Category: FOOD

Pictured Above: The Publix 2021 Collard Green Festival, featuring James Beard Award-winning chef and native son Edouardo Jordan (right), is happening this Saturday on the corner of 22nd Street and 9th Avenue South. On the left is former News Channel 8 newsman Rob Carter with festival co-founder Boyzell Hosey at the 2018 event.

Courtesy of The Weekly Challenger

By Mark Parker

The 2021 Publix Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival returned May 15 on the corner of 22nd Street & Ninth Avenue South. Live music and cooking demonstrations took place to inspire a healthy community through fitness, nutrition and family fun.

This year’s festival featured a virtual demonstration from not one, but two James Beard Award-winning chefs, one of which is a proud son of St. Petersburg.

Everyone loves an underdog story, overcoming the odds to blaze new trails and achieve what was once thought impossible through sheer grit and determination.

St. Petersburg’s own decorated chef and restaurateur Edouardo Jordan embodies that underdog spirit from a boy growing up in Childs Park to becoming the first African American to grace the cover of Food & Wine magazine. 

He credits his experiences as a kid for instilling the mentality that has served him so well ever since.

“One of the blessings of being a part of the St. Pete community, the Childs Park area, was just learning the hustle and the grind,” Jordan said. “Learning to make something out of nothing.”

Growing up, Jordan was one of the younger and smaller kids on the block and was constantly trying to keep up with the older kids. He was usually the shortest or slowest person playing sports, and school did not come easy for him, either. He soon realized that if he wanted to achieve his goals in life — both then and in the future — he was simply going to have to work harder than most people.

“I struggled in school, I struggled in sports,” he said. “So, what I did was work extremely hard to get better each and every day. I put people who are better than me around me, to inspire me to at least try and get to that level. And what happened with that situation was that I became an A student, I became an MVP on various teams. It wasn’t because I was the greatest at anything that I did; I just worked extremely hard.”

After graduating high school, Jordan knew he needed to break out of his comfort zone in St. Petersburg. Since he planned on staying in Florida, he decided to go to a university in a city that would adapt him to what other areas of society are like. 

With friends and family in Tallahassee and Miami seeming too distracting, Gainesville and the University of Florida made the most sense to him.

“It was a highly recommended, highly prestigious university in the state of Florida, and I wanted a challenge,” Jordan said. “I wanted something slightly different; I wanted to be a little bit farther away from my inner circle. That was helpful for me to get my own grounding, find my whole new network of people to explore and learn the world from a different perspective. From my Caribbean and West Indies friends to my fraternity brothers, to some of the non-minorities that I became friends with, that I continue to be able to network with – even in my career now.”

The first in his family to attend college, Jordan would graduate with dual degrees in business administration and sports management. However, he did not feel passionate about a career in those fields.

“I think every mother and father’s dream is to have their son go to law school or become a doctor, do something that’s in that like one percent range,” Jordan said. “But when I graduated from the University of Florida, I kind of had a come-to-Jesus moment of what I actually love doing is hosting people, and feeding people, and nourishing their body.”

Jordan would then go on to graduate with honors from Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando, spend some time at Mise en Place in Tampa, and then begin his meteoric rise through the culinary world at the prestigious restaurant The French Laundry in Napa Valley. From there, he would migrate north to Seattle, where the sky has been the limit.

After 10 years of honing his craft and finding his voice in the culinary world, Jordan would open his first restaurant called Salare in Seattle in 2015. A year later, the kid from Azalea Middle School and The Boca Ciega High School would become the first African American to be featured on the cover of Food & Wine magazine for their “Best New Chefs” edition.

The restaurants and awards would continue.

In 2017, he would open JuneBaby, dedicated to his roots and Southern Cuisine. The restaurant was a hit locally and nationally. JuneBaby was selected as a Critic’s Pick by the New York Times, was named to Esquire magazine’s 2017 list of Best New Restaurants in America, and was chosen one of Food & Wine’s 10 best restaurants in 2018.

One of the most prestigious awards one can receive in the culinary world is the James Beard Foundation Award. In 2018, Jordan would win two, taking home the title of Best Chef: Northwest and Best New Restaurant for JuneBaby.

Since then, Jordan has opened up a third restaurant in Seattle called the Lucinda Grain Bar, highlighting heirloom, ancient and local grains. He has also expanded his philanthropic efforts through The Soul of Seattle, which was created to help foster relationships and empower the community through food. His goal is to shed light on the diverse food and Black-owned businesses within Seattle, and another focus in 2021 is on empowering youth of color in the area.

Somehow in between all of this, he found time to start a retail brand close to his heart named Food with Roots that includes the clothing brand – Chitlins.

“That came when I found my voice, found my identity,” Jordan explained. “And that comes at different times and levels for everybody. I found mine when I opened my own restaurant; I felt open to speak about what I wanted to speak about.”

Growing up, he found it hard to talk about eating hog intestines, or chitterlings (spelled and pronounced chitlins in the South), and the other things he ate for fear of being ridiculed by his peers. He later realized he should not be ashamed of what fed and nurtured him and his family.

Jordan hopes his clothing brand will enable other people to find their voice and express it in whatever manner and not be bashful or doubt themselves.

“This is an extension of who I am as my history is a story,” Jordan said. “It’s more than just food. It’s perseverance and survival; it’s creativity. It’s the ingenuity that we have created, and always have been able to create as people of color.”

While Jordan does not get back often to St. Petersburg, his parents still live here, and he looks forward to coming back soon to see all the changes. He misses the beaches, weather and water, and left the door open to returning home to open a business and retire.

Jordan is excited about being home virtually at the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival. He attended high school with event co-founder Samantha Harris and agreed to participate back in 2018.

“So, it was just a boon for us to be able to get him again,” festival founder Boyzell Hosey said. “Last year, we had food author Toni Tipton-Martin, and for us to get both of them to appear together virtually is pretty amazing for us.”

“We’re going to have a good time just talking about the good ole days,” Jordan said. “Eating collard greens with the family and what it means, and variations of ways you can enjoy them.”

Pictured Above: St. Pete Youth Farm hosted the Women’s Appreciation event on March 27. (USF/Catherine Burke)

By Catherine Burke

There is a clear discrepancy between health and nutrition equity in the St. Petersburg area.. A lack of community awareness around this issue is the reason why many people don’t pay attention to the clear nutrition deficit in the Midtown area of St. Petersburg. 

Have you ever noticed the two Publix Supermarkets across the street from each other on the busy intersection of Fourth Street North and 38th Ave. North? What about the Winn-Dixie that backs right up to a Sam’s Club on Fourth Street North and 22nd Ave. N? Both of these examples include addresses containing the direction “North.” Head over to the south side of St. Petersburg and there isn’t a single full-functioning grocery store. 

Nutritionist and St. Petersburg local, Wendy Wesley, thinks access to fresh produce in the south side of the city is scarce.

“Within a 42-block of St. Petersburg’s south side are two USDA-designated food deserts where access to fresh fruits and vegetables is severely limited,” Wesley said. 

Wesley advocates for St. Petersburg because she recognizes that the closest food options for some families living in this area would be Dollar General stores and convenience stores, both of which offer no real nutritional food, only processed and packaged goods. These stores are not acceptable substitutes for real grocery stores that supply fresh produce and healthier food options.

Food insecurity has long plagued the south side of St. Petersburg. High poverty levels combined with zero access to nutritional food has much to do with the nutrition deficit. 

Mandy Cloninger, the chief impact officer of Feeding Tampa Bay, thinks that the real problem is rooted much deeper than this.  

“In addressing hunger and food insecurity we have to address the root causes – systemic racism and poverty,” Cloninger said.

According to Greater Chicago Food Depository, systemic racism is where you have public policies, institutional practices, cultural norms that reinforce differences and devalue people of one group as compared to another. And generally, that’s rooted in history. It disadvantages people of color and centralizes whiteness

Angela Odoms-Young,from the Greater Chicago Food Bank echoes a similar sentiment. 

“Many people in Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities are drowning with unemployment, poverty and food insecurity,” Odoms-Young said. “Racism and discrimination are what’s pushing them into that river.” 

As a community, St. Petersburg,, has a combined responsibility to do everything to stop this repeated history of food insecurity that is stemming from racism. Wesley herself has brought this to the attention of Mayor Rick Kriseman, City Council and people of power throughout the community.

She has advocated for the implementation of “DG Fresh” throughout the local Dollar General stores which would add a fresh fruits and vegetables section to the stores. 

Aside from this, creative long-term solutions are necessary in the fight against food insecurity. One example of this would be the 2019 founding of the St. Pete Youth Farm in Midtown. The St. Pete Youth Farm is a community gardening program that involves local children to encourage a healthy lifestyle and sense of responsibility. 

The Farm’s Collaboration Manager, Carla Bristol, has the brightest vision for this program. 

“This is not only an opportunity for the children to learn important life skills, but they will bring home what they learned to their mother, father, brothers and sisters,” Bristol said. “Our hope is that this sets off a chain reaction within the community.” 

Bristol left her career in the corporate world to pursue a more fulfilling life. She opened her own art gallery, Gallerie 909, to give a space to celebrate and honor the culture of the black community. 

“Everything I do centers around community,” Bristol told The Gabber in 2020. 

Now she has centered her life heavily around the youth of south St. Pete to create necessary change. 

The goal of the St. Pete Youth Farm is to eventually progress into a full-functioning produce center where anyone can come to participate and purchase the locally grown food. 

“We hope that these methods being highly visible in the community of greatest need will shift eating options and drive healthy outcomes,” Bristol said.

The St. Pete Youth Farm frequently hosts events to expand their reach within the community and get their name out there. On March 27, the farm hosted an event honoring notable black women who have had a strong impact within the community. 

“It’s our responsibility to honor these women who work tirelessly to change the future and make this a better place to live,” Bristol said. 

Additional programs to fight food insecurity in south St. Petersburg include the introduction of “SNAP Dollars” from Kenwood Organic Produce and the new Food Policy Council (FPC). 

SNAP dollars allow low income families access to fresh produce from local farmers at a lower cost. This still benefits the local farm stands and promotes a healthy lifestyle for low income families who would otherwise have no access to these foods. 

The FPO was created in light of COVID-19 which severely impacted people who were already affected by food insecurity. The council specifically comes up with ideas to counter the nutrition deficit in the area, working full-time to come up with new ideas for the future such as USF’s Hydroponic Farm that begins this summer. 

The clear food inequity in areas of St. Petersburg can only be fixed when people are aware that there’s a problem. 

Women like Wendy Wesley and Carla Bristol dedicate their lives to improving the health and wellness of this community. They believe that there is no problem too deep rooted in history that it cannot be fixed and that people have the right to access nutritional food. 

Bristol believes in “thinking big.” 

“I know where my ancestors have been and I know my role in the community to prevent further racism and discrimination,” Bristol said.

 It begins with changing the norms and fighting for equal access to food across the city no matter one’s income or race. 

It’s up to the citizens of St. Petersburg to aid Wesley and Bristol in their missions and change the course of history. 

Pictured Above: The market participates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Incentives.

Courtesy of Downtown St. Pete

By Olivia Sawdy

Located at the heart of St. Petersburg, the Saturday Morning Market gathers almost every week. 

At the market, you can find anything from body care and clothing to local produce and pet food. 

SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families, so they can purchase healthy food and move toward self-sufficiency. 

The market provides a “match” for Florida grown fruits and veggies. This means that for every SNAP dollar spent at the market, individuals can receive a matching financial incentive. For example, $50 from the EBT card gives individuals $100 to spend at the market, which effectively doubles their purchase.  

This makes it incredibly affordable for those who use EBT to purchase the healthy and nutritious foods they need.

Residents in the Midtown and Gulfport areas of St. Petersburg have a hard time finding healthy foods as the only grocery store in that area closed years ago. 

The Saturday Morning Market offers a solution by consistently housing 171 vendors, 84 of which sell food, including fresh produce. 

Many of the options for food are based on people making and selling their own recipes, and many of the food vendors are local farmers who sell their local produce and advertise their farms for people to visit and support. 

“For the last 11 years, we have maintained and harvested blueberries from about 40,000 plants,” said the owners at Blues Berry Farm in Plant City. “When blueberry season is among us, which is right around the corner, having so many plants helps us maintain and provide an incredible amount of fruit that can be bought when we are at the market or on sight at our farm.” 

The Blues Berry Farm also has a U-pick season where guests can go to their farm and pick their own blueberries. 

The Dancing Goat is another vendor at the Saturday Morning Market. 

“Our mission is to provide the most high quality, delicious, and healthy products while showing the individual love and care that each animal deserves,” Pam Lunn, owner of The Dancing Goat, said. “Quality is paramount, and we personally stand behind our products.” 

The farmers are all very proud of their products and love attending the Saturday Morning Market. It is a great way for them to share everything that they have and gain loyal customers that often also buy from their farms, not just from the market. 

“I always enjoy going to the Saturday Morning Market,” Alex Simpson, a customer at the market, said. “Every time I go, I find food and other fun things at such an affordable price that it makes me really want to keep going back.” 

Many people who attended the market for the first time never knew how affordable it truly was. It was also very convenient for them to have local produce available. They knew it was coming from a good place and wanted to support the local sellers. 

With the pandemic still present, the market has come up with some rules that market goers and vendors have to follow. 

Free masks are provided and must be worn by everyone during market hours. Customers who choose not to wear a mask will be asked to leave. There is also controlled entry and only three spots in which guests can enter the market. 

Even though the market offers an array of different foods and drinks, eating is not permitted on the premises. Customers can eat outside of the market footprint and vendors are required to package their food in “to-go” containers. Drinking is allowed inside the market. Your drink must be in your hand and your mask must be on and visible to others. 

The market’s mission is “to be the ‘heart’ of St. Petersburg- the place, more than anywhere else, that people feel a strong sense of joyful connectedness and creative community.” 

Many customers have shared that they think the market is the most significant improvement to the quality of life ever in St. Petersburg. 

Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown St. Petersburg, locals and people from out of town can attend the market. 

Since the pandemic, the Saturday Morning Market has adopted an online model which allows customers to order food from vendors online and pick it up on Saturday morning. This helps avoid overcrowding and is a nice alternative for those who love to support the vendors at the market and want to be safe.

Customers and vendors can enjoy live music while attending. The market is always striving to give everyone an extraordinary social experience. 

“Going to the market is always a good time for me. I love talking with vendors and every time I come, I find something new that I just love,” Simpson said. 

With so many different vendors attending the market, there is something there for everyone. 

By Catalina Rasdall

Personal health is one of the most important things for living a long life. The human body needs nutrition in order for it to keep moving. 

That is why those grocery runs are crucial. They are something to look forward to because they present an opportunity to pick healthy food options and try out new recipes. But what happens when people no longer have access to a grocery store within their ZIP code? How can they keep their bodies healthy without access to healthy food?

Food insecurity has taken a toll on Midtown where grocery stores are being closed left and right. There are no large-scale grocery stores between Fourth Street to 49^th Street, which means there is no access to healthy food. The only access to food is ready to go processed food, such as gas station food.  

Midtown lost Walmart earlier in the year, and ever since then the neighborhood has been suffering. Without stores open, there needs to be another solution to the evident food insecurity.

Growing plants and vegetables guarantees not having any hard chemicals or preservatives tainting the food. It also enables control over portion and variety. The process takes patience, trial and error. There are slower ways to grasp the concept of nurturing seeds and selecting the right soil and amount of water for them to grow. Then there are also quicker ways, such as attending a gardening class open to the community held by the St. Pete Youth Farm.

The St. Pete Youth Farm is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization working toward giving back to the community by creating a space to grow food. Carla Bristol started it off with a  gardening class that informed everyone of the dire needs for access to healthy food. 

“It is rewarding to see your own food growing and be able to do it for yourself,” Bristol said.

One of Bristol’s solutions to food insecurity is for people to grow their own plants. She brought a special guest, Robert Greenfield, to teach a class on how to create your own garden. 

Greenfield is an environmental activist. He was a guest teacher at the St. Pete Youth Farm who shared his knowledge on how to preserve soil and grow any desired type of plant or vegetable. He aims to educate those around him and whoever he can reach out to. 

 “My main goal is to inspire a healthy Earth, often with attention-grabbing tactics,” Greenfield said.

Greenfield started the class by continuing Bristol’s initial statement about how Midtown needs healthy food now more than ever. He has traveled around the world and seen people live off of strictly land and joined them in their need to only eat what they grow. Greenfield learned specific tactics that help an individual grow their own food. These tactics include foraging your food and fleet farming. 

Forging is the act of gathering food, wild or cultivated. Foraging for food can come in handy when the need to find any sort of edible substance to feed your stomach is present. It also allows individuals to become connected with the natural world. 

The wild food that comes from foraging is much healthier than the food from the grocery store. The food contains essential vitamins and minerals that are not present in most processed foods. Foraging the food is not something that can be done on a whim. Individuals interested should find a mentor to learn from, someone who has been through every step of foraging so they can give them that boost of confidence to go on their own. 

A much easier way to have guaranteed access to healthy foods is fleet farming. Fleet farming is a dedicated piece of land used to grow food. This allows for the typical home lawn to become a garden 

Before foraging for food and gardening, Greenfield didn’t have the slightest clue on how to grow plants and vegetables. He started asking around for tips and small lessons on how to garden. From then on, he picked up his own tricks and was able to teach others from his own experience. 

People can go to the closest garden store  and pick out some seeds to create their dream garden. If time is pressing, seeking out a professional forager who can offer guidance might be a good option.

By Nicole Billing & Emily Heise

District 2 Council Member Brandi Gabbard has been fighting back against food insecurity in St. Petersburg by spearheading new amendments supporting urban agriculture.

The need for new legislation arose with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as food insecurity became more prevalent. The bill recognizes how urban agriculture can be beneficial for the community and offer not only economic value, but provide fresh produce to residents and revitalize communities and vacant lands.

Originally from Indiana, Gabbard moved to St. Petersburg in 2003 and led a successful career as a real estate agent. She was elected to the City Council in 2017, and currently chairs the Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Gabbard and others proposed numerous amendments to the Florida Senate Bill (SB) 628, titled Urban Agriculture, which covers rules and regulations regarding farm equipment, distinguishment of urban farmland, local municipality requirements and community involvement.

Pinellas Rep. Michele Rayner has also joined Sen. Darryl Rouson to promote the new legislation. 

The addition of the “Urban Agriculture Pilot Project Act” in the bill allows for local municipalities to retain their right to “reasonably regulate urban agriculture to protect existing urban land uses.”

Gabbard’s Legislative Aide, Kim Amos, shared that the senate bill amendments were recently voted on, and received a unanimous agreement from the House of Representatives.

“Senate Bill 628 passed the house on Wed., April 28 with a 117 Yays-0 Nays vote,” Amos said.

Despite the progress that has been made for urban agriculture, Gabbard and others fighting for food and nutritional equity understand it will take a lot more effort to remedy this issue.

In an interview with The St. Pete Catalyst, Gabbard explained that the new bill she has led is only the beginning to securing a fresh, healthy and local food source for all St. Petersburg residents.

“This is not one and done. We can’t just check the box on food insecurity and move on. We need to keep working. We need to keep coming up with ideas. We need to keep collaborating,” Gabbard said. “What is that next big idea that can help to feed people in St. Petersburg? That’s really where I’m at right now — looking for what’s next. What more can we do?”

In addition to the bill amendments, Gabbard and others fought to amend the Florida Code of Ordinances, specifically Ord. No. 448-H, to help further support the urban agriculturalists and their efforts to produce and sell their products.

The ordinance amendments were officially adopted on Feb. 11, 2021 to add specific gardening definitions, lower permit fees, and to establish standards for landscaping, building development, and home produce sales. They also give the local government the ability to regulate urban agriculture when necessary. 

New permit application fees for community gardens and roadside vending were reduced by half, and one gardening structure per single-family dwelling exempt from design requirements are now allowed. Requirements for irrigation systems to follow federal and state regulations were added as well.

The Home Produce Sales section was amended to permit the on-site sale of produce to be sold in other zoning districts in accordance with specific standards for home produce and commercial gardens and greenhouses. Also, surplus produce is now allowed to be sold off-site to cover garden operation costs.

“This ordinance can help fight food insecurity. There are several food deserts in our city, and it is ideas like these that begin to develop solutions to these issues,” Amos said.

Plans are currently in the works to help educate the public about the amendments to the Senate bill and ordinance. Amos described a few avenues the city plans to take to get the word out.

“​The city is already in the process of developing a brochure that helps the public understand how the ordinance impacts their abilities to grow and sell their harvest,” Amos said. “Additionally, information will be pushed through social media channels and there is hope that interest will continue with the media and local educational institutions to develop stories.”

The amendments are supported by healthcare professionals like Wendy Wesley, RDN, a licensed dietitian nutritionist working to improve nutritional security for St. Petersburg residents. 

Wesley works with many people with chronic health issues such as diabetes and cardiac disease. Battling these diseases necessitates a healthy, nutrient-dense diet. 

“It was news to me that people could not sell what they grew,” Wesley told the St. Pete Catalyst. “It was something that caught my attention.”

These types of actions aren’t just happening locally. According to the National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL), numerous U.S. states have enacted bills, ordinances, and programs that support urban agricultural efforts and have proven beneficial for the economy and community. 

California adopted the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone (UAIZ) Ordinance in 2013 to support local food production, and in 2010, Colorado created a Food Systems Advisory Council to also promote local food economies.

A bill in Hawaii allows the provision of incentives for housing projects that incorporate urban gardening programs, and two bills in Illinois give preference to buying locally-grown products and providing policies and funding that support local food systems.

Minneapolis and Delray Beach are also examples of cities with urban agriculture policies that have benefited their local communities and economies.

Minneapolis’ Community Garden, Market Garden and Urban Farm Policy, created in 2015, allowed for people to lease undeveloped, city-owned pieces of land for community gardens, market gardens and urban farms.

Delray Beach’s Community Gardens Policy, adopted May 16, 2016, also allowed for the noncommercial use of city-owned land for community gardening and other activities such as composting practices.

Based on the positive impacts being made in other places, the amendments will likely be a welcome change for St. Petersburg. There’s more to these agricultural bills than just feeding people. They provide opportunities for new jobs, community interaction, and could potentially have a significant impact on the St. Petersburg economy and community’s future.

The bill amendments are planned to go into effect July 1.

By Alexendra Davis

In modern America, it is generally up to the parents to teach children the skills related to food, shopping and economics. Many districts do not teach home economics anymore and those who do, barely scratch the surface. 

Living in a world with food delivery just a few taps away, the question arises about the knowledge and ability of minors to take care of themselves nutritionally. 

At what age do children and young adults learn to become sufficient in their skills in the kitchen and even more importantly how to shop in the grocery store?

St. Petersburg has food deserts. A food desert is an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. It is determined by the USDA by information like access to transportation and income level to determine these areas. 

Midtown is a food desert as there is a large section – around fifty or so blocks – that go without a major grocery store People living in Midtown don’t have access to fresh produce, fresh meats and other foods needed for good nutrition.

Nutritionist Wendy Wesley shared her concerns in regard to nutrition and whether the younger population is able to sustain itself with proper food to begin with. 

“There is a lack of economics and food budgeting… Household budgeting. Can you feed yourself without needing Uber Eats every night?” Wesley said. 

Wesley now works privately as a nutritionist but spent many years as a hospital nutritionist where she met many adults who did not have access to the proper nutritious foods and ended up in the hospital because of it. These patients dealt with malnutrition in some cases, while others faced high blood sugar, cholesterol, or kidney issues that require special diets to maintain a healthy life. Since witnessing that, it has become her mission to help fix the nutrition insecurity of her hometown. 

While it has become a personal fight of hers to focus on getting Midtown the resources it needs to be successful, young people still have issues related to receiving proper nutrition.

“The money young people could use to buy homes… pay student loans, goes right to Uber Eats,” Wesley said. “There is a difference of lifestyle nowadays, it’s “not sexy” to cook at home.”

A lot of young people believe that “cooking at home is what poor people do,” Wesley said.

On top of the barriers including lack of adequate kitchen space and grocery shopping skills, they are also turned off at the idea because it is no longer popular or desired. 

Wesley mentioned that Pinellas County schools now teach home economics again,a subject that has been previously removed.. Home economics is the bare minimum in teaching children how to handle adult tasks and Wesley is grateful that it is taught at all. 

“Even cooking 101, and basic finances is more than some of these kids get. My son is taking it now, and he’s able to start to learn what he needs to know,” Wesley said. 

Speaking with young people in the area, in various age ranges, the goal was to see their skills and ability.

“I could probably do it at fourteen, I knew how to cook and take care of myself…” Howard Adams said. “I probably had a different life than most though, I had to do things sooner.” 

Mason, a thirteen-year-old from St. Petersburg shared his experiences and how that has prepared him for the future. 

“I know how to grocery shop, cook, and feed myself. I think I can do it nutritionally and with the right foods,” Mason said. “Growing up in a house where my parents don’t eat out much and make more food at home that… tastes better and a lot cheaper, I’ve learned that going out isn’t that great.” 

His family has never used food delivery apps and going out was only for special occasions. 

“Yeah, it’s less work but it usually doesn’t leave me satisfied,” Mason said. “With cooking and food though, I know a lot more than most kids do.” 

He joins his parents for their shopping trips and gains firsthand knowledge on what to get each week and how to budget appropriately. He feels prepared for his future. 

Diamond DelValle, now in her early 20s, grew up in the midtown area. She currently lives on her own and has learned a lot since leaving. It took her some time to adjust, and she spent the first months on her own eating relatively poorly and learning what she needed to purchase to be healthy. 

“I could do better, but I feel like as far as having a proper amount of nutrition, I am getting better at doing that,” DelValle said. 

Delvalle was able to pick up some insights from going grocery shopping with her mom as a kid.

“She taught me how to cook and I went grocery shopping with her as a kid, so I learned just by watching… but as far as the reasoning to not having proper meals, was because I grew up with my mom making ends meet,” Delvalle said. “She was struggling to get food by the end of the month… Nothing was her fault, but that’s just the way life was for me.”  

Food nutrition is important, and getting these skills more readily available into the hands of the youth population should be a priority, so they are better prepared in the long run.