Kickstart the Food Book Fair, Help Build Food Communities

I could go on and on about what I love about the food world, but I'll spare you to say only that the Food Book Fair—an independently run celebration of food media—brings folks in the food industry (and their great energy) together for two days to talk about what makes them tick, what makes them hungry. This is an important thing.

Food Book Fair is asking for our help to Kickstart this year's event—they want to make it bigger, more in-depth, more snacky than ever.

The Fair opens up conversations about nourishment from so many different directions: How can we build and support small businesses? What are we noticing in food writing, in farming, in restaurants? What can we do to support fair wages for restaurant staffs? What's making us excited?

This year, there will be panels, workshops, and programming about all these things: Kimberly Chou, the Fair's Managing Director, told us to expect talks about the intersection of queer culture and food culture; how food became fashionable; and a panel on labor in the food industry. There will be workshops on how to grow food anywhere and on food styling and photography. Foodieodicals—the book fair for print food media, where I once sold quarterlies as a wee intern—is back again. So is Tables of Contents, the part-dinner party, part-book club event at the Brooklyn restaurant Egg. (This year, the dinner is oriented around Their Eyes Were Watching God. Sam, Food52's Partnerships Editor and FBF alum, says not to miss it.)

If you can, head over to the Food Book Fair's Kickstarter page and chip in.