Getting Closer to the Source with Chef Gary Podesto
What happens when people step out of the grocery store and onto a working farm?
In this episode of One Bite is Everything, Dana sits down with chef and educator Gary Podesto of Climate Farm School, an organization that brings people directly to farms to learn about food systems, soil health, climate resilience, and regenerative agriculture. Through immersive, week-long experiences on farms around the world, participants gain a deeper understanding of where food comes from and the people responsible for producing it.
Gary shares what draws people to these experiences, from health concerns and climate anxiety to parenthood and simple curiosity. Together, Dana and Gary explore why so many people feel disconnected from their food, what happens when they reconnect with the land, and why understanding food systems often changes the way people think about everything from farming to community to personal responsibility.
The conversation also examines the unique role chefs play in our food system. With more than half of America's food dollars spent in restaurants, chefs have an opportunity not only to feed people, but to help consumers understand the farms, farmers, and choices behind every meal. Gary reflects on how food can become a powerful tool for education, storytelling, and connection, helping bridge the gap between the people who grow our food and the people who eat it.
In This Episode
- What Climate Farm School is and how it works
- Why people are seeking a stronger connection to the land
- The role of soil health in food, climate, and resilience
- How regenerative agriculture differs from conventional systems
- Why local food systems matter
- The challenges and realities facing today's farmers
- How chefs can help reconnect consumers with agriculture
- The power of food as a tool for education and community
About Gary Podesto
Gary Podesto is a chef, educator, and facilitator with Climate Farm School. Drawing on decades of culinary experience, he helps participants explore the connections between food, farming, ecology, and community through immersive learning experiences on working farms.
About Climate Farm School
Climate Farm School is an educational nonprofit that helps people reconnect with the land through immersive learning experiences on working farms. Participants spend time with farmers, educators, and food system leaders exploring topics such as soil health, regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, local food systems, and the challenges facing modern agriculture.
Operating on partner farms in the United States and internationally, Climate Farm School combines hands-on learning, discussion, and community-building to help participants better understand how food is produced and how farming intersects with environmental, economic, and social issues. The program brings together people from diverse backgrounds who share a curiosity about food, farming, and the future of our food system.
Through its courses and alumni network, Climate Farm School seeks to shorten the distance between consumers and producers, creating opportunities for meaningful connection, practical education, and informed action.
Learn more here: https://www.climatefarmschool.org
One Bite is Everything
One Bite is Everything explores the connections between food, health, community, the environment, and the economy. Through conversations with farmers, chefs, researchers, advocates, and food system leaders, host Dana DiPrima examines how food touches every aspect of our lives and why understanding our food system has never mattered more.
OBIE Facts
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Top 100 agriculture podcasts (87)
More engagement than more than 88% of all podcasts on Spotify
Five-star rating average
Part of Heritage Radio Network, home of the top voices in food
Connect
Follow Dana at @xoxofarmgirl and learn more about the For Farmers Movement at forfarmersmovement.com.