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A Man on FIRE - Super Raw Life Magazine

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8<br />

Urban Farm to Plate<br />

by Corinne Anne Rice<br />

I'm sure when you hear the word “Detroit” you think of<br />

crime, poverty, bums, gangs and all things bad. If you've<br />

seen that South Park episode, you probably think Detroit<br />

is worse than Hell. Just like any other city, these things do<br />

exist. What you d<strong>on</strong>'t hear about <strong>on</strong> the news are all of<br />

the magical, positive things that are going <strong>on</strong>. Something<br />

really powerful is happening here, a huge movement<br />

toward the greater—a rebirth, if you will.<br />

One of most fascinating things is the large amount of<br />

urban farming that is taking place. One could drive for<br />

five miles and pass by five or six farms. People all over the<br />

city are transforming vacant lots, which were <strong>on</strong>ce bey<strong>on</strong>d<br />

an eyesore, to a beautiful landscape that is providing<br />

food and creating jobs for people of the surrounding<br />

community. “It is an intenti<strong>on</strong>al movement that is very<br />

organic. Community members have turned to agriculture<br />

to improve the city. It is an authentic movement, and<br />

it feels good to be a part of it,” states Brand<strong>on</strong> Knight,<br />

co-owner of Rhiza Food Company, an urban farm in<br />

Highland Park (c<strong>on</strong>sidered to be a very dangerous area<br />

of Detroit).<br />

Knight says the biggest advantage of urban farming is<br />

the community outreach. “It's something you just can't<br />

achieve in rural areas.” Kids from the neighborhood are<br />

always interested in what's going <strong>on</strong> at Rhiza—they stop<br />

by, hang out, and volunteer to help. It's keeping them out<br />

of trouble and educating them <strong>on</strong> how to be sustainable.<br />

Recent studies also suggest crime rates are lower in areas<br />

with urban farms.<br />

In additi<strong>on</strong>, farming in the city makes it possible to<br />

eat something at a restaurant that was harvested that<br />

morning. I have a raw-vegan menu at a local coffee shop,<br />

where I'm able to serve a salad with the most amazing<br />

mixed, heirloom greens that traveled <strong>on</strong>ly two miles from<br />

farm to plate, while the average is 1500-2500 miles.<br />

I recently started purchasing locally, and I'm addicted,<br />

for many reas<strong>on</strong>s. Being an individual who is health<br />

c<strong>on</strong>scious, the number <strong>on</strong>e reas<strong>on</strong> is the amount of<br />

nutrients found in food. Most produce travels seven to<br />

fourteen days from farm to grocery store, and can lose 50-<br />

90% of its nutrients by the time it hits your lips. If you're<br />

reading this, you're probably into a healthy lifestyle and<br />

this is definitely something you should c<strong>on</strong>sider before<br />

piling your cart with fruits and veggies that are depleted<br />

of their vitamins and minerals. Do your research and<br />

check out local farmers markets. Get to know the people<br />

growing food in your area. It's such a great feeling to be<br />

able to walk <strong>on</strong> the land where your salad is growing.<br />

If we can get out of the habit of purchasing from megacorporati<strong>on</strong>s,<br />

local ec<strong>on</strong>omies would thrive. For example,<br />

because I buy produce from Rhiza Farm, they need to<br />

employ staff to keep their farm up and running. Their<br />

employees will turn around and spend m<strong>on</strong>ey locally,<br />

which in turn creates more community wealth, which<br />

many cities are in desperate need of.<br />

Take your healthy lifestyle to the next level, and try being<br />

a locavore for a little while. This way of eating will nourish<br />

your soul as much as your body.<br />

Corinne Rice<br />

graduated from Matthew Kenney Academy<br />

(kenneycuisine.com), deemed <strong>on</strong>e of the best raw culinary schools<br />

in the world. After four years of travel, and returning to home-base<br />

(Detroit), Corinne started Chartreuse (chartreusedetroit.com) in<br />

February of 2012. Chartreuse is a traveling raw-vegan restaurant,<br />

popping up all over the city of Detroit, at locati<strong>on</strong>s such as, art galleries<br />

and urban farms, to name a few. Her dinners feature local artists and<br />

live music. Every menu is different and is completely based around<br />

what produce is available from urban farms within the Detroit<br />

city limits. All menus are four courses, organic, mostly heirloom,<br />

soy and gluten free. Currently Corinne is in the planning process<br />

of taking Chartreuse <strong>on</strong> the road. With dinners already planned in<br />

Harlem, NY and LA in early 2013. In January of 2013, Rice launched<br />

her sec<strong>on</strong>d business called Pop up Yoga (popupyoga313.com). Pop<br />

up Yoga is a d<strong>on</strong>ati<strong>on</strong> based traveling yoga “studio”, popping up at<br />

various locati<strong>on</strong>s throughout the city of Detroit, including historical<br />

buildings and art galleries.<br />

Once a m<strong>on</strong>th, Chartreuse pops up at various locati<strong>on</strong>s throughout<br />

Detroit, such as, art galleries, farms and museums. The dinners are<br />

fully equipped with extraordinary imaginati<strong>on</strong> and the element of<br />

surprise, all the while creating a memorable culinary and social<br />

moment that exists briefly and disappears immediately, as if it were<br />

a dream.<br />

All ingredients are organic, raw, vegan, n<strong>on</strong>-GMO, soy and gluten<br />

free and about 80% sourced locally. Each menu is based around<br />

what crops are available from urban farms in Detroit. Every m<strong>on</strong>th a<br />

different Detroit based musical act is featured at the dinner.<br />

Issue #7 Winter 2012 <strong>Super</strong><strong>Raw</strong><strong>Life</strong>.com

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