Fan of Chef Brett.
Arizona Food Service Network News
ACF Chef Profile: Ann Cooper, CEC
She lead the charged and has influenced many, including me. Learn more about Chef Ann Cooper, CEC.
“People know her as the “Renegade Lunch Lady” who has helped transform school nutrition programs at tens of thousands of schools across the country, impacting millions of children and the communities surrounding them. But before that, Chef Ann Cooper, CEC, was a fast-rising chef in the white tablecloth world of the 90s.
From 1990 to 1999, Chef Cooper, a Culinary Institute of America graduate of ‘79, served as executive chef of The Putney Inn in Vermont. Little did she know that her career path would change drastically at the end of that tenure, when she was approached by Ross School, a private K-12 facility in East Hampton, New York, to develop a brand new foodservice program. “
Information from We Are Chefs website. Read more here.
AZLTA ATLAS GALA, Sept. 30
From the AZLTA newsletter-

“After a two-year break, it is time to enjoy an evening of great networking, amazing live entertainment, and delicious food and libations while supporting Arizona’s lodging and tourism industry. Join us, Friday, September 30 at the Arizona Biltmore for the ATLAS Gala to celebrate the world-renowned Arizona Tourism, Lodging, Arts & Attractions, and Sports industry.
This year’s theme is “Stronger Together,” which captures the spirit and determination that has helped our industry weather one of the most disruptive and unpredictable periods in our history. Despite our challenges, we have emerged stronger and more resilient than ever!”
Purchase your table today and support Arizona’s tourism industry.
Date: Friday, September 30, 2022 Reception: 5:30 p.m. Dinner/Awards: 7:00 p.m. Location: Arizona Biltmore A Waldorf Astoria Resort 2400 E Missouri Ave Phoenix, AZ 85016 |
For sponsorships or any questions about the event, please contact Andrea Corrales at acorrales@azlta.com. |
The Little Farm That Could, But Didn’t
A message from Agave Farms from their Facebook page.
“Dear Agave Farms Community,
Thank you for a great Spring 2021 season! This offseason we are making some BIG changes and want to keep you all up to date. Moving forward, we’ll be expanding our Community Outreach and Community Garden Plot missions. To achieve these goals, we’ve began looking for a new location! We will announce our new address in the coming months.
Our business number will be changed, but we can be contacted by email at: info@agave-farms.com. With our Community Outreach goal being our highest priority, we’ve decided not to carry over the retail sales nursery to our new location.
We would like to thank the landowner for the opportunities and support over the last 5 years. Thank you for allowing us to share our knowledge and skills on urban agriculture.
We will continue to build new gardens and community gardens through our nonprofit, Urban Farming Education, which will be mobile to serve several community gardens. Please follow them and keep an eye on our socials for updates.
We look forward to being of continued service to you, and I hope you will enjoy the benefits of Agave Farms at our new location.
Sincerely,
Agave Farms and Urban Farming Education Team”
It was such a great venue, and one that will be sadly missed. Not sure why they closed but glad to hear they have plans to continue with their goals for our community. When we hear an update on their next chapter, we will post that as well.
We wish the Agave Farms team the best in their new location.
P.O.W.W.O.W Price Increase
From their newsletter, Produce On Wheels With – Out Waste (P.O.W.W.O.W.) has been forced to increase their pricing to make up for the rising costs with fuel.
“The Arizona average diesel price as of today is between $5.15 – $5.25 a gallon, an average increase of 27% from November 2021. We are in Nogales, AZ, this is where we rescue the produce that goes to all our P.O.W.W.O.W. program sites. Our tractors travel every weekend an approximate 400 miles to the Phoenix areas and our reefers also use diesel. We can no longer afford the transportation cost for our Arizona Program – Produce on Wheels With-Out Waste. The contribution asked of our supporters for the 70 pounds of fresh produce has been $12 for six years it barely helps us cover our transportation costs, so now we must increase it to $15 effective with our 3/19/2022, P.O.W.W.O.W.s. This amount is still only .21 cents per pound and is a little under the 27% increase of fuel. Also, remember to tell your families and friends that for the last 3 months we have been increasing the distribution poundage to above the 70 pounds; on average 80-90 pounds.
We do not receive Federal or State dollars to help us get this produce to our Arizona families, we need your help! A $100 donation to Borderlands helps to supplement nutritiously an approximate 168 meals also keeping an approximate 35 pounds of bad gas emissions out of our environment. We all need to do our part to curb food waste and help save our planet!”
Our mailing address is:
Borderlands Produce Rescue
270 W. Produce Row
Nogales, Arizona 85621
Telephone: (520) 287-2627
www.borderlandsproducerescue.org