Meet the "Mayor" of Melrose at the Bronx Food Summit

Tomorrow, Saturday May 1st you can meet me, the "Mayor" of Melrose as well as a bunch of other great Melrose residents, business owners (such as Darada David of PeaceLove Cafe)and Bronxites as well at the first ever Bronx Food Summit at Hostos Community College from 9AM - 5PM.


Please come meet members of the South Bronx Food Cooperative, which is located right here in Melrose, who will be facilitating the following workshop from 11:45am - 12:45pm:


CLASSROOM 462What is a food co-op and why are they important?
South Bronx Food Cooperative
Not exactly sure what a food cooperative is and how it can benefit you and your community?  Come and find out exactly what a cooperative is, how it functions as well as how it is integrated into the very fabric of our communities.  Learn the difference between a cooperative and your traditional bodegas and supermarkets as well as how you can take control of where your food comes from.


And from 2:30pm - 3:30pm you can come and listen to me speak on the following Panel Discussion:


Afternoon Panel Discussion #1:  C-390 STUDENT LOUNGEHealthy Food Now! Exploring Food "Deserts" and Alternative Solutions for Bronx Communities
Moderator:  Paula Lukats, CSA in NYC Program Manager, Just Food
Panelists:  Kim Latimer-Nelligan, Chief Operating Officer, Low Income Investment Fund; Kate Scallion, Food and Fitness Business Development Coordinator, NYC EDC; Ed Garcia, Board of Directors President, South Bronx Food Cooperative; Christina Grace, Manager Urban Food Systems Program, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets; Robert Volosin, Chief Operating Officer, Inner City Development 
A food "desert" is defined as a specific area lacking access to healthy food options due to a shortage of supermarkets and places to buy fresh food. In place of supermarkets and places to by fresh  food, there's an abundance of fast food chains, dollar stores and bodegas selling highly processed, poor quality food. Many health care professionals believe there's direct relationship between the lack of access to healthy fresh food, too many fast food chains and obesity and diabetes.  Hear directly from supermarket developers, policymakers, CSA organizers, and Food Coop owners about the issue and the solutions.


or you can attend the following workshop from 2:30pm to 3:30pm and meet Darada David, owner and operator of Melrose favorite, the healthy PeaceLove Cafe:


Afternoon Workshop #5:  CLASSROOM 454Bronx Flavors: The Television Show!
Facilitator(s):  Baron Ambrosia, Culinary Ambassador and host of Bronx Flavor; Darada David, owner of Peace Love Café; Sybil, H.I.M. Italian Restaurant
Have you ever seen the show Bronx Flavor?  Meet Baron Ambrosia, creator and producer of this TV show featuring the many different flavors of Bronx culture and the foods we eat.  Learn about one restaurant that’s keeping it real with fresh, healthy ingredients.

Bronx Food Summit Schedule:

9:00 - 10:00 am: Registration

10:00 - 11:30 am: Opening CeremoniesWelcome
Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Hostos Community College President
Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx Borough President
Special Guest Remarks

Keynote Speaker
Majora Carter, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow

11:45 - 12:45 pm: Morning Workshop Sessions

12:45 - 02:15 pm: Lunch

2:30 - 03:30 pm: Afternoon Workshop Sessions

3:45 - 04:15 pm: Celebrity Panel Discussion: "Growing Up in the Bronx - Food, Health and Family”
Kurtis Blow
Melle Mel from the Furious 5
Popmaster Fabel from The Rock Steady Crew
Rosa Clemente, Journalist, Radio Host and 2008 Vice Presidential Candidate (Green Party)
Joe Conzo, Hip Hop Celebrity Photographer, Co-Contributor "The Bronx is Burning"
Byron Hurt, Documentary Filmmaker "Soul Food Junkie" and "Beyond Beats and Rhymes"
David Greco, "Godfather of Parmigiana" (Bronx's Little Italy)
Annie Novak, Co-Founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm

04:30 - 05:00 pm: ReadNex Youth Squad poetry performance (Lunchroom)

Bronx Food Summit - May 1st, 2010

In response to The New York Times article which coined the phrase the "Bronx Paradox", when referring to the dichotomy of South Bronx residents being one of the most obese in the country as well as the hungriest in the nation, Ruben Diaz, Jr immediately responded to the statement by starting the Bronx Food Summit.

The Bronx Food Summit, which is to be held on May 1st, 2010 at Hostos Community College, is an all-day event starting at 9am and ending at 5pm which will connect Bronxites with food justice advocates, schools, community organizations and businesses to have a discussion on what options are available to our borough's residents for healthier eating.  Information will be disseminated through various hands-on workshops and seminars and as an incentive to invite more Bronxites, a FREE HEALTHY LUNCH will be provided.

I know everyone is probably saying, healthy eating in the Bronx?  Well let's not forget three Melrose favorites:  PeaceLove Cafe, the first health food cafe in the South Bronx (let's not forget their poetry slams on Thursdays and live jazz on Fridays and Saturdays), Coqui Mexicano - the Puerto Rican/Mexican fusion spot with a good selection of healthy items (and spontaneous gatherings of musicians playing traditional bomba and plena music of Puerto Rico) and of course the South Bronx Food Cooperative (who is one of the sponsors of the Bronx Food Summit), a community owned and operated alternative to big name and for profit supermarkets.  Organic produce, products and bulk items like rice, pasta, nuts and dried fruit abound and not to mention Yoga classes 3 times a week and free cooking classes Monday evenings at 6:30PM.