Bryant Terry

Bryant Terry is an eco-chef, food justice activist, and author. He is currently a 2008-2010 Food and Society Policy Fellow, a national Program of the W.K. Kellogg and Fair Food Foundations. Terry and his writing/recipes have been featured in "Gourmet", "Food and Wine", "The New York Times Magazine", "The San Francisco Chronicle", "Vibe", "Domino", "Mothering", and many other publications. He is currently working on his second book, which will be published by Da Capo/Perseus in 2009.

Biography

Terry’s experience in sustainable food can be traced back to his childhood in Memphis, Tennessee where his grandparents inspired him to grow, cook, and appreciate food. [1] His grandfather, Edward Bryant, had his own gospel group called “The Four Stars Of Harmony,” which was one of the first black gospel groups to broadcast on the radio in Memphis. His uncle, Don Bryant, is a singer and songwriter who was once the staff songwriter for Hi Records, penning the classic “I Can’t Stand the Rain” which was made popular by his wife Ann Peebles. [2] [3]

Terry graduated with honors in English from Xavier University of Louisiana. He then moved to New York City to attend graduate school in History at New York University. After getting his M.A., he enrolled in the chef’s training program at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City.

In 2001, Terry founded b-healthy! (Build Healthy Eating and Lifestyles to Help Youth), a five-year initiative created to raise awareness about food justice issues and empower youth to be active in creating a more just and sustainable food system. In 2002 he received a Community Fellowship from the Open Society Institute (Soros Foundation) to support b-healthy’s work, in which he led b-healthy’s chef-educators Ludie Minaya, Elizabeth, Johnson, and Latham Thomas in reaching out to thousands of youth across the nation. [4]

In the spring of 2003, Terry met author Anna Lappé. That fall they began writing a book which was soon bought by Tarcher/Penguin and published "Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen" in 2006. [5] Grub received a 2007 Nautilus Award for Social Change. [6]

Among his national radio and television appearances, Terry has offered his commentary on the Sundance Channel’s original series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet,” He has been a guest chef on three episodes of the BET series “My Two Cents.” Terry is also a host on “The Endless Feast,” a 13-episode PBS series that explores the connection between the earth and the food on our plates.

Terry is a consultant for the Bioneers Conference, he is the Ambassador at Large of the People’s Grocery, and he consults for other not-for-profit organizations as well as corporations. He will appear on-screen as an expert for the “Nourish: Food + Community” PBS special that will air Fall 2008, and he has also served on the advisory board for the project’s educational component.

Terry is currently a Food and Society Policy Fellow, a national program of the WK Kellogg and Fair Food Foundations. [7] He is working on his second book, which will be published by Da Capo/Perseus in 2009.

[1] http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/04/09/an-interview-with-bryant-terry-eco-chef-author-and-food-justice-activist/ [2] http://www.theroot.com/id/46387 [3] http://paulbrownmusic.netfirms.com/projects/db_liner.html [4] http://www.soros.org/initiatives/cf/focus_areas/nyc_fellowships/grantees/terry_2002 [5] http://eatgrub.org [6] http://www.nautilusbookawards.com/nautilus/winners-2007.html [7] http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/fellows.cfm?id=101901

Books

"Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen" (Tarcher/Penguin, 2006), co-written with Anna Lappé with a forward by Eric Schlosser.

Terry also contributed to "Recipes from America’s Small Farms" (Villard, 2003), eds. Joanne Hayes and Lori Stein.

Articles and Blogging

Terry’s writing and recipes have been published in "Food and Wine", "Domino", "Mothering", "Plenty", "Delicious Living" and other print magazines. He has contributed to ABC.com and TheRoot.com among others. His column on TheRoot.com, "Eco-Soul Kitchen," offers thoughts, recipes, tools and tips for sustainable eating and living. His essay “Reclaiming True Grits” was widely circulated on the web and sparked heated debate about “soul food.”

Television and Radio Appearances

In addition to hosting PBS series “The Endless Feast,” commentating on the Sundance Channel’s “Big Ideas for a Small Planet,” and on the PBS special "Nourish: Food + Community," other television networks on which Terry has appeared include CBS, FOX, and NBC. He has been interviewed and corresponded on dozens of nationally syndicated radio programs.

References

· http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/04/09/an-interview-with-bryant-terry-eco-chef-author-and-food-justice-activist/· http://www.theroot.com/id/46601· http://www.theroot.com/id/46536· http://www.theroot.com/id/46387· http://www.theroot.com/id/45746· http://www.theroot.com/id/45382· http://www.theroot.com/id/45056· http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/04/09/an-interview-with-bryant-terry-eco-chef-author-and-food-justice-activist/· http://www.culinate.com/articles/the_culinate_interview/bryant_terry· http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2140154

External Links

· Bryant’s World (http://www.bryant-terry.com)· Eat Grub (http://www.eatgrub.org)· Organic Soul (http://organic-soul.blogspot.com/)· Black and Green (http://readblackandgreen.blogspot.com/)