4Roots Interview with John Rivers

Why 4Roots Cafe?

1. HOW DID YOU GET CONNECTED WITH ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER? A mutual friend, Ken Robinson, CEO of Dr. Phillips was the one to introduce me to JoAnn Newman, CEO of the science center. The three of us had a meeting about two and a half years ago for the replacement of the Subway space in the building.

Originally, it was possibly going to be a 4 Rivers, but the more I met with the team, the more I saw an opportunity to connect their core values for youth, inspiration and education, with our values at 4Roots. The more time spent at the Science Center, the more I fell in love with it and the people there.

Then I came up with a proposition. We won’t put in a smokehouse. Instead we will create a concept that is fruit and vegetable focused and we could collaborate on creating an exhibit in the dining room focused on food education and food science.

They agreed and that’s when the fun began. We started collaborating with Orlando Health, Full Sail, and Disney. We would all meet and dream up how to fill the space to make it exciting and stimulating for kids. It was a fun process collaboration with local dreamers on how to spur growth in young minds.

2. WHY DID YOU THINK THIS PARTNERSHIP WOULD BE VALUABLE WITH ADVANCING YOUR MISSION WITH 4ROOTS? What the Science Center provides for us is what we at 4Roots call, “Expressions.”

An Expression is any opportunity that we can take elements of our core mission off our Farm Campus property. We are able to introduce these elements to farmers, students, really anyone in the community to be inspired by the Farm Campus without having to set foot on the campus.

Our Science Center expression is in good company with our expressions at Ocoee and Edgewater high schools, and we are getting ready to open a farmers’ market, too. All of these are expressions made from taking a core element of the farm and bringing it to the community. We don’t have to wait for our Farm to be built in order to make an impact.

3. WHY ARE THE ISSUES OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING AND FOOD SCARCITY SO IMPORTANT? Due to our farming practices today, we are currently undermining the very ecology that we depend on as a population to survive. The compromise that’s resulting from the way we are farming and treating the land is not only compromising the health of soil but also the very air that we breathe changing the world starts with changing your community, and any lasting change starts with education, awareness, and inspiration.

5. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF OPENING THE CAFE? Dreaming and designing with a white sheet of paper. One of my favorite things. And to be able to do that with community partners and leaders who are just as passionate was great fun.

On top of that, getting to design and create a menu that is unique in the marketplace, creating a brand, and recipes are all things that I love. I love all elements of creating a new concept, so this was a great project from start to finish.

6. IS THERE ANY FOOD THAT YOU PERSONALLY ENJOY GROWING, OR WATCHING GROW? I’m going to still say grapes. A vineyard of grapevines. My favorite scene is a sunrise over a beautifully manicured vineyard with rolling hills with morning mist and dew. Not that we do that in Florida, but that’s what I can picture clearly.

7. WHAT DO YOU HOPE VISITORS TAKE FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE AT THE 4ROOTS CAFE AND THE FOOD HEROES EXHIBIT? I hope that there’s elements of the exhibit and the cafe that speak to different people in different ways. From the hands-on education elements of the exhibit to the local FL sourcing of the produce on the menu. I hope people walk away with a greater appreciation and understanding of the role agriculture and science play together in our lives.