As if you couldn’t possibly love Questlove more (okay, maybe I am slightly biased but I don’t think so), we can add another reason to the list.
You probably know Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson as the Philadelphia born hip-hop drummer and a leader of the continually-innovating band, the Roots. You might see him nightly on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where the Roots are the house band. Or maybe you’ve caught one of his DJ sets at a Boston club (or a “secret,” mid-day location). You may know Questlove is one of the producers of the Broadway hit musical Hamilton. But, did you know that Questlove is also the Roots’ resident foodie? He is out there activating change and bringing awareness to some of our top environmental and food concerns.
Food Tank recently held a summit in New York. The event featured more than three dozen different speakers from the food and agriculture field. Researchers, farmers, chefs, policy makers, government officials, and students came together for discussions on diverse topics. The theme for the Summit was Focusing on Food Loss and Food Waste. The all-star lineup of conversations were moderated by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and more.
An inspirational and engaging Fireside Chat that featured Questlove and Haile Thomas, Founder and CEO of HAPPY (Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth), and a spotlight from Homa Dashtaki, Owner of White Moustache Yogurt, led up to the first panel of the day.
In case you missed it, you can watch the full summit on youtube here and here.
In addition to having a steady night job and being the drummer in one of hip-hop's most prolific acts, Questlove has still managed to carve out a career as an author.
I’m fascinated by chefs, people who have decided to devote their lives to food—to making it, but also to thinking about what it meant to the broader culture,” says Thompson.
Wait, Questlove writes books about food? Of course he does. He might literally be the hardest working man in show business, and he’s a noted gourmand. He even had a short-lived fried chicken stand in the Chelsea Market once. His social media feed is peppered with foodstagrams from his globetrotting adventures.
He has set the dinner party bar higher than you can ever dream of with his “food salons,” essentially potluck meals cooked by elite chefs, for guests ranging from musicians to novelists, designers, business executives, other chefs, and beyond. The parties, mainly centered at his home in New York, have hit Miami and L.A. since Questlove started them.
Watch this heartwarming video of Questlove with the late legend Anthony Bourdain.
Questlove's passion for food extends to its own Instagram account – @questlovesfood – where the drummer posts photos of mouthwatering culinary creations and the hottest restaurants.
It’s not too late to attend a Food Tank Summit in person. On November 14th they head to San Diego and tickets are now on sale. The agenda is promised to be incredible, focusing on Growing the Food Movement.
The DYGUP & SUSTAIN Program is a non-profit dedicated to regenerative organic agricultural practices to teach the benefits of land stewardship in the Paso del Norte Region. DYGUP, an acronym for Developing Youth from the Ground Up, is available to youth ages 14-17. The SUSTAIN program targets adults over 18 and combines "Roots Of Success" Environmental Literacy Curriculum with intensive farmer training. The DYGUP/ Sustain Program has many partnerships in the community including Taylor Hood Farms, Backyard Farms LC, First Christian Church, and Las Cruces High-School. Chihuahuan Desert Charities is proud to be the fiscal sponsor for DYGUP & Sustain and support their important work in the Las Cruces community.
Support the DYGUP & Sustain Program at Legacy Farm in Las Cruces by visiting ChihuahuanDesertCharities.org.