Deconstructing Dinner

11/26/2021

November 23, 2021… 8 days since climate change-induced landslides took out every major highway between BC’s interior and the coast. These are the yogurt coolers at the Kootenay Co-op in Nelson. Three of these four shelves are from local dairy Jerseyland Organics.

10/05/2021

Here’s DECEITFUL MARKETING from the grocery giants at its finest. The unsuspecting eater would naturally think this is WILD Atlantic salmon right? But how can that be possible when there isn’t a commercial Atlantic salmon fishery and they’re listed as “endangered”? Upon a closer look behind this private label product from the Farm Boy chain (Sobeys) this salmon is raised in an open net fish farm that happens to be located in the Bay of Fundy!!! salmon 🍣😕

Here’s DECEITFUL MARKETING from the grocery giants at its finest. The unsuspecting eater would naturally think this is WILD Atlantic salmon right? But how can that be possible when there isn’t a commercial Atlantic salmon fishery and they’re listed as “endangered”? Upon a closer look behind this private label product from the Farm Boy chain (Sobeys) this salmon is raised in an open net fish farm that happens to be located in the Bay of Fundy!!! 🍣🥸

10/15/2020

Join us for a Covid conscious dialogue and beats session with Jon Steinman this Sunday 1-3PM with appetizers provided by Roast 🌱

Dialogue with Jon on the Kootenay Coop model, his book findings about, insights from Deconstructing Dinner. Followed by digesting food for thought beats session. 🎶 Jon will guide us through his mystical beats transforming the Market into an immersive experience of music medicine.

Limited to 35 people with Covid measures in place - sign up through the eventbrite link below: ⬇️

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dialogue-beats-w-jon-steinman-authortv-hostfoodcoop-warriordj-apukuna-tickets-124963496181

07/29/2020

The influence of the Deconstructing Dinner podcast and the Kootenay Grain CSA 12 years later... 🍞❤️🌈

They include Yoshi Sugiyama, whose fascination with farming sprouted as a kid in Tokyo.

05/29/2020

It's been a long time since I hopped in a shopping cart!!! but it was the only way I could get the new AUDIOBOOK to work. Must be the reception... the cart acts like a big antenna. ☺️🛒📖🎧

Narrated by yours truly, the audiobook of GROCERY STORY: THE PROMISE OF FOOD CO-OPS IN THE AGE OF GROCERY GIANTS is now available on iTunes, Audible and direct from New Society Publishers - https://grocerystory.coop/buy-the-book

Jon Steinman, Deconstructing Dinner

05/21/2020

“Co-ops are like the “pioneer plants” that first appear on the landscape following a forest fire — society’s fireweed and morel mushrooms.”

[from the NEW audiobook, Chapter 5, Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants written and narrated by Steinman] 🛒📖🌈

https://grocerystory.coop/buy-the-book

05/14/2020

Flashback to the future! Canada’s first community supported agriculture (CSA) for grain was established in the mountains of British Columbia in 2008. To transport the grain from farm to plate, members of the project chose a unique method of transportation – sailboats!

05/11/2020

The AUDIOBOOK is now out for Jon Steinman's Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants

Narrated by Jon and recorded at Kootenay Co-op Radio - a co-operatively owned radio station! 🛒📖🎧🥳

Available through iTunes, Amazon/Audible and New Society Publishers. https://grocerystory.coop/buy-the-book

05/08/2020

If you remember the WHEAT episode of the TV series, you’ll remember the Kootenay Grain CSA in British Columbia. This co-operatively owned grain mill grew out of that initiative and is still going strong and making the front page of the news!!! 🍞🌈😁

FULL ARTICLE @ https://www.nelsonstar.com/news/nelson-four-mill-co-op-looking-for-new-members/

Watch the WHEAT episode @ http://www.deconstructingdinner.com/wheat/

05/03/2020

Wondering about those empty grocery store shelves of garlic? Deconstructing Dinner just uploaded to YouTube the full Garlic episode of our 2013-2014 television series. Seems more relevant today than ever! Here's a short clip from the full episode.

Watch the full episode - https://youtu.be/Z8kYFDiDsRk

04/08/2020

Are you realizing like never before just how important grocery stores are?.. wanting more resilience and security in your local food supply?

Choose from one of two remaining dates for this webinar and get a motivational introduction into retail food co-ops.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT: https://grocerystory.coop/2020-webinars

🛒❤️

04/05/2020

AN URGENT CALL TO EAT... LOCAL!
For those of us with the capacity and privilege at this time to shift or amplify our food choices, never before in recent history has it been so important to purchase AS MUCH product as we can made by smaller local foodmakers.

- Everyone needs support at this time, but the smaller the foodmaker, the less capacity they have to weather supply chain disruptions, food safety protocol changes or new capital expenditures required to adapt. If we want them to still be around on the other end of this, not only do we need to eat their food, WE NEED TO EAT MORE OF IT.

- Many foodmakers have just lost one or two of their most important markets - Restaurants (and other foodservice) and in some cases Farmers' Markets*. This has been devastating. GROCERY STORES, bakeries/butchers/fishmongers have become increasingly IMPORTANT venues right now where eaters and local foodmakers can interface (and direct from the foodmaker if possible). *note many jurisdictions are permitting pared down markets and some also going online

- EATING LOCAL FOOD creates jobs in our communities. No community has become immune to layoffs. We can eat our way into a new economic reality.

What does it look like then for us, in record numbers, to shift our food purchases as much as we can to local???
..for the LOCAL DAIRY, it means running out of milk/cheese/yogurt and having to increase production, and hire more workers
..for the LOCAL COFFEE ROASTER, it means running out of coffee, increasing production, hiring more workers (and most likely sending fairer wages to the farmers)
. for the LOCAL EGG PRODUCER, it means running out of eggs, increasing production, and hiring more workers
..for the LOCAL PASTA MAKER, it means running out of pasta, increasing production, and hiring more workers
.. for the LOCAL BAKER, it means running out of bread, increasing production, hiring more workers (and a good chance sending those food dollars to the local farmers growing the grains)

and for all of these foodmakers, increasing production, hiring more workers, all translates into more of our food dollars being invested by those foodmakers/workers into the other local businesses they too use.... legal and financial, marketing, design, printing... not to mention every locally-owned business currently closed that will desperately need revolutionary acts of our support when they are able to re-open. We can prepare for this now by 'banking' and 'investing' our food dollars in the pockets of our local foodmakers and our local grocers.

THE TIME TO LIVE AND BREATHE A MORE LOCALIZED, RESILIENT FUTURE IS NOW.... and we can do it with our shopping carts.

In support of a new normal

- Jon Steinman, Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants



🛒😍🌈

02/20/2020

Come meet Deconstructing Dinner’s Jon Steinman in Vancouver next week speaking about his new book. Get yer’ book signed!!!

Tue Feb 25 - https://m.facebook.com/events/621248075343849

Wed Feb 26 - https://m.facebook.com/events/151672842936025

Excited to continue sharing the Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants. These upcoming dates are being hosted by some incredible universities, bookstores and community organizations focused on local food and cooperative development. Thanks Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Simon Fraser University, Banyen Books & Sound, Revelstoke Local Food Initiative, and Kamloops Public Market Cooperative. 🛒📖😁

More details on the events: https://grocerystory.coop/2020-upcoming-events

12/12/2019

Now isn't this a once-familiar sighting!!! Back at Kootenay Co-op Radio once again....

AUDIOBOOK recording Day 1 !!! Where better to record an audiobook about food co-ops than at an actual co-op radio station owned by its listeners (one of only two radio co-ops in Canada). Could be said that Grocery Story really began here at Kootenay Co-op Radio where the book’s predecessor Deconstructing Dinner was born. To be released in 2020!!! 🛒📖🎙

12/07/2019

Who Owns Your Grocery Store by Jon Steinman on YES! Magazine’s online opinion section...

Chances are, it’s a big chain—unless your local market is a food co-op.

12/02/2019

FINISHED!!! Back home in Nelson BC after what might be one of the most epic food co-op tours ever! Feeling so much gratitude to know that the Grocery Story message has permeated much of the food co-op community and even more thanks to each and every group that hosted a tour stop. Food co-ops, startup food co-ops in development, universities, libraries and bookstores. And to all of those who made this book and book tour possible... the 215 Kickstarter backers and the 25 sponsors. No way would this have all been possible without your support. The tour has opened up many new opportunities to keep the Promise of Food Co-ops message evolving and I look forward to continuing to support the incredibly critical role community-owned grocery stores play within the future of food, health, climate, land & aquatic ecosystems, local economies and community vitality. Onward!
🛒📖🤩

11/20/2019

Some more cool food co-op initiatives discovered on the book release tour for Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants ❤️

09/10/2019

The BC book tour... (More dates to come in 2020!)