Kalamazoo Valley Represented by Staff and Students at Taste of West Michigan Culinary Event

Kalamazoo Valley Community College Culinary Arts and Sustainable Food Systems and ValleyHUB food hub staff recently participated in the 'Taste of West Michigan' reception at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo. The reception was part of the Food Marketing and Supply Chain Conference hosted by the Western Michigan University Food Marketing and Supply Chain Management programs.

Featured speakers included Albertsons and Kellogg's CEOs and speakers from Mark Anthony Group, Pepsico, Graphic Packaging International, Dom's Kitchen & Market, Amazon, Meijer, and more. More than 450 people attended live, and many more attended virtually.

Following opening sessions, attendees were treated to 'A Taste of West Michigan.' The reception aimed to show off some of the outstanding food businesses in West Michigan. Many graduates of Can Do Kalamazoo, a business incubator in West Michigan, did tastings of their products, including West Michigan Pasta and Provisions, Papa's Peanut Brittle, Aunt Nay's Cookies & Treats, Eli's Doces, and Sweet Food Soul. Kalsec and Brick and Brine representatives also did culinary samplings.

Director of Culinary and Brewing Education and chef instructor Chef Stephanie Hughes-Winfrey and her team of students prepared two tastings: a creamy asparagus soup and a caramelized onion, gourmet mushroom, and herbed-chevre crostini. One of the goals of the tasting was to demonstrate the possibilities of utilizing local foods. As a result, many items, including asparagus, mushrooms, and onions, were locally sourced through ValleyHUB.

ValleyHUB also sourced mocktails from Corner Store Mocktails, a local Kalamazoo producer, and cold-brewed coffee from Café Rica, a family-owned business in Battle Creek. Both businesses are graduates of the Can Do Kalamazoo business Boot Camp and now partner with ValleyHUB to distribute throughout the Kalamazoo area.

Rachel Bair, director of sustainable food systems, and Josh Bartz, outreach and communications coordinator, attended the event. They shared about the role of food hubs in a local food system and how ValleyHUB connects local farmers and food makers with market channels they may not otherwise have access to, including K-12 schools, hospitals, and early care and education centers. "Leaders in the food industry see local businesses as sources of innovation and resilience within the larger system," said Bair. "We were proud to highlight the great work happening in Kalamazoo as part of this national event."

To learn more about Kalamazoo Valley's Culinary Arts and Sustainable Food Systems programs, visit: https://www.kvcc.edu/programs/sustainable_food_systems/.

To learn more about ValleyHUB, visit: valleyhub.kvcc.edu.