Real men cook! Two Fish and Five Loaves, an organization with high expectations and a great mission, set this spring off right with the first annual Bachelor Cook-Off, hosted in their near east side location at 1561 Old Leonard Avenue. This cook-off was not your average wine and cheese soiree, even though there was plenty of wine, even wine made from honey by a local meadery in the Short North.
The excitement of Saturday, April 30, 2011 showcased nine men from the community demonstrating their culinary expertise for over 80 women in attendance!
It is important to understand the mission of Two Fish and Five Loaves. The mission of this group is to come together in the grace of faith and love. We’ve come to grow, empower, and encourage one another in accountability. We strive towards a level of synergy, where the whole is always greater than the on, and we work to the fulfillment of each others’ goals and the joy of sharing the benefits.
This organization encourages the community to take a second a look at relationships on a business and personal level, which is catching on across the nation with a surge of social entrepreneurs exploring new business models that make money and also help the environment. However, it has been hard to channel that conversational energy which creates new thought processes amongst the African American community, into taking action for the land and economics that bind them.
People everywhere are also taking another look at the land over which they preside and making more practical use of it, such as building urban gardens and farms. As crazy as it may sound, it can happen right here in central Ohio where you have one of the largest agricultural schools in the nation, The Ohio State University. Just over in Michigan in a little town called Detroit, the Detroit Black Community Food security Network in 2006 took a ¼ acre lot on the troubled east side of Detroit and then 2 acres of land in a city park and have produced a farmers market, job training, and a food security policy for the people of the inner city.
Urban farming is a movement sweeping across the country in communities that understand that increasing access to fresh produce and embracing an agrarian lifestyle will help people in America’s inner cities fight against harmful health and wellness practices. The unhealthy communities that we find ourselves living in have no boundaries; but the effects tend to be far worse for people who have no ownership of their food supply or awareness of food justice. In light of the problems we face with energy conservation and education in our schools, embracing the value of growing your own food will demonstrate significant leadership, especially from people of color. The absolute best way to get across the message of self-sustainability is to talk about it over a meal. That is exactly what Two Fish and Five Loaves realized
as they put together a scrumptiously profound evening with community chefs serving their guests everything from fish cakes, roast beef and mango chutney to a heavenly recipe for grandma’s pineapple coconut cake! To add more flavor to the event (some of you will get the double entendre), a celebrity chef for some of today’s hottest pop culture stars flew into town to honor the men with helpful insights for making their dishes more pleasing to the ladies. He also chose the dish he favored most for an evening fit for lovers. The time was right, the wine was right, the talk was slick and the women were beautiful. To actually put this fundraiser together, around such a red-hot issue, was a remarkable achievement, worthy of admiration.
Goals have been set in place for 2 Fish and 5 Loaves. There is a nurturing spirit developing around the people who are partnering with the concept and building on good old fashioned solid principles as Sam McDaniel’s will explain to you, “ You have to decrease to increase!” The relationships built between men, women, children and the land will fertilize the growth of a new mindset where people from the inner city will look at themselves as custodians of the land.
With the rise of community gardens, the socially-conscious investors, and health advocates’ conversations about sustainability, the concepts of buying local and community development are more than lukewarm topics in the urban community. We are quickly moving beyond education to empowering the next generation with agriculture. Offering thanks, as did he who lifted up the five loaves and two fish and shared with the multitude of people for strength and sustenance, please continue to support the cause.
And what they did next was even more............
Click here for PHOTOS!!!
Phillip Je`sus Patrick
Seeds Of Significance Urban Farming Network
