GOOD Q&A: Erika Lesser

It’s that time again–time to learn a little bit about the individuals behind our nonprofit partners. Today, we’d like to acquaint you with Slow Food USA Executive Director Erika Lesser. Bright, charming, and passionate, she’s finding ways make good food a priority and shorten the food chain in so doing.

What does a $20 donation do for Slow Food?

A $20 donation helps us identify one more person who gives a damn about good food. In a lot of ways Slow Food is based on the idea that membership organizations (whether by becoming a member or in any way putting your money where your mouth is) are a way to say that I want to see change in the food system and I’m willing to participate in that change. We’re aiming for a food system that is good, clean, and fair. We’re just looking for people who believe in that idea who will be a part of the solution…

What does Slow Food actually do?

More specifically, as I mentioned, we are a membership organization. And the goal is to create a network of people all over the world who are interested in the philosophy of Slow Food…A lot of what we promote is about food traditions, food biodiversity, and cultural diversity. A lot of that information and the tools and those things are also lists of endangered foods that we’d like more farmers to start growing again or specific types of artisan traditions that are in danger of dying out unless we as consumers increase the demand for them…

Read the complete interview here.

Visit Slow Food’s Choose GOOD page here.