OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK SLOPE FOOD COOP Established 1973 Volume KK, Number 12 June 9, 2016 Office Donuts vs. How the Coop Says Cheese By Lily Rothman Organic Kale ating cheese is—at least for peo- By Rene Brinkley Eple who like cheese— ssa Clubb LOVES Friday lunch! Each not a difficult task. Iweek he enjoys a gourmet meal prepared However, in a with farm-fresh ingredients. cheese class regu- “One week we had a shrimp pesto and quinoa larly offered by Coop chickpea dish that was really good,” he recalls. member Elena Santo- “Another week we had a watermelon feta mint gade, Coop shoppers salad that was delicious.” can learn that there’s a Clubb is not going out to restaurants seeking lot more to that section of these mouth-watering meals. They are being pre- the dairy case than they pared at his office, for employees, free of charge. might have guessed. He works for Criterion Collection, a film company Her cheese-eating based in Manhattan. how-to, offered to about The company has had a communal lunch tradi- ILLUSTRATION BY CATY BARTHOLOMEW a dozen members at a tion for over 20 years, but last year they stepped it recent installment of up a notch. meals has also extended the conversation about the class, introduc- ILLUSTRATION BY VALERIE TRUCCHIA “My boss is a real foodie,” Clubb notes. “He is food in the office, and Clubb believes it is a big es a couple of extra into the slow food movement, has friends that step towards further developing the culture of the steps: “Smell, look, squeeze,” she instructed. “Then taste.” are chefs, and took a week of vacation to work in workplace. Santogade—a self-described “cheese nerd”—works in the cheese a kitchen.” “I think people appreciate that the company is industry, helping people to develop cheese-related businesses. So He continues, “Last year he hired a profession- continuing to actively do that,” he shares. “I feel like she’s able to teach the class as her work shift. Because all of the chees- ally trained chef who turned our office lunch area that’s what I value in the Coop, so it’s definitely nice es on offer in the class are sold by the Coop, the free tasting session into a working kitchen. to have here at work as well.” (which takes place upstairs in the Coop’s meeting room, using compli- Now every Friday the chef prepares a gourmet mentary tasting samples provided by the distributors) can be a great meal for a staff of 40.” Clubb, who is also a member Eat This, Not That! way to decipher the vast variety of cheeses available, and to move one’s of the Coop, says the long-running lunch tradition Over the last seven years, employers have been shopping list beyond the basics. encourages community among coworkers and on a mission to keep employees healthy: According “One cheese can take you on an exploration,” Santogade said. “You supports team building. to a study done by the Society for Human Resource learn about the world through a cheese.” Bringing on a chef to prepare locally sourced Management, 70% of U.S. employers offered a gen- At the April session, the theme was a “road trip” across the USA, eral wellness program in 2015, versus 58% in 2008. featuring cheeses that put a special American spin on their European As healthcare costs continue to skyrocket, roots. Each sample of cheese provided its own little lesson on the ins employers have found that keeping workers in and outs of its making and history, as well as the biology of bacteria and good shape helps keep health costs low. Compa- the economics, climate and agriculture that led to particular cheeses’ nies have added benefits such as exercise rooms, developments. massage therapists, nutrition counselors and nap- For example, participants learned that a fresh cheese is likely to have ping rooms to their lists of employee perks. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 As employers continue to look for ways to impact workers health, they are making changes Annual & General Meeting on June 28 to the company cafe. Some are also using tactics The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held on to increase awareness of healthier choices. These the last Tuesday of each month. The June Annual & General include color coding food labels, to differenti- Meeting will be on Tuesday, June 28, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis ate between healthy and less healthy items, and Xavier School, 763 President St., between Sixth and putting fruit, nuts and nutritional snacks in highly Seventh Aves. Shopping hours: visible locations. Other companies have gone a The agenda is in this Gazette, on the Coop website at www. step further by offering an incentive to eat healthy foodcoop.com and available as a flier in the entryway of the 8 am - 7:30 pm food—cheaper prices. Coop. For more information about the GM and about Coop gov- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ernance, please see the center of this issue. Fri, Jun 10 • Wordsprouts: IN THIS ISSUE Back to the Land 7:00 p.m. Puzzle...............................................3 Sat-Sun • Food Drive to Benefit CHIPS Soup Kitchen Safe Food Committee Report............................3 Coop Jun 11-12 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. International Trade Education Squad Report ..............4 Tue, Jun 14 • Plow-to-Plate Movie Series: Letters to the Editor...................................5 Event Vegucated 7:00 p.m. Welcome ............................................7 Coop Calendar, Governance Information, Highlights Fri, Jun 17 • International Trade Education Squad: Mission Statement ................................7 Public Forum on the TPP 6:30 p.m. Calendar of Events . 8 Look for additional information about these and other events in this issue. Candidates for Board of Directors.......................11 Classifieds ..........................................12 Read the Gazette while you’re standing on line OR online at www.foodcoop.com 2 June 9, 2016 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY Office Donuts advance of the season. In exchange, the farmer deliv- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ers a weekly share of the For example, a few years ago harvest to the consumer. Paychex, a company of 13,000 In the workplace CSA employees based in upstate NY, model, farmers deliv- raised the price on greasy favor- er shares to a work site. ites like burgers and fries and Paula Lukats, the Program sugary soda. Within a year the Director at Just Foods, a company noted salad purchas- New York-based nonprofit es shot up by 54%, and bottled that helps communities water sales increased 17%. access locally grown food, explains, “The workplace PHOTOS BY WILLIAM FARRINGTON Farm to Work CSA came out of an inter- Hon Tsai Tai greens from Following on the heels of the est from the CSA members. Hepworth Farms. Coop produce farm-to-table movement, which They wanted to be part of buyer Ana Gallo recommends focuses on producing region- a CSA , even if their sched- choosing them for their pleasing al food for local consumers, ule didn’t allow them to appearance and mustardy flavor. comes the farm-to-work initia- get home to pick up their tive which brings local food to share.” She continues, Member Andrew Akason stocking Lancaster Farms’ lacinato kale, office work sites. Two business “The members wanted also recommended by Coop produce buyer Ana Gallo. the main benefits Hepworth models have emerged to cater to bring the shares to the receives from working with small to this growing demand. workplace, and the farmers were to their wellness packages, ers on board. They pitch the entrepreneurs is flexibility. “Let’s The first is a variation of com- open to it because they want to and some subsidize the cost company to bring this service to say I am long on cherry toma- munity-supported agriculture connect to members.” of shares. their office.” At other times, Gil- toes, I can call up the startup we (CSA), which is an agreement While most office CSA’s are The workplace CSA has lett notes that human resourc- work with and they will move the between a farmer and a cus- started by employees, some numerous benefits. For employ- es departments bring Farmigo product for me,” says Hepworth. tomer where the customer buys organizations actively encour- ers they include providing a to their company, viewing their “Also if I have something that a share of the farmer’s crop in age participation by adding it service that could make their offerings as an asset to the com- doesn’t work out, I can substi- workers lives easier, while also pany’s wellness packages. tute for another product.” making them healthier. For Another benefit of the food PLASTIC PACKAGING COLLECTIONS employees, workplace CSAs Farmers Love Partners delivery model is more money provide an additional incentive According to the National for farmers. Farmigo says its 2nd Wednesday of every month 3:45-6 p.m. to eat better. By participating, Restaurant Association, locally farmers receive two to three some employees also make sourced food continues to be one times more than farms that 4th Saturday of every month 1:45-4 p.m. new, interdepartmental con- of the top restaurant trends for sell to typical supermarkets. nections with coworkers who STARTING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 are also CSA participants—and Expanded Plastic Collection for Coop members get to know each other better. Please be prepared to show your Coop Membership card. Employees also have a chance to develop a direct relationship with a farmer. For the farmer it Plastic bags/wrapping/packaging from most gives them access to more cus- products sold at the Coop, (food and non-food).