Closed Loop Cooking Weekly Newsletter 9.4.20

September 4th, 2020

Hello dearest family,

After writing up this post for IG - How to be sustainable in a pandemic - I’ve been thinking about what it means to change the status quo. What if we could always aim to eat locally + seasonally first, support small restaurants, buy in bulk, and check in on our neighbors? What if this is the “new normal” and there’s no need to revert back to a broken food system? It’s about dang time y’all.

What if our businesses were built with the same intention? What if the work we put out into the world was intended to only support sustainable structures and conscious consumption? Let’s imagine that world for a moment.

When I quit my design role at Nike in 2017, I was met with confusion and sympathy. Why would I leave a dream role? I was uncertain myself, but I knew there had to be something else out there. A business built with compassion in mind, making a tangible impact. I didn’t know what that looked like but I had to make the jump and try.

I started posting recipes and questionable photos (ya gotta start somewhere) and we put on our first sold out, pop-up dinner in 2018. After 10 years working in restaurants, it was a magic flippin moment. (Shout out to Kaitlyn, my plant-based kitchen partner <3) We progressed with more dinners, workshops, website redesigns, and slightly better photos (Shout out to Maia for incredible content and sticking with it.) So 3 years later, through many evolutions and iterations, Closed Loop Cooking is a thing. Never feeling quite comfortable enough to call it a “business”, I kept pushing, taking the next small step, unsure of what was to come. 

Until now. Y’all after years of crafting sustainable food narratives, I am truly proud to share the Closed Loop Cooking Studio. The space I’ve always been working towards. Y’all, WE’RE LAUNCHING A STUDIO! And I couldn’t be more excited to let you know first. We’ll be partnering with values-driven brands grounded in sustainable practices. We know what it means to be at the intersection of sustainability, food, and storytelling and can’t wait to get started.

Thank you for sticking with us, thank you for reading. If you or someone you know might be interested in partnering, we’d love ya to keep us in mind.

If we’re going to change the status quo, we can’t do it alone.

Stay hungry,Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

R E S O U R C E S

Resource Guide for Anti-Racism Food Systems Work

Blown away by this incredible resource guide put together by the folx at Grounded Grub. An incredible compilation of organizations to support, media for anti-racist food education, and steps to take to support equitable food systems. Dubbing this REQUIRED CLC READING!

C O N V E R S A T I O N S

Good mood food with Liz MoodyOur latest interview with sunshine goddess Liz Moody. From dealing with anxiety to making small steps in sustainable habits, Maia’s conversation with Liz will inspire ya to make some of your own changes.

R E A D

There will be no food shaming on this farmMaya Mastersson has more than 20 years under her belt as a chef. Her vision of food sovereignty in New Orleans is driving her latest endeavor, Black Roux Farms. In her own words, “Decolonizing our food is the first step in ending hunger, food insecurity and food shaming. ” Must read y’all!

W I N S T A

mnnfrrFood focused illustrator who’s work makes me wanna jump into a fruit salad. Loving her latest paintings. Bright spot in the feed this week.

Have an idea we should feature in the newsletter? Want to support us? Drop us a line at [email protected] and tell your pals to sign up. We can’t wait to see what y’all cook up next! #closedloopcooking