Last week, I attended the 40th Annual National Food Policy Conference, organized by the Consumer Federation of America, in Washington DC. The conference was a great convening of people working in government, academia, philanthropy, for-profit, and nonprofit entities related to food. Keynotes and panels addressed wide ranging issues, including state and local policy, big data...

KK&Ps anticipated project in Oneonta, NY, the Susquehanna Regional Craft Food & Beverage Hub, has just unveiled floor plans for its proposed space. The future regional food hub is intended as a flagship location for education and entrepreneurship, with the first floor housing a shared commercial kitchen and local food producers, the second floor committed to...

The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), located in Queens, NY, has engaged Karen Karp & Partners to identify, recruit and select a new foodservice operator for its dining operations. NYSCI is a hands-on, educational experience that fosters science-based curiosity and creativity. Founded at the 1964-65 World’s Fair, NYSCI has evolved into New York’s center...

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has awarded Value Added and Regional Food System Grants to nine projects throughout the state. Rainbow Packing Inc. of Escanaba, the region’s only USDA-inspected slaughter and processing facility, was awarded $100,000, which will go towards expanding their facility to keep pace with meat processing needs in the...

An exploratory interview with Shayna Cohen, Sr. Consultant at KK&P, has been integrated into the curriculum for a graduate level planning course titled “Planning Practice & History” at Cornell University. The interview and resulting paper focus on Shayna and KK&Ps work to develop a wholesale farmer’s market in New York City featuring growers from NY...

Agriculture and food entrepreneurship have great potential to drive placemaking and create destinations for tourists and local residents, whether in small towns or major urban centers. By developing bespoke concepts and responsive strategies to reconnect a place to its food and agricultural economies, we help communities capitalize on the potential of their regional assets and...

Increasing the use of sustainable practices and scaling production are long-range goals for regional meat networks. Livestock producers and processors encounter challenges meeting the growing demand from consumers for higher-quality meat. KK&P’s meat industry-related projects focus on leveraging existing assets and increasing opportunities for small farmers to grow into their regional demand and accomplish goals...

The interconnection between Food & Health continues to be brought to the forefront of public discourse. Leaders from various fields are more motivated than ever to collaborate to strengthen the bond between good food and good health, resulting in improved health outcomes and quality of life, and meeting general consumer demands for healthier, more sustainably...

“I imagine a day when we don’t have to state the obvious interconnection between food and health — that it just is.” The above statement was made by a participant at our November 2016 “Future of Food and Health” Salon, and catalyzed nearly four hours of discussion about innovation and interconnection to advance the vision...

Thundermist Health Center of Rhode Island challenged Karen Karp & Partners (KK&P) to develop a comprehensive strategy to transform Woonsocket’s food system. Thundermist is a progressive, federally qualified health center, with many partners in the Woonsocket community. KK&Ps project would be intended to complement the state Department of Health’s “health equity” mission: to implement place-based...

In 2013, Book & Plow Farm became resident at Amherst College, providing for sales of locally-grown produce to dining services. Additionally, the farm offered a pick-your-own farm for the campus community and a variety of educational programs for both the campus and surrounding area. The farm grew rapidly, and now has over 40 acres in...

Hands on Hartford, a CT-based social services non-profit, recently moved into a new building that had once housed a restaurant. As an organization focused on, among other things, hunger relief and food oriented services, they wanted to explore how to leverage the kitchen and cafe space to support their mission to “change lives and renew...