As I was finally getting around to listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Edible Radio, I heard an incredible interview of the indomitable Dr. Joan Gussow. A young 81, Dr. Gussow is THE pioneer in the locovore movement, THE pioneer in connecting food to everything – energy, health, climate change – in short, one of the inspirations for me to go and be audacious, quit my job, and start Zomppa.

Source: Edible Manhattan

I first met Dr. Gussow as a doctoral student when I decided to take her class in Nutritional Ecology class she and another audacious leader in the school food movement, Toni Liquori of Liquori & Associates. This was the class that finally made everything *click* for me. Six months after her class, I found myself on an organic farm, writing my dissertation in the evenings after my chores were finished. Some people thought I was crazy.

But then again, lots of people thought Dr. Gussow was a little crazy when she decided at the age of 40 to learn as much as she could about our food system and to shake things up. Shake them a lot.

Check out these great articles about this “dangerous woman.”

I am not the only inspired by Dr. Gussow. Folks, like Michael Pollan, credit her for paving the way when there was no way. She wrote about issues (i.e. energy crisis and food) thirty years ago, issues that still ring true today. She spoke out before it was trendy to talk about organic food, local farmer’s market, and CSAs. She still grows all her food in a small plot in her New York home, which I had the privilege of visiting.

To hear this fantastic interview of this audacious pioneer, gardener, professor, educator, writer, click on the photo below. It will be well worth your time.

Source: Edible Radio

Dr. Gussow has and continues to inspire hundreds of thousands of people and has helped to drive a whole movement. Let’s honor her boldness.