Columbus, OH Food Revolution Day

Columbus, OH Food Revolution Day

Fri 11 May 2012

Story by Ashley S. Maiberger
 

What Happened To Macaroni And Cheese?



How did pasta, cheese and dairy turn to corn syrup solids, maltodextrin, and sodium tripolyphosphate?

Some might call me nostalgic, but all I want for our American families is the same quality ingredients and love that my mother put into our family dinners when I was a kid.

The Importance Of Feeding Our Children Meals With Real Food



That is why when I saw Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on television; I knew that I had to find a way to be a part of his movement. I wanted to take what he brought to Huntington, WV to my hometown of Columbus, OH. In Columbus, we are proud of our team, our heritage and our mid-western family values, and I knew that teaming with the Food Revolution would give me a great chance to communicate the importance of feeding our children meals with real food.

Now I am the Central Ohio Ambassador for the Revolution, and I quickly found out that I could not do it on my own. I have recruited two motivated volunteers, Beth Urban and Kristin Bell, to help me tackle the exciting challenge ahead.

Food Revolution Booth



For our first campaign, is participating in the “Taste of Dine Originals,” being held by Dine Originals Columbus. The event is a celebration of local food and restaurateurs, and we will be hosting a booth promoting the Food Revolution. The booth will be based on the mystery behind the macaroni and cheese sold in grocery stores across the country.

A simple recipe with natural foods has been transformed like a villain in a Marvel Comic episode. This story stars “Boxed Mac,” a science experiment gone terribly wrong that took a delicious American classic and transformed it into a vicious boxed food by-product.

We are going to show the list of insidious ingredients that created “Boxed Mac,” and in turn, give a recipe and sample of a natural mac-and-cheese made with our villains worst enemy, Fresh Green Broccoli!

A key component to our success will be raising funds for our efforts. At the event we will be selling branded Cbus Food Revolution t-shirts.

We’ll also be proactive with marketing through social media. We have a Columbus Facebook page, and a Columbus twitter account @Cbusfoodrev, that will keep our targeted audience in the loop about Food Revolutions abroad and at home.

They say Ohio is the “Heart of it All,” we say the “Heart of it All” is feeding our children real food made with love and pride.

About the author: Ashley Maiberger loves culinary arts and promoting a healthy, natural lifestyle. Her interest in food was sparked by the attention that her mom put into their family dinners when Ashley was a child. In memory of those meals, Ashley wants to join the Food Revolution to bring back that sense of pride to kitchens across the country.