In Iowa: Hoping for good food for all

I love food. Like, really, really love food.

I love to eat good food. I love to try new dishes. Chopping a pile of carrots is a great way to work out some angst, and combining spices is a creative outlet with tasty results. Sharing a meal with friends or family is probably one of my favorite ways to pass the time.

Over the past few years being a foodie in Eastern Iowa has only gotten better and easier, in part as I have grown more comfortable in the kitchen and in part as American culture has focused more and more on where our food comes from.

As a case in point of how much food has become a hot topic, the University of Iowa is hosting a themed semester, 'Food for Thought,” which kicked off with a panel discussion this past Tuesday.

Panel member Kurt Friese, owner and chef at Devotay Restaurant, remarked that when he opened his downtown Iowa City eatery 18 years ago, the trendy thing was to serve food from as far-flung, exotic locales as possible. Today, that equation has shifted 180 degrees, and the buzzword is local.

He also extolled the virtues of cooking and, along with other panelists such as Iowa Girl Eats blogger Kristin Porter, encouraged people to spend more time in their kitchens.

'I've come to the conclusion that America doesn't really have a food problem, we have a cooking problem,” Friese said. 'We got bamboozled into thinking cooking is a chore, and it's not.

'It's a downright spiritual thing. It's the most tangible way we demonstrate love to our families and friends.”

I happen to agree with his philosophy, but I want to pause here.

It's easy to preach about the need to embrace cooking and buying local, organic ingredients when you have the resources to do so. It takes money to buy the freshest meat and vegetables, and it takes time to craft meals in your kitchen.

For far too many, a swing through the drive-through is the cheapest, easiest way to feed their family while they're juggling two jobs or whatever other obligations they have. And if you're feeding your family at the food bank or shopping on a strict budget, your options may be limited.

That's why I'm so impressed with organizations such as Iowa City-based Local Foods Connection and Cedar Rapids-based Feed Iowa First. Local Foods Connection aims to provide fresh, local food to low income families by purchasing community-supported agriculture shares - weekly boxes of fresh produce from area farmers.

The organization also buys goods from local farmers for places such as preschools and day cares.

Feed Iowa First, started by U.S. Army veteran Sonia Kendrick, grows food on underutilized church and business property all over town to donate to local food banks, which are constantly in need of more fresh produce.

I hope that our cultural conversations about food can keep moving beyond what we want to see on our own plates and continue supporting initiatives to make the green bounty that foodies love to talk about available to all of us.

I want other families to be able to love their food just as much as I do.