Food Arts
Mission Possible
Pausing at the first quarter of a century mark of its existnce, Martin Shapiro and Tom Potter, presiding leaders of The American Institute of Wine and Food, reflect on the 29-chapter organization's past strengths and reinvigorating second wind.
by Martin Shapiro and Tom Potter
June 2006
Twenty-five years ago, Julia Child, Robert Mondavi, Richard Graff and Robert Huttenback formed The American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF) with the idea of raising America's consciousness about food and wine. Over the years, a Who's Who of eminences on the food and beverage front has helped implement its mission: The French Culinary Institute's (FCI) Dororthy Can Hamilton; Margaret Duckhorn of Duckhorn Vineyards; the legendary Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma; celebrity chefs Allen Susser and Michel Richards; Julia Child's longtime assistant Stephanie Hersh and Food Art's founder and editor Michael Batterberry, among numerous others.
Take a snapshot of the current American food scene, and you will see the fruits of their endeavors. Compare the variety of food products and ingredients that are commonplace today with the basket of good available in America in 1981, or look at the difference between restaurant menus then and now, and it's like comparing color photographs with black-and-white. Back then, serving brown rice at home was seen as blazing a new trail, and shrimp cocktail and tomato juice were standard appetizers on menys (well, retro might be kind of fun now). Well into its third decade, the AIWF has had a profound impact up and down the American food chain, helping to redirect the collective focus away from TV dinners and toward one that seeks out local produce, recognizes value in grass-fed animals and shade-grown coffee, and appreciates multicourse tasting menus paired with wines.
Among many other accomplishments, the AIWF pioneered the introduction of ethnic and eclectic products to a largely uneducated American public through extraordinary Marketplace Tastings, at which thousands in New York and across the country were introduced to heirloom fruits and vegetables, artisanal cheeses, and handcrafted microbrewery beer for the first time. For many years, the organization held its annual Conference on Gastronomy, which drew top chefs, food writers, winemakers, nutritionists and restaurateurs, to help bring about heightened awareness of both taste and health issues. Just a few of the experts who participated were Ranall Garhm, Betty Fussell, George Faison, R.W. Apple, Emeril Lagasse, Drew Nieporent, Jeremiah Tower, Charlie Trotter, Norman Van Aken, Anne Willanm, Clark Wolf and Martin Yan.
An outgrowth of one of the conferences was "Resetting the American Table: Crating a New Alliance on Taste and Health," which arose from Child's and her cofounders' frustration at the reality that many Americans associated food and wine with feelings of guilt and fear, believing that "delicious" was somehow incompatible with "healthful" in matters of food. Nutritionists and chefs were brought together to foster the attitude that all foods, consumed in moderation, are healthful. Equally important were the discoveries that nutritional benefit naturally increased when meals were shared with others and that children make sounder food choices when they are involved in the cooking process. It became obvious that in America there was a huge need to teach children how to cook, as well as where food comes from and how it's supposed to taste.
THe AIWF highlighted the work of other organizations, too. The 1993 conference "Seeds of Change" coincided with ther Smithsonian Institution's exhibition of the same name, examining the history and status of the world's foods. A joint effort with the museum, intially brokered by Food Arts' founders, helped produce a curriculum for children in grades three through eight called "Seeds of Change: Learning Things from the Garden." In 1994 the conference topic was "Feeding Our Future"; at the event Alice Water's explained her "Edible Schoolyard Project," and other participants shared their ideas for educating children about food.
On the heels of that conference that New York chapter created the first "Days of Taste" program in 1995. It was modeled after the "Journee de Gout" designed by the Comite du Gout, a New York City organization of French chefs (who in turn had used their model the Journee de Gout program initiated in France in the late '80's by restaurant critic/guidebook publisher Alexandre Lazareff at the prodding of Jacques Lang, France's Minister of Culture at the time). AIWF chapter members Anna Herman, Julia Jordan, and Dave Wagner and chefs Michael Lomonaco and Waldy Malouf worked with the group and the French consulate to produce a greatly expanded version that incorporated New York City Greenmarkets and USDA Team Nutrition. Eleven years later this initiative is the signature program of the AIWF. In 2006, Days of Taste will be taught by 300 volunteer food professionals and enthusiasts in more than 60 New York City public school classrooms, reaching approximately 2,000 fourth- and fifth- graders. It has expanded nationally as well and is accessible to thousands more students through the 29 AIWF chapters around the country.
What's an organization to do when many others, lik Slow Food and The James Beard Foundation, are now carrying the torch? While the AIWF has made tremendous strides in fulfilling its mission, the need to educate the public about food, drink, and related social issues is constant. Teaching our children about nutrition and the social importance of the table has never been more urgent, as the economic gap between the rich and poor in this country and around the globe widens. Programs like Days of Taste and the Edible Schoolyard Project are as appropriate today as ever. On the other hand, events such as tastings of unfiltered olive oils, cookbooks author demos and the ubiquitous winemaker dinners - once synonymous with the AIWF - are now so common that their relevance has diminished.
How do we honor our past and still move toward the future? Among our challenges are a maturing membership, mounting competition and a public that is better educated. THe running of an organization with volunteers who are busy industry professionals makes new leadership vital. We are addressing these issues by changing the structure of the AIWF from that of top-down management to that of a grassroots-up organization. The AIWF's programming has evolved from operating at a national level to being chapter driven, directly serving the needs of its members and the general public.
At this transformational time the AIWF is concentrating much of its effort on embracing future food and beverage professionals to help bridge the divide between the new generation starting our and those already established in the industry. Second, we are seeking to broaden our reach to the next contingent of enthusiasts. The strength and individuality of the AIWF lie in its establishing a special relationship between food and wine professionals. We have changed our membership dues structure specifically to attract younger members, and the change is already having a positive effect.
Scholarships and internships are a hallmark of the AIWF. This year the New York chapter will provide half a dozen culinary and beverage students with scholarship support totaling about $20,000. Like many chapters, we formed a strong connection with local culinary schools like the FCI, Institute of Culinary Education, and New York City College of Technology to involve up-and-coming professionals in the AIWF. Our Scholars Internship Program offers internships to nearly a dozen New York students at restaurants like Nobu, Le Bernardin, and Union Square Cafe. The chpater has also developed a Professional Series, seminars that explore topics like "Landing the Perfect Job: Tips for Your Job Search," held at various culinary schools. We hope to develop an integrated program that will help young professionals enter our industry.
New technology and Web-based tools will facilitate the transition and make available to AIWF members amenities they have not had before: professional member forums, event volunteer bases, Web links to our members' business sites, purchasing links to members' publications, online job postings, and a decentralized and flexible national speakers' bureau.
In the food and wine world, AIWF members are rich in expertise, generated from both our professionals and passionate enthusiasts. Our hard-earned credibility is our greatest institutional asset, one that was bequeathed by the founders and the first generation of volunteers. For those of us shaping the second generation, the obligation is to protect the legacy, build on it, and extend it with the new methods available to us.
Julia Child once said that the nice thing about the food world is that there is always something new to learn. That's still true, and it means that the educational mission of the AIWF can never become outdated. Our responsibility is to make sure that the organization itself, like our mission, remains fresh.