(Chef Bryant Terry advocates for a world in which all Americans, regardless of income, geography or race can have access to healthy, fresh, affordable and culturally appropriate food | Photo courtesy of COCC)
Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) Chandler Lecture Series will examine topics of food justice through two events on May 16 with James Beard Award-winning chef and author Bryant Terry: first a kitchen demonstration titled Our Plate is Political: Using the Savory Tastes of the Table as a Tool for Social Justice from 4:30-6pm at the college’s Cascade Culinary Institute, and then a performance-style presentation at 7pm, titled Food Justice at the Intersection of Food, Politics, Art and Culture, in Wille Hall on the Bend campus. Learn more about these events at cocc.edu/foundation/cls.
About the kitchen demo: Chef Terry will prepare vegetable-forward meals that not only satisfy but also serve as a catalyst for growing the food justice movement. Tickets are $50 per person, which includes cooking demo, recipes, samples of Terry’s vegetarian meal and beverages. Staged at COCC’s Cascade Culinary Institute in Bend, 2555 NW Campus Village Way.
About the presentation: In this interactive talk, Terry will take the audience on a journey of his more than 20-year career as a chef and community builder committed to creating a healthful, just and sustainable food system. The dynamic presentation includes singing and rapping while fusing personal narrative with food politics, advocating for a world in which all Americans, regardless of income, geography or race can have access to healthy, fresh, affordable and culturally appropriate food. Register for the $20 in-person program or sign up to receive a recorded version for $5.
Terry is the founder of 4 Color Books, a publishing imprint that collaborates with forward-thinking and groundbreaking BIPOC chefs, writers, artists and activists. He is the author of six critically acclaimed books and has won a James Beard Award, an NAACP Image Award and an Art of Eating Prize. His latest book, “Black Food,” illuminates a part of the Black experience with recipes, essays and art. San Francisco Magazine included Terry among its “11 Smartest People in the Bay Area Food Scene.”
The Nancy R. Chandler Lecture Series of the COCC Foundation brings renowned speakers, lecturers and experts to the region to deliver broad-based programming on a diverse range of educational and topical subjects. The program was established in 1985 by the late Robert W. Chandler Sr. to honor his wife Nancy. For more information, contact Charlotte Gilbride, coordinator for the Chandler Lecture Series, at 541-383-7257 or cgilbride@cocc.edu.
In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact Caitlyn Gardner at 541-383-7237. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact disability services at 541-383-7583.
