Corby Kummer

When institutions lose credibility, people go looking for their own sources, even extreme ones. We discussed a The New York Times Magazine story on what the “dark nutrition” trend says about trust in public health messaging. Full story: https://ow.ly/pkPo5101sWp #BostonPublicRadio

Applications for Cohort 6 of the Food Leaders Fellowship open Tuesday, Nov 10. Building something that makes our food system better? Get the people, plan, and partners to go further. Subscribe to get the link first: https://ow.ly/ZQZn50ZZq0X #FoodLeadersFellows

Food insecurity is a health issue. Honored to lead a fireside chat with Public Health Solutions' Cassaundra Howell at Beyond the Plate on how policy, health care, and community groups can get nutritious food to every New Yorker. Case study: https://www.fimcommunity.org/cases/public-health-solutions

The people who feed America can't afford to eat. Thank you to Jose Oliva, HEAL Food Alliance for sharing this reality on Conversations on Food Justice. Watch: https://aspenfood.org/video/the-people-who-feed-us/ #FoodJustice #FarmWorkerRights

Farm workers aren't just filling labor gaps, they're the future of American agriculture. Aspen Food Leaders Fellow Vanessa Garcia Polanco of the National Young Farmers Coalition on Conversations on Food Justice. https://aspenfood.org/video/the-people-who-feed-us/ #FoodJustice #FarmWorkers

"After his death in 1890, Châtaigniers en fleurs passed to his brother, Theo. A subsequent owner was George Gard “Buddy” DeSylva, the songwriter and film producer who co-founded Capitol Records." So, Brown & Henderson? cc @bcdreyer.social @jackviertel.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Dignity isn't a benefit. It's a baseline. Emma Scott, Vermont Law & Graduate School, on why worker-owned cooperatives are gaining ground. More: https://aspenfood.org/video/the-people-who-feed-us/ #FoodJustice #WorkerOwnedCoop

The recording from our Conversations on Food Justice panel is up. Mike Brady, CEO of 40 Million Owners, shares why employee ownership is the next frontier of food and economic justice. More: https://aspenfood.org/conversations-on-food-justice/

Conversations on Food Justice recording now available: 4 leaders on building a fairer food system—employee ownership, farm labor organizing, and why 2 in 3 food workers can't afford to eat the food they help produce. Watch: https://ow.ly/rA4y50ZUHoU #FoodJustice #ConversationsOnFoodJustice

We're live! Join "The People Who Feed Us: Building a Food System That Works for Workers" right now, through 2 PM ET. https://aspeninstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tOujNNZ8TLe7tvICjDj8qQ

I asked a climate week crowd who's bought cod lately. four hands went up. That gap is the whole reason we love gatherings like this hosted by @foodtank! Watch this incredible panel: https://ow.ly/cunL50ZSRah

Tomorrow! "The People Who Feed Us: Building a Food System That Works for Workers" airs live Oct 1, 1-2 PM ET. Free and open to all: grab your spot now: https://aspenfood.org/2026/08/07/conversations-on-food-justice-the-people-who-feed-us-building-a-fairer-food-system/

"The juicy Bronx grapes she placed in my hand literally stuck to me as did this: “School Supported Agriculture is what I believe in right now. I'll let it go if it doesn't work. But I was always that way with Chez. Love and determination go together for me." danimhoff.substack.com/p/lunch-with...

Marion folded her arms, looked into the camera, and said: "Presumably, you asked me here for a reason." That was mid-pandemic, my students star-struck into small talk. Vintage Marion. Happy 90th! More: https://ow.ly/FEKv50ZRurx

A powerful day at the The Aspen Institute for a convening on strengthening nutrition and health for rural older adults — great group in the room, and grateful to The John A. Hartford Foundation for backing this work. More soon.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Wendell Berry, whose 50-year argument for small farms shaped how we think about land + community, with a clip of my time with him just weeks ago. More: https://aspenfood.org/corby-kummer/

Who benefits from the food economy and who should? Our Oct 1 panel brings together voices in labor policy, farmworker advocacy, and employee ownership to explore what a fairer food system could look like. Register: https://aspeninstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tOujNNZ8TLe7tvICjDj8qQ

I was lucky to spend the day with Wendell, his wife of 69 years, Tanya, and his daughter, Mary, who has created the extraordinary Berry Center to further his life’s work. I’d visited Wendell and Tanya several times at their kitchen table. Here’s an excerpt from part of the day I’m so glad I filmed.

I asked Wendell Berry why he used the word "manners" so often in his writing. His answer moved from the formal etiquette book his parents gave him as a child to something plainer — manners as a practical ethic, not a social one. From one of my last conversations with him.

Ever wonder how one apple tree can grow FOUR different kinds of apples? I break down the art of grafting and share why the Roxbury Russet (yes, named for Roxbury!) is worth seeking out at Boston farmers markets this fall. More: aspenfood.org/2026/09/03/g... #BPR #NewEnglandApples

Every meal depends on a long chain of labor, from the fields to your table. Join us Thurs, Oct 1 (1-2 PM ET), part of our Conversations on Food Justice series. Free & open to all. More: https://ow.ly/59SC50ZI0Ue

Terribly sad news: Wendell Berry died today. Here's a long, good obit in @nytimes.com. How lucky I was to spend an afternoon with him only a few weeks ago. And how startled, and sad, I was to see myself five people away from Wendell in a photo in the Times obit. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/u...

Ever gotten a CSA box and had zero idea what to do with the nine bags of greens? You're not alone but here's why farmers and Chef Sarah Stegner love them anyway. Watch this moment from our Aspen Ideas conversation: https://ow.ly/HoYQ50ZEYWZ

The Farm Collaborative: Five years ago, this market was part of Food Leaders Fellow Eden Vardy's action plan. We returned with the fifth cohort to this gorgeous building. But what touched our hearts is that he and his team specifically designed spaces for this and future cohorts. Thank you, Eden!

"Somewhere along the line, we lost the true purpose of food."-Isabel Mace That quote from Isabel Mace stuck with all of us as we kicked off the fifth cohort of The Aspen Institute Food Leaders Fellowship. We were treated to a beautiful supper at the Catto Center at Toklat. Join us in welcoming them

From 5 vendors in a high school parking lot to 45 farmer's markets across Chicago, Chef Rick Bayless breaks down how small grants moved the needle. A great moment from the Aspen Ideas Climate. Watch the full conversation: https://ow.ly/hV3W50Zxfqv

I sat down with three people at Aspen Ideas Climate, all of whom have spent decades getting Chicago closer to its food. Chef Cliff Rome from The Obama Foundation shared the lesson from his grandmother. More: https://ow.ly/zz8o50Zx54l

Food companies are suing countries to block warning labels and it's working. On Boston Public Radio, I talked about the fight over ultra-processed food regulation. Full segment: https://aspenfood.org/2026/08/04/ultra-processed-ultra-litigious-big-foods-lawyers-vs-your-ingredient-list/

@drtedros.who.int on industry lawsuits against (mostly poor) countries trying to limit ultra-processed foods: “When harm and profit are tied to the same product, a familiar pattern of industry interference emerges: sowing doubt and obstructing regulation.” www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

"We get to build it ourselves." Accepting the 2026 McNulty Foundation Prize, our Fellow Tom McDougall of 4P Foods challenged us to stop patching the food system and start building a better one — piece by piece. He's got 89+ siblings (aka fellows) building with him. Watch: https://ow.ly/s2BS50ZsqQO

Scared of salad right now? Wait for the recipe! The cyclospora outbreak isn't confirmed to be just Taylor Farms and here's the kicker: Michigan has the MOST cases not because it's the epicenter, but because it has the best-staffed disease investigators. More: https://ow.ly/50o250ZtWCo

Truly great card from spouse.

We always think Tom McDougall is surrounded by a halo—something many of our Food & Society at the Aspen Institute Food Leaders Fellows have in common. So glad the McNulty Foundation agrees! Here he is at the McNulty Prize ceremony at the Resnick Aspen Action Forum on the The Aspen Institute campus.

At The Aspen Institute, Bobby Flay told a room that when he sees me walk onto the set of Beat Bobby Flay, his first thought is: "If it's not perfect, I'm dead." Truly the best thing anyone has ever said about me. Full conversation: https://aspenfood.org/2026/06/23/corby-kummer-and-bobby-flay/

"These platters looked like what you might put on the table at home, simple to the point of unremarkable, but there was beauty in that." A four-star @nytimes.com by Tejal Rao with two stars. So glad I'm out of the star-giving business. And that Tejal got Chez Panisse. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/d...

New work-requirement rules just raised the bar for who qualifies for SNAP. States must now cover up to 75% of admin costs they never paid before. The impact is already visible Listen to my conversation with Christina and Shirley on Boston Public Radio: https://ow.ly/aqOj50ZqVLu

The Taylor Farms lettuce recall is bigger than Taco Bell. It has hit Cisco--school, hospital, and college cafeterias too--but the company won't disclose full shipping details Watch my conversation on Boston Public Radio: https://ow.ly/Gowg50ZqOZw #Cyclospora