Engaging Farmers, Culinary Schools, and Communities in Value-Added Production to Strengthen Local Food Systems

Authors

• Lauren B. Errickson, Rutgers Cooperative ExtensionFollow
• Ethan D. Schoolman, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
• Virginia Quick, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
• Sarah Davis, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
• Anthony Capece, Elijah's Promise

Volume

60

Issue

3

Abstract

Value-added products can generate farm income and improve community food access, yet lack of available kitchen infrastructure and labor can limit farm production capacity. This project explored how community-based culinary schools might fill the gap. A unique “product share” model was identified and piloted, meeting the collective needs of farmers, a culinary school, and urban consumers. By researching farmer crop availability and business model preferences, and aligning value-added production with community food preferences, we demonstrate a successful pilot indicative that similar initiatives can be replicated in other metropolitan areas, with potential to engage cross-disciplinary extension professionals.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Errickson, L. B., Schoolman, E. D., Quick, V., Davis, S., & Capece, A. (2022). Engaging Farmers, Culinary Schools, and Communities in Value-Added Production to Strengthen Local Food Systems. Journal of Extension, 60(3), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.60.03.04