It’s amazing what happens when you get a group of ambitious women who share the same passion for food in one room for a special reason, to simply support and learn from one another. That’s just what happened at the Third Annual Cherry Bombe Jubilee opens in a new tab in New York City, perhaps the hottest one-day event ticket in town. The event sold out in a matter of minutes when it went on sale earlier this year.
As explained on their website, Cherry Bombe opens in a new tab is a biannual publication celebrating women and food — those who grow it, make it, serve it, style it, enjoy it and everything in between. Knowing that, it made so much sense for Whole Foods Market to be involved.
As a sponsor, Whole Foods Market was excited to be a big part of the success of this year’s event. Our Northeast Regional President, Christina Minardi opens in a new tab spoke on an incredibly inspiring “How to be the Boss” panel with Jodi Berg (President and CEO of Vitamix opens in a new tab), Amanda Hesser (Co-Founder & CEO of Food52 opens in a new tab), Katrina Markoff (Founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolat opens in a new tab), and was moderated by the spirited Ellen Bennett (Founder of Hedley & Bennett opens in a new tab and the #apronsquad) who had all 350+ attendees on their feet and dancing to Beyonce — literally! One of the things Christina said, “Set high expectations, but lead with love and compassion,” really stuck with both me and the audience.
In the “So You Want to be a Farmer?” panel, the audience loved listening to the ambitious group of female farmers who spoke on equitable pay, diversity, and training for the next generation of farmers. One of the panelists, Molly Culver, a farm manager at The Youth Farm opens in a new tab in Brooklyn said that people are attracted to farming because they feel like something is broken. As the Northeast Region’s Local Forager at Whole Foods Market, much of my role involves working with local farmers, and I love that I can see the impact that farmers can have on the local economy. This panel spoke to a tough reality but was hopeful toward future change.
I also have to give serious props to a number of local vendors I work with who donated their time and delicious food to a seriously yummy snack break I helped curate:
Anita’s Yogurt — A vegan yogurt made with organic coconut milk, organic coconut water and live cultures
Four & Twenty Blackbirds — A cozy bakery and café in Brooklyn that serves a seasonally changing menu of handmade pies
Hot Bread Kitchen — Offers multi-ethnic breads made with local and organic ingredients, inspired by their bakers and the countries they come from
Ovenly — An award-winning, women-owned bakery based out of Greenpoint, Brooklyn featuring innovative sweet-savory flavor combinations throughout their offerings
Salvatore Bklyn — Handmade artisanal ricotta made daily in Brooklyn
The pure delight on people’s faces and Instagrammable moments opens in a new tab that stemmed from these bites speak for themselves.
All in all, it was an amazing day that I won’t soon forget! In the words of Martha Stewart, the remarkable keynote speaker who I was lucky enough to introduce to the audience, along with Cherry Bombe co-founder Kerry Diamond: “It’s hard to have it all, but it’s important to have as much of it as you can.”
