Chicago chef Grant Achatz’s dad, a renowned pie maker also named Grant Achatz, is the subject of my latest USA Character Approved Blog post. And Food Day promotes eating healthy, eating real.
There are countless stories about kids of famous people and the pressure they must feel to live up to their parents’ wonderfulness. But what happens when the kid’s the famous one? Chicago’s own Grant Achatz is rightly revered for his groundbreaking molecular gastronomy at Alinea—and for his courageous battle against tongue cancer. Little is made of the fact, though, that he learned his chops and exhibited his extraordinary talent as a young boy in his dad’s restaurant kitchen.
For the past several years, dad’s latest restaurant kitchen has been a friendly, down-to-earth place on the shores of the St. Clair River, not far from Detroit. The food Grant Achatz Sr. serves could hardly be more different from his son’s cutting edge cuisine, and that’s the way his loyal customers like it. Especially when it comes to his legendary pies. And dad’s take on his son’s fame? Pure pride—he’ll even sell you an autographed copy of his son’s book and show you clippings about Alinea and Grant Jr.’s new restaurant, Next. For more about Grant Sr. and his pies, read my latest post on the USA Character Approved Blog.
Food Day’s goal? ‘Eat real’ on October 24 and beyond
Much has been written, including here, about how the American diet of fast food and fatty, salty, overly processed packaged foods is killing us. Author, journalist and activist Michael Pollan spelled out the solution to the problem simply and elegantly in just seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Now Food Day has been created to help us follow that advice, and to change food policy to help everyone have better access to healthier food. Food Day is an event—or rather a lot of events—that will happen around the country on October 24. People everywhere are encouraged to participate in events in their area, or to create an event of their own. According to the Food Day website, an event can be “as simple as organizing a cooking class or a vegetable-identification contest in your child’s elementary school—or a healthy pot-luck dinner with friends.”
Food Day organizers have straightforward, if lofty, goals for the day and the days leading up to it and those that follow. “We want America to eat real. We want to get Americans cooking real food for their families again. We want fewer people at drive-throughs and bigger crowds at farmers markets. We want to celebrate fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy whole grains—and to support the local farms and farmers that produce them.”
To find out more about Food Day and see if there’s an event in your area—or to organize your own event with Food Day’s help—visit the Food Day website.