Mile High Locavorist

I believe in beer. – Andy Nelson Locavore Beer Works is a small brewery and bar west of Old Town Littleton on Denver’s south side. Founders and Brewmasters Andy Nelson and Jason Reinhardt were long-time home brewers who also shared a belief in eating and spending locally. In October 2013, they decided to take their brewing game to the next level and within 13 months, they opened the doors. Locavore Beer Works reflects both their taste in beer as well as their commitment to local sourcing. Andy and Jason still love connecting with home brewers in their neighborhood brewery. When we talked to Andy and Jason in April 2015, they’d only been in business five months but had already built a solid following and they’re still going strong now as of this writing. – IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN – What home brewing was like before the Internet How local beer movement is a partnership with the local food movement What ingredients are easy to source locally and which aren’t What the biggest surprises are going home brewi

“It’s more courageous and if it fails, we usually learn a whole bunch along the way that ultimately leads to something else. So I embrace anybody that wants to try something now.” – Tim Lymberopoulos Tim Lymberopoulos runs Fooducopia Restaurant and Corner Store in Denver’s East Washington Park neighborhood. He also happens to be a commercial airline pilot. While Tim was flying and eating all over the country, he discovered that the most delicious, soulful food was grown nearby and picked at the height of freshness. Tim discovered local, seasonal eating and he was hooked. With the help of Executive Chef Richard Glover, what started as an online artisanal marketplace has grown into an award-winning restaurant (Westword’s Best Brunch 2014…without a liquor license), corner store and neighborhood meeting place in East Washington Park. And all the while, Fooducopia’s been committed to local, organic and small artisanal producers both in the restaurant and in the corner store. Chef Richard’s 25-acre farm in Conifer

Andy Nowak is a pioneer and national thought leader in the school garden and garden-to-cafeteria movement. From 2001-2012, Andy led efforts to bring gardening (60 gardens!), fresh produce (2.5 tons / year!), agricultural literacy and so much more into the lives of elementary school children in Denver Public Schools (DPS). From this pioneering work with Slow Food Denver, Andy joined the national leadership of Slow Food USA as their Director of the National School Garden Program. Today, Andy is carrying his message to an ever wider audience and making a positive difference in the lives of more children and in the landscape of more communities. – IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN – What “slow food” means How learning to eat well is easiest with kids How DPS school gardens program started Why peanuts are the best plant to turn kids on to gardening What it’s like to be a kid in a school with a garden program How changing big organizations requires working from the inside How partnerships drive adoption and ensure sus

This is Part 2 of a two-part episode. Chef Frank Bonanno is one of Denver’s most successful restaurateurs. Since opening Mizuna (which he still calls “his baby”) in 2001, he’s opened a total of 10 distinct restaurants and bars. These concepts range from high-end French and Italian to Japanese noodles and from bbq and pizza to a deli modeled after those from his New Jersey childhood, plus a pie shop. He’s also Executive Producer and Host of Chef Driven on Rocky Mountain PBS. Frank Bonanno grew up in New Jersey and spent a lot of his childhood cooking with his mother and sister. He cooked his way through college as he earned a degree in Finance & Accounting from the University of Denver. Graduating in the early 90s, the tough economy pushed him into the kitchen once again at the successful (but now defunct) Fozzie’s Restaurant in Cherry Creek. A little BS, tenacity and, of course, skill moved Frank up the restaurant food chain and he eventually graduated from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde

This is Part 1 of a two-part episode. Chef Frank Bonanno is one of Denver’s most successful restaurateurs. Since opening Mizuna (which he still calls “his baby”) in 2001, he’s opened a total of 10 distinct restaurants and bars. These concepts range from high-end French and Italian to Japanese noodles and from bbq and pizza to a deli modeled after those from his New Jersey childhood, plus a pie shop. He’s also Executive Producer and Host of Chef Driven on Rocky Mountain PBS. Frank Bonanno grew up in New Jersey and spent a lot of his childhood cooking with his mother and sister. He cooked his way through college as he earned a degree in Finance & Accounting from the University of Denver. Graduating in the early 90s, the tough economy pushed him into the kitchen once again at the successful (but now defunct) Fozzie’s Restaurant in Cherry Creek. A little BS, tenacity and, of course, skill moved Frank up the restaurant food chain and he eventually graduated from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde

“…Now there’s definitely such an interest in community gardening and local food production that right now, the need and the excitement about our work is overwhelming.” – Rebecca Andruska, Denver Urban Gardens In this episode, I’m talking with Shannon Spurlock (Director of Public Affairs & Policy) and Rebecca Andruska (Director of Development & Communications) with Denver Urban Gardens (DUG). Shannon started her journey with Denver Urban Gardens seven years ago as a volunteer before joining DUG full-time about five years ago. Rebecca is newer to DUG but comes from a family of gardeners and is passionate about social justice and non-profit organizations. Denver Urban Gardens is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. DUG opened its first community garden in 1970 and incorporated the group in 1985. Today, DUG operates nearly 150 all-organic community gardens throughout Metro Denver, including more than 40 school-based community gardens. In addition community gardens, DUG operates a community farm,

Debbie started her first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in 2008. She grew up on a ranch in Wyoming growing food with her mom. Debbie says, “growing food is in my genes.” She describes the benefits and outcomes of growing local and organic food in many ways. Local, seasonal, organic food: connects and creates communities and brings people together everyone loves great food is at the intersection of small business, biodiversity, and clean water crosses political boundaries lessens waste and most importantly, it simply tastes better! – IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN – Why CSA’s are so important How to join Farm Yard CSA (or most any CSA, really) How to live your values by supporting your local CSA How a CSA works How to think about your food: reading labels and not just the signs at your local grocery store Why organic matters What you typically get when you join a CSA What to do with those awkwardly shaped veggies! Beets really are amazing! How CSAs automate great food choices for you and expand your f

Dana Miller and Michael Anderson are omnipresent figures in the local food movement in Denver. If there’s a meeting, event or gathering around Denver’s food, you can bet you’ll find one or both of them. They are what network experts might call “super connectors” – they know just about everybody. In the interview, we repeatedly use the word “movement.” In this context, we mean the “local food movement,” the overall, multifaceted effort to shift from the prevailing chemical industrial food system to a local, sustainable model. Both Michael and Dana have been engaged in local food in Denver for about ten years. While they work together in the leadership of Grow Local Colorado, they each have other organizations and projects underway from community engagement to publishing. While we could have spent all our time just talking their respective efforts, I asked Dana and Michael to speak about Denver’s local food movement from a big picture perspective. Where have we come from, where are we now and we are we going? W

In this, the introductory episode to Mile High Locavorist, your host Nate Reyher flies solo to introduce the podcast and himself.  – IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN – The primary content, format and schedule of the show The kind of guests and interviews you'll hear on the show The goal this show is trying to achieve, for listeners, the wider Denver community and communities like it The definition of locavore and locavorism The kind of food we you going to talk about, plus thoughts on organic The definition of local i.e.) the geographic focus of the show A bit about Nate, his story and motivation Details on how this show is currently funded The people and businesses that have helped Nate put this show together – LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE – Check out the Resources Page on the website to find books, movies and websites I recommend to deepen your understanding about food and the importance of local, seasonal eating – THANKS FOR LISTENING – This episode Introductory Episode | Learn About The