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Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/654717
Nischan grew up in a family of farm- ers, and he says he learned to cook using just-picked foods. When he entered the restaurant industry, he was alarmed by the quality of the ingredients coming through the back door. "It was not nearly as good as the food that you'd find on my grandfather's farm—the product just wasn't as fresh." So, he says, he decided to go out to the farmers himself to buy from them what exactly he needed. "Then I had to convince the farm- ers to grow it," he adds. While Nischan was an early propo- nent of true farm-to-table cooking, he says a family illness compelled him to fight for more access to healthy fruits and vegetables for everyone. "When my son, Chris, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, I made the connection between food and human health," he says. "I learned what I shouldn't be feeding my son, and I started learning about people struggling with poverty. The affordability was the biggest barrier for them, being able to get really great fruits and vegetables." Nischan adds, "Everyone, regardless of income, should be able to put good ingredients on the table for their fam- ily; I just needed to figure out a way to get around that barrier." Wholesome Wave has helped with that but, as Nischan notes, "There's so much work to be done. We're reaching thousands of people, but there are 45 mil- lion Americans who need that ripe tomato on the table tonight for dinner. We need to keep looking at other opportunities to increase affordability for our underserved consumers. We've accomplished some really cool stuff, but we're just barely scratching the surface." He believes—and hopes—that, espe- cially in this election year, Americans will make their voices heard when it comes to issues that impact them. "Consumers are citizens and they vote more with their dol- lars than they ever do at the polls. People who are struggling with poverty—they can change elections. Nineteen million people who are struggling with poverty are eligible to vote—what would happen if those 19 million people showed up at the polls and just voted on food issues? It would be an opportunity for us to reclaim democracy the way it was designed, through food." Nischan is incredibly hopeful and proud of the next generation of chefs who are as passionate as he is about making the world a better place. "When I came into the business, it was at a time when chefs hated each other. They hid things from each other because they saw each other as dangerous competitors in a hostile environment," he remembers. "But you look at how things are today and you have all these chefs who are collaborating with one another. In every community that I've ever gone to, I've always been able to find other chefs who are able to come together and say, 'hey, if we all pitch in and buy from these producers, we can help them.' The way that the broader chef community comes together around issues of food and takes action is frickin' awesome." He also believes that the "genuine hos- pitality" that comes with being a chef makes them a natural fit for "going beyond the walls of the kitchen and taking these unique talents, and applying them to the broader community they're in. It's powerful and it's awesome. And I do think the food system is changing, and the chef community has a lot to do with that." One thing that won't change? Nischan's commitment to advocacy. "I'm never going to stop," he says. "They can count on me being a chef and advocate until the last breath squeezes out." "Consumers are citizens and they vote more with their dollars than they ever do at the polls." Reinterpreting Fine Dining in San Francisco A s owner and chef of the two-Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn as well as its more rustic counterpart, Petit Crenn, vision is crucial to all Dominique Crenn does. Like an artist, she approaches her dishes not only with creativity and innovation, but thoughtfulness, pay- ing close attention to every component. "I want to create a place where people will look at a way of dining a little bit different." Traditional fine dining, she continues, consists of "perfect- ly manicured food, but sometimes people don't really tell you where the food comes from." At Atelier Crenn, her menu isn't a standard list of dishes and ingredients—it's an VISI NAR D INI CR NN PHOTO: STEPHANIE HUA 24 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com