Terra Madre - Short essay #4
Please describe 1-2
experiences, if any, that highlight your relationship to the Slow Food or Terra
Madre networks. If you have not previously interacted with Slow Food or Terra
Madre, please tell us how you or your organization might build a relationship
with these networks.
Michael Thompson is a founder of the Chicago HoneyCo-op. He vends honey and beeswax
products at the same market our farm does. I’ve gotten to know him well over
the past seven years – from the market as well as running into each other at
various local food and farming functions through the Chicago region. Michael has been a leader in local foods,
biological diversity, “slow food,” and urban agriculture for decades.
In 2008, Michael and his partner, Sydney, attended Terra
Madre as delegates. When I asked him
about his trip, he told me: “Jody, I generally don’t put a lot of stock in the
phrase ‘a life changing experience,’ but I have to tell you; it (Terra Madre)
changed my life.” Ever since that conversation, I’ve wanted to be a Terra Madre
delegate.
