Closing the Food Disparity Gap One Food Desert at a Time
As a child when you are hungry you just run to the table with excitement, ready to eat. You do not think about where dinner comes from, it just magically appears. As someone who grew up eating anything WIC and Food Stamps, or SNAP, could buy, I was intrigued to learn more about Chef Amber Williams’ book, Surviving the Food Desert. The book shares recipes meant for the everyday cook with access to limited fresh ingredients and pantry staples.
Raised on meals pulled together by her mom from local food drive boxes, Amber is a self-taught chef who you may know from Food Network’s Supermarket Stakeout. Coming from a lineage of chefs, restaurateurs, and entrepreneurs, cooking captivated Amber at an early age. She planted herself in front of the TV, “I was stuck to the TV since I was a child, watching public access TV…[then] when we did have cable, watching Food Network.” She stalked any cooking show she could find, “When people ask me what school did I go to, I’m like ‘Oh I graduated from Food Network University.’” By the time she reached college Amber became known as the go-to person on campus for sweet treats. Her sweet sensations were in such high demand that after school one of her college friends reached out and asked Amber to make her wedding cake.
Today, after a short stint in corporate America, Amber has her own culinary business, Le Rouge, “an elevated Creole Fusion brand specializing in providing professional, customizable and unique catering solutions”. Starting super lean in the early years, Amber maintained the fire to survive on her own. “I had to define what was and what was not important, and what was and was not a necessity.”
As Amber developed her culinary career she always remembered where she came from. While teaching a culinary class at the North Texas Food Bank she also listened and learned. Attendees of her cooking classes had questions, like “What is a butternut squash?” and “How do I cook that?” The more questions came, the more she began to recognize the need for education. Not only did people in food deserts need food, but they also needed education on ways to cook the food in nutritious ways.
When Amber set out to write Surviving the Food Desert we were all in the middle of a pandemic. This time in her life inspired her not only to include recipes in the book, but there are also moments of motivation sprinkled throughout the book. Some recipes in the book are staples from her childhood such as her mom’s “Full Pack Dinner”, which is a one-pot meal or a “gift on a plate” as Amber describes it.
For anyone struggling to make something out of nothing, or trying to decide what to do with the can of beans that has been in their pantry for months, Amber says to “Be creative, don’t be afraid to substitute, use what you have, and make it your own.”
The Surviving the Food Desert Project is about “bridging accessible resources to sustainable & approachable educational programming to improve and elevate the quality of life for citizens living in food-disparaged communities in order to further close the food & health disparity gap.” Accompanying the book is a resource guide, a directory for how people can be a part of the initiative in their community and find the closest organization near them.
For any up and coming chefs who grew up with a dream like Amber’s she shares some lessons learned. “Build a community, and get up under some people; be humble, work for people, even your peers. Envision what you want for your company and define your why, don’t rely on money. Find your signature brand or dish. There are tons of resources available like the Small Business Administration, chambers of commerce, and Google.”
Surviving the Food Desert is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and more.
Discover more from Flights and Foods
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
16,317 Comments
The Genius Wave
Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web-site is very cool. I am impressed by the details that you have on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and simply could not come across. What a great site.
Mitolyn
Hello my loved one! I wish to say that this article is awesome, great written and include almost all important infos. I would like to peer extra posts like this .
HepatoBurn
What i don’t understood is actually how you are not really much more well-preferred than you may be now. You are very intelligent. You realize therefore significantly in relation to this subject, produced me in my opinion believe it from numerous varied angles. Its like men and women don’t seem to be fascinated except it is something to do with Girl gaga! Your individual stuffs nice. Always handle it up!
HepatoBurn Reviews
hello there and thank you for your info – I have definitely
picked up something new from right here.
I did however expertise several technical points using this site, since I experienced
to reload the site many times previous to I could get
it to load properly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?
Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times
will often affect your placement in google and can damage your high-quality score if advertising and
marketing with Adwords. Anyway I’m adding this RSS
to my e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective
interesting content. Make sure you update this again very soon.
HepatoBurn Reviews
HepatoBurn is a powerful health supplement crafted with natural ingredients to support liver health, promote
effective detoxification, and boost overall vitality.
Enhance your body’s natural cleansing process and maintain optimal liver function with HepatoBurn — your daily defense for a
healthier, more energized life.
Free Sugar Pro
Way cool, some valid points! I appreciate you making this article available, the rest of the site is also high quality. Have a fun.
Natural Mounjaro Recipe
The Natural Mounjaro Recipe is more than just a diet—it’s a sustainable and natural approach to weight management and overall health.
Suplier Pipa Seamless
I haven?¦t checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I?¦ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
mitolyn review
Mitolyn is a cutting-edge natural dietary supplement designed to support effective weight loss and improve overall wellness.
regalo da uomo per san valentino
I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. I am hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal blog now 😉