Partnerships & Collaborations
Communication, Education & Storytelling
At the Living Food Initiative, partnerships are at the heart of the work. I collaborate with small businesses, scientists, researchers, farmers, growers, chefs, sommeliers, artists, and community organizations to create programming or design educational initiatives/curricula that brings science, food culture, and ecological thinking into shared spaces.
These collaborations are designed to be flexible and responsive, whether that means developing a one time event or research project or building a longer-term series. The goal is always the same: to create meaningful experiences that spark curiosity, deepen understanding and strengthen connections between people, food and the living systems that sustain us.
What collaboration can look like…
-
Co-designing research projects, grant-writing, and/or integrating current science into public-facing programming in ways that feel relevant, grounded and approachable.
-
Interactive workshops, tastings and conversations that translate microbiome science, fermentation, and ecological relationships into engaging, accessible experiences.
-
Helping partners communicate the deeper story behind their work by connecting products and practices to broader ecological and cultural narratives.
-
Co-create events or event series that bring together scientists, chefs, farmers and producers for dialogue and shared learning.
-
Co-creating educational experiences that bring science to life through workshops, courses, and curricula that connect microbiomes, fermentation, and food systems to everyday understanding. Designed for a range of audiences, from community learners to students and professionals.
Current & Recent Collaborations
Mel Guse, Owner of GIST Wine Shop in Sioux Falls, SD. Support in newsletter content/writing and events.
Community Fermenters Project in collaboration with HACER and Asian Media Access to evaluate community fermentation as a tool for dietary health interventions (part of dissertation project sponsored by the University of Minnesota Office of Community Engagement to Advance Research and Community Health).
GIST Wine crew at a Tasting and Storytelling with Kelley Fox of Kelley Fox Wines in the Willamette Valley.
If you are interested in collaborating, I’d love to hear from you! Whether you have a fully formed idea or just the beginning of one, we can shape something thoughtful and impactful together.
Work with partners may include:
Wine shops, wine makers and beverage spaces exploring sensory education and storytelling through tasting experiences.
Farmers, food producers and fermentation businesses interested in connecting their work to microbiome and ecological science.
Businesses, organizations or research institutes hosting conversations at the intersection of food, health and environment.
The sky is the limit! If you have an idea, please Get In Touch!
Vigneron Ruben Solorzano, aka the “grape whisperer” from Stolpman Vineyards in Solvang, CA, describing the incredible work of La Cuadrilla (the crew) who tend to the vineyards by hand only.
Dinner and storytelling by Maria Helm Sinskey and Robert Sinskey at the new RSV site and Wilding Farm in the Carneros region of Napa Valley.
Studio Null Non-Alcoholic Wine research and experiment to determine best wine stabilization methods for non-alcoholic wines.