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From STEM to Table is part of 7 Days of STEM
YOUNGSTOWN
From STEM to Table: The Science of Local Food was a taste fest of exotic sounding drinks, snacks and foods made from products grown and/or produced locally.
The Common Wealth Kitchen Incubator on Elm Street was the scene Thursday of an enthusiastic gathering of people involved in furthering, or just curious about, the production, selling and purchasing of locally grown food and value-added food products.
STEM to Table was one of the events of 7 Days of STEM, the Youngstown Regional Science and Technology Festival, which ends Saturday.
At STEM to Table, chefs and small-business entrepreneurs used Common Wealth’s commercial kitchen to prepare and demonstrate their products, which ranged from organic and raw probiotic tea made by For Life Kombucha, fresh baked pretzels with ricotta by the Magic Tree Pub and Eatery and Small Batch, LLC, and rainbow kraut by Lady Buggs Farm.
Small Batch, owned by Lindsay and Ben Ratner of East Palestine, started their catering business just a couple of months ago with the help of Common Wealth Kitchen’s manager and business consultant, Tom Phibbs.
“Common Wealth Kitchen has given us somewhere to let our business flourish and to network with potential customers,” Ben Ratner said.
Amber Landsman of Poland and Debbie Nespeca of Youngstown, partners in For Life Kombucha, plan to have a licensed brewery operating soon in the basement of the Common Wealth Kitchen in which to produce their probiotic tea.
Once their brewery is licensed, they can begin trying to get it placed on the shelves of local stores.
Jim Converse, Ph.D., regional development director for Common Wealth, parent of the Common Wealth Kitchen, redefined STEM from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to Scrumptious, Tasty, Everyday Meals.
He said local production and purchase of locally grown and produced foods would save energy, help preserve the environment, provide easier access to healthy food and be a boost to the economy.
“I love having people see the kitchen incubator. We can help anyone from an inner-city mom to a large restaurant,” Phibbs said. “I want them to know they can reach out to us. I really feel this is the basis for rebuilding our local food economy.”