Greg Christian, sustainable chef, founder of the Organic School Project (OSP) and sustainability consultant, has just published his story of awareness and social consciousness via his first memoir “Food and Forgiveness: How a Chicago Chef Came Around."
Starting with a ‘from the heart’ look at his early family life and heady early years as a chef in New York City and Chicago where he created culinary masterpieces, he explores the evolution of his attitude and consciousness. In his rise as a chef, Christian had little consideration where the food he cooked came from or the impact it had on our environment. Christian tells us it was not until he became a father to a child with debilitating asthma that he turned his attention to the power of holistic and organic foods and changed the direction of his life and his work. His attitude completely reversed itself, and he chose to honor the food system as a whole and to become more conscious of the products that he consumed and served to his high profile clientele.
“I was blessed with a gift as a chef, but it was only after my daughter’s asthma was brought under control by using organic food that I began to open my eyes,” says Christian. “I wore blinders for so many years, but thankfully came to realize there was more to being a chef than simply cooking food. It was about honoring the entire system by striving to eat locally and organically, to eat less meat, to really pay attention to how far our food is traveling. I feel it’s my calling to teach the masses that we can all make small steps toward a better life through the food we eat.”
Christian’s transition occurred when he started to wonder where his food was traveling from and where his garbage was going. Previously, under the impression that nature was plentiful and endlessly abundant, Christian started to feel accountable for the hormones and antibiotics in the meat he was serving, for the garbage he was dumping, and for the herbicides and pesticides in our water and soil. “It was then I knew I wanted to help create a zero impact, healthy community. I was no longer comfortable running a business that crushed the planet and the people all week and then walking for breast cancer on the weekend,” says Christian.
His former catering operation, Greg Christian Catering boasted the first zero waste kitchen in Chicago. He also implemented a stringent mapping regimen, in where every ingredient that entered his kitchen was mapped to emphasize impact. In the midst of his for profit endeavor, he launched Organic School Project, a program within Chicago Schools that aimed to teach children a more mindful way of living through the cultivation of a garden, wellness programs within curriculum, composting and more. He believes OSP “is the reason he is on this planet,” as he quotes within his memoir. Now, as founder of Greg Christian Consulting and author, Christian aims to help the masses achieve sustainability.
“This book is the first of a series I hope to publish surrounding my vision of greenness for the world,” says Christian. “My larger goal is for our entire nation ultimately to return to local food systems, those that are entirely organically-based and self-supporting. I know that it will only be achieved if there is
a large outpouring of public demand and support for it, and I hope I can help provide the education needed to achieve this.” Christian says.
“Food and Forgiveness: How a Chicago Chef Came Around,” retails at $19.95 and will be available via www.foodandforgiveness.com, www.gregchristianconsulting.com and on www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. It will also be available for order through most bookstores.
