5 minute read
Cream of the CROP
Creating gastro training grounds for aspiring young chefs
As the menu’s “Bite” rolled out of the kitchen at Commune NFK restaurant in Norfolk, it became clear what the guests should expect for the rest of their meal. These were no ordinary oysters. The creative offering consisted of one oyster chilled with lemongrass and one caviar-fried, served with chickweed, rutabaga relish, sweet corn, beet, apple cornbread, cashew and goat cheese. That’s quite a “Bite,” and we watched as the young students who prepared it, plated it for serving. Yes, 14-19-year-old students prepared and served fig and apple wood-fired sourdough bread with wild onion butter; a salad of local kale and greens with beets, wildflowers, corn breadcrumbs, arugula, and strawberry vinaigrette; and charred rainbow carrots with whipped cheese. They followed it with heirloom polenta, sausage ragout and parsley cake with carrot and brown butter ice cream. Since starting The CROP Foundation in Delaware in 2014, Kip Poole, executive chef and executive director, has watched his mission grow, providing education and real-world learning opportunities for young culinary enthusiasts interested in a career in food service, hospitality, food advocacy and sustainable food-related fields. Poole moved to Virginia Beach in 2018 to serve as the Virginia Beach public schools district chef. He and his staff helped numerous schools turn their kitchen staff into skilled cooks, creating scratch-cooked meals with student-grown, school garden produce and crops from local farms rather than simply reheating institutional products. Cafeteria staff even took field trips to local farms to learn about crops, pastured poultry and slaughtering techniques. In the summer of 2020 Poole and Kevin Jamison, owner of Commune restaurant in Virginia Beach, Commune NFK, Prosperity Kitchen & Pantry and New Earth Farm, collaborated to provide The CROP Foundation with a location at Commune NFK for a student-led kitchen called CommuneXCROP. Their team includes Brent Hillard, sous chef—Commune VB and chef consultant of The CROP Foundation and Meghan Raftery, program director. After leaving the public school system to focus on CROP in Virginia Beach, Poole reached out to various high school students to develop and prepare a new menu for the restaurant and create ticketed, themed seasonal dinners. They continually sell out. When school opens and culinary programs start again, Poole plans to have CommuneXCROP students also participate in educational community events and outreach, cooking classes, on-the-farm training and more for a comprehensive industry experience. While
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by jill doczi
COVID-19 has affected them, Poole’s vision remains unwavering. “Like all businesses, we feel the effect, but we manage to think of creative ways to keep going,” said Poole. We’re hosting cooking classes both virtual and in person, we’re doing private dinners, to-go and pickup and of course regular service.” With fresh, local products at the core of their presentations, students learn the importance of using foods from local and regional farms and why it’s a healthier, more symbiotic option. “Our emphasis is on freshness and purity of ingredients,” said Poole. “We capture the highest level of flavor, by utilizing ingredients in season. Our methods highlight the importance of tradition and knowing our suppliers, from farmers to fisherman.” The CommuneXCROP program offers more than just ticketed dinners for the public to experience. They host informative events, contests, cooking classes for children and adults, pop-up events and more. Supporters can choose to host their own, or sponsor an already planned, pop-up dinner, fundraiser or other event to raise funds for the CROP mission. The nonprofit has also held events to prepare and give back for to those who need it in the community. For those visiting from out of town, a CROP event provides a curated taste of what’s fresh and local. “This is a unique experience here, not only are we founded on the philosophy that great tasting food comes from only the most cared-for, high quality ingredients, but we’re teaching our youth the importance of using fresh and local,” said Poole. “Our finished product speaks for itself; when food is grown with respect, picked at its peak, served close to its source and prepared with care, the finished plate is a culinary experience that nourishes and satisfies on many levels.” CommuneXCROP has developed a year-long, four-season curriculum for high school students and college externs to receive a gastronomy education, including menu development, cooking, serving, hosting, regenerative agriculture and event planning. The program offers students scholarships and identifies internships with chefs, farmers,
CommuneXCROP collaborators Kip Poole (left) and Kevin Jamison
restaurateurs and other members of the culinary community. They currently have a 600-hour curriculum set in place with 10 students from throughout the area. They also plan to host an event space run by students of the culinary and visual arts, music, design, environmentalism and more who will collaborate on seasonable food-centered events that showcase their creativity. Poole’s educational plans don’t stop there. “We hope to work with colleges and institutions all over the country that will offer college credit for what the students are doing here,” said Poole. “We also will work with chefs around the country that will offer internships for our students.” Poole sees the educational process evolving into an all-inclusive creative laboratory space for young people with diverse interests, with
— THE CROP FOUNDATION —
food at its center, using mentorships provided by community experts. Jamison, from the restaurant and business angle of the collaboration, shared his thoughts on the direction the partnership heads in the future. “It feels like that’s such a big part of our job right now, and we spend a lot of time figuring out what’s next and how to adapt to constantly changing regulations, consumer attitude towards dining out, how to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the pack, making plans for Commune and CROP to be sustainable for the long term while continuing to support local agriculture in an impactful way,” said Jamison. “So yes, we have lots of exciting new plans and ideas for what we do, 2021 is going to be a big year for us and we can’t wait to share with everyone all of the things we’re working on.” All revenues from Commune XCROP events go directly to sustaining the program and furthering The CROP Foundation’s mission. For more information on how to support CommuneXCROP, upcoming culinary events or become a participant, visit www.thecrop.org or www.communeva.com. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Jill Doczi has written and edited in public relations, marketing and journalism for a lifetime, forever trying to earn the respect of her journalism instructors. She resides in Virginia Beach.
