Michel Nischan

Michel Nischan is a renowned chef and leader in the sustainable food movement, as well as a two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner. He is the owner and founder of Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant, located at Westport (CT) Country Playhouse, as well as President/CEO of the Wholesome Wave Foundation.[1]

The Wholesome Wave Foundation

Wholesome Wave was founded in 2007 by friends Michael Batterberry, Gus Schumacher and Michel Nischan. It was founded with funding from Newman’s Own Foundation and the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation,[2] and supported in part by funding from Grow for Good, a philanthropic initiative of FOOD & WINE Magazine.[3] The mission of Wholesome Wave is to overhaul the nation’s food system by increasing access to healthy, fresh and affordable locally grown food. Wholesome Wave and Dressing Room work in tandem to create grassroots initiatives that celebrate local food systems and heritage recipes.[4]

Published Works

Nischan’s latest cookbook Sustainably Delicious (Rodale), was released in April, 2010. He is also the author of two more celebrated cookbooks: Taste Pure and Simple (Chronicle Books 2003), a 2004 best-selling Beard award winner, and Homegrown Pure and Simple (Chronicle Books 2005).

Career and Awards

Nischan’s book Taste Pure and Simple won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2004. Nischan won a second Beard Award in 2008 for his work on the PBS television series Victory Garden.[1] He is also an Ashoka fellow.[5] Nischan serves on the boards of the Amazon Conservation Team, the James Beard Foundation and Harvard’s Center for Health and the Global Environment.[1]

Philosophy

A son of displaced farmers, Nischan grew up with a deep appreciation for sustainable agriculture and those who work the land. As a professional chef and advocate for a more healthful, organic and sustainable food future, he has built on those childhood values and become a catalyst for change and new initiatives in local and regional food systems.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The James Beard Foundation
  2. ↑ The Wholesome Wave Foundation | About
  3. ↑ "Growing for Good: Q&A with FOOD & WINE Publisher, Christina Grdovic," Wholesome Wave
  4. ↑ Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant
  5. ↑ Ashoka.org
  6. ↑ "Homegrown chef: making the world a better place through food," Shoreline Times

External links