrepreneurship, on Thursday, June 25th reSET held ‘Food for Thought,’ a think-tank style event used to gather food entrepreneurs and conceptualize areas of interest. It set the stage for an enduring cohort of food entrepreneurs to collaborate under the common goal of fulfilling and expanding upon Connecticut’s food system potential.

While food entrepreneurs are often referred to as a homogenous group of likeminded individuals, it must be emphasized that while all are interested in food ventures, the range of actors within a given food system is quite diverse and eclectic. This diversity was represented at ‘Food for Thought,’ where our attendees included farmers, legislators, restaurateurs, small business owners, and corporate representatives. Due to the diversity of stakeholders at the event, the group’s principal question was:

What are our focus areas and collective interests for this group?

Through the evolution of the group’s discussion and collaboration, three main focus areas and goals were decided upon:

1. Building awareness & cultivating a food business community
2. Building infrastructure for a stronger food economy
3. Building business support and resources for the food sector

While these logistical goals provided a basis for solidifying the group’s common interests and intersecting points of incentive, the discussion also allowed for holistic relationship building to take place among this new food community. Throughout the conversation, connections were made, suggestions were offered, and excitement was exuded about the innovative ventures and common food-oriented goals. There was an ever-present air of innovation and camaraderie. We hope that this excitement builds and generates a cohesive food entrepreneur community throughout reSET’s food series and beyond.

As a current Community Development & Planning master’s student at Clark University in Worcester, MA and self-proclaimed avid ‘foodie,’ I have been involved in multiple food-oriented projects. Most notably, I have worked with an ongoing proposal to repurpose a Clark University building into a community food incubator targeting the large pool of immigrant ‘food-preneurs’ in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester. What struck me in particular during the ‘Food for Thought’ discussion were the commonalities between Worcester and Hartford’s food systems in terms of both their potential for social impact, lack of infrastructure, but wealth of motivated and innovative food entrepreneurs. As post-industrial manufacturing cities with diverse populations, it made sense to me that these two cities I’ve grown-up in have similar food opportunities and barriers. Likewise, the obvious knowledge of and engaged momentum toward optimizing Connecticut’s food system at ‘Food for Thought’ was exciting to someone like myself who believes in the economic benefits and community-building ability of a robust food sector.

Moving forward, the group hopes to map Connecticut’s food resources, opportunities, and barriers and to potentially split into subcommittees for more specific areas of interest.

The next food entrepreneur event is slated for Thursday July 23rd at 4 pm at reSET. We are excited to continue the conversation and to keep providing Connecticut’s food entrepreneurs with a place to collaborate for a common food objective! I am yet to find someone who doesn’t need and isn’t excited about food, so we know you have something to contribute to our ongoing food discussion—we welcome anyone and everyone to join our monthly food discussions!