Why FEAST?

FEAST stands for Food Equity & Access Sustains Tomorrow. It began as an initiative of Ouita Michel and 4 chefs she met at a James Beard Foundation Chef Boot Camp. These chefs bonded over their dedication to changing our food system for the better and they all agreed that supporting the work of FoodChain was a great place to start! Funding from the very first FEAST in 2017 helped build our kitchen and now proceeds from this event help us to increase access to locally sourced, fresh food for everyone in our urban aquaponics farm, food literacy education programs, and direct food access distributions. In April of 2020, FoodChain launched Nourish Lexington with VisitLEX, the Murry Foundation, and Keeneland to meet the immediate needs of the community at the start of the pandemic, thanks in large part to relationships built during FEAST! That program has grown to become an essential way that FoodChain uses education and access to forge those links. Since March of 2020, our team has distributed over 700,000 meals to the community, while investing over $1,300,000 into our local food economy. With your support, FoodChain can continue building a better tomorrow with innovative education and direct access to locally grown, whole foods for everyone in the community. We hope you will join us this year at FEAST!

About FoodChain

FoodChain opens doors to participate, to create, to share. We are a nonprofit organization increasing access to locally sourced, fresh food for everyone. For the past 11 years, we have partnered with our local community to empower people to love food with innovative methods of direct food access, unique and accessible food literacy programming, and a one-of-a-kind indoor aquaponic farm. This is how we model a more sustainable food system.

We believe in creating a sustainable food system, an impactful and accessible food chain that feeds our community and invites them to participate. Food is our superpower, and we are working to make it everyone’s superpower.

Persist: We’re relentless in our mission to serve. Doing whatever it takes, we lead with passion and a heart for justice.

Innovate: To create change, we have to do things differently. Whether in the moment or planning ahead, our curiosity is our superpower.

Connect: Our focus is community. From food access to education, we listen with knowledge and empathy, ready to respond to needs.

Support: We provide stability to our team and our community, cultivating a sense of belonging and safety for everyone.

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