Where Our Forks Point: Reflections on Change, Community, and the Future of Food
Members of the James Beard Foundation’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change 2025. Photo Credit: James Beard Foundation/Max Flatow
By Miranda Maszk, Chief Culinary and Operations Officer
La Soupe’s Chief Culinary and Operations Officer, Miranda, squeezes a lemon on a culinary dish. Photo Credit: James Beard Foundation/Max Flatow
In the fall of 2025, I was given an opportunity that pushed me beyond the familiar rhythms of the kitchen. I applied for — and was accepted into — the James Beard Foundation’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change.
In early September, I traveled to Glynwood Farms in New York’s Hudson Valley, where I spent three days with chefs, farmers, industry leaders, a lobbyist, and some of the brightest minds at JBF. We came together to share ideas, challenge our perspectives, imagine just and sustainable food systems, and achieve change through working with local, state, and federal governments.
The experience stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. I spoke to strangers about deeply personal topics, allowed myself to be vulnerable, and left with new friendships and commitments that will stay with me for life.
Photo Credit: James Beard Foundation/Max Flatow
Beyond the Kitchen Walls
For over a decade, JBF has brought together small cohorts of chefs for this intensive program, supported by partners like Niman Ranch, LaVazza Coffee, Chef Works, and Bruichladdich Distillery. It’s not a cooking opportunity — it’s a crash course in advocacy, systems change, and the power of collective action.
Throughout those three days, one theme kept coming up: bridging the gap between food waste and hunger. Why does so much food get grown, go uneaten, and yet so many still go hungry? And perhaps most importantly: what can one person do to make a difference?
The answer often comes down to something simple but powerful: our choices. Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of food system we want. Supporting restaurants that buy from local farms, treat employees fairly, and invest in their communities. These decisions ripple outward, strengthening local economies and reducing waste.
Photo Credits: James Beard Foundation/Max Flatow
Chefs as Catalysts
Photo Credit: James Beard Foundation/Max Flatow
I’m fortunate to live this mission every day at La Soupe, where we transform rescued ingredients into nourishing meals. It’s deeply rewarding work, but it’s also a daily reminder that there’s still more to be done.
At La Soupe, we believe that chefs are catalysts for change. We’re more than cooks. We’re educators, advocates, and connectors shaping what’s grown, how it’s grown, and how it’s shared. But this influence isn’t ours alone. Every home cook, volunteer, and eater has power. Every farmers market visit, every choice to support a local business, every hour given to a community kitchen helps build a better system.
Nourishing Change
Photo Credit: James Beard Foundation/Max Flatow
The bootcamp reminded me that solving hunger isn’t just about saving food, it’s about reimagining the system that allows waste and wants to coexist. And that’s work we all share.
Together — chefs, advocates, and neighbors — we’re not just feeding people.
We’re nourishing change.
Are you a chef interested in supporting policy decisions that impact our food system? The James Beard Foundation is currently taking applications for its spring cohort. Learn more and apply here: bit.ly/4jVOenO
