Photo Credit: Molly Haley

As you’ll soon discover, Genna is a woman who sees the value in social connections, and knows how to make the most of them. In fact, that’s how she wound up on this very blog, after writing us out of the blue and sharing her story (as so many of you do, and we can’t thank you enough for it). If you’re familiar with FoodCorps, and considering other options because you missed the deadline or were not accepted, Genna will tell you why AmeriCorps VISTA is an alternative worth considering.

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It’s not uncommon for people who haven’t met us face to face to mistake us for a husband and wife team, since the name ‘Taylor’ can easily be unisex and we are a pair in how and what we often think and do. Even those who do meet us in person assume we’re sisters, or can’t keep track of which one is which. So we’re excited to feature an actual husband-and-wife duo who also finish each other’s sentences, and are equally committed to great food for the greater good. Savor their serendipitous stories, take their advice, and pay them a visit if you’re lucky enough to be in the great state of North Carolina, where they headquarter This & That Jam.

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David is the Edible School Garden Instructor for a FoodCorps site in Tuba City, Arizona, a Native American community on the Navajo reservation. The Edible School Garden and Community Visioning Project are two efforts initiated by the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health to promote healthy living and to combat diabetes and childhood obesity. David and his team work with about 150 3rd-5th graders to implement a curriculum on horticulture basics and nutrition, both of which meet state requirements for math and science. The curriculum also invites community members to join the classroom and provide added instruction as cultural teachers. In the garden, they are currently adding more raised beds and just finished building a hoop house. Needless to say, they are cultivating much more than just vegetables. To learn more about the work that David and others do with FoodCorps, visit http://foodcorps.org/.

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Depending on where you live in the world, the concept of a young farmer might be old news to you, or it might be just plain bizarre. We dug up Nora to help spread the word that not only is farming – specifically, pulling weeds – some people’s idea of the perfect 9-to-5er, but it can also be a career path as unique and vibrant as the person (young or old) who chooses it. She’s also a timely reminder that farmers are entrepreneurs, too.

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Sometimes the most obvious combinations – such as ‘New York’ and ‘pizza’ – belie the most brilliant business ideas. Not only do Scott’s Pizza Tours allow you to burn calories in between slices (though on the bus tour, it will be up to you to get some squat thrusts in between stops), they finally solve that dilemma of how you’re going to cross all those famously delicious pizzerias off of your to-eat list. It would be too easy to get into an argument over whether you can find someone who likes pizza more, or knows more about it, than our friend Scott. . .instead, join him on a tour and let your passions collide.

EDITOR’S NOTE If Scott’s story has you drooling over your keyboard, be sure to check out his “Slice Out Hunger” event on Thursday June 9th, 2011. $1 slices from NYC’s legendary pizzerias.  All proceeds go to City Harvest. Feed yourself while you help feed others. http://www.sliceouthunger.org/

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Although we often feel sheepish about having created our own Good Food Jobs for ourselves, we continue to meet people who have taken the reigns in their own way, and carved a good food job out of an already-existing company or institution. Dan is a proponent of this advice, although he was lucky enough to let his current position fall into his lap. Even so, his journey was not without hard work and a tremendous amount of risk-taking. All of which is paying off in a big way for each class of students who are heading off into the world to find, or create, their own destiny in food.

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We have yet to devise a formal system for tracking how many people find Good Food Jobs on our site, but we’re always excited when someone reaches out to us to say that they’re gainfully employed, thanks to our job posts. Erin is another happy ending – or happy middle, given that she’s got a bright future ahead of her – that we can’t take all the credit for. Erin’s persistence and passion landed her some coveted spots in the Boston area, and she’s exemplifying the strategy of taking a part-time good food job (which pays) in order to support her good food internship (which doesn’t).

For musings from Erin, check out her blog at http://foodinaword.tumblr.com/

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Jess’ networking skills brought her to us when she reached out to see if we could attend the upcoming Making Good Food Work conference in Detroit. If you didn’t know there was buzz about sustainable agriculture in a city like Detroit, prepare to learn a lot more from Jess’ eclectic history and we-couldn’t-have-said-it-better advice. She is an example to anyone who has looked at their resume and wondered how to connect the dots, or is trying to decide where to start amid a jumble of different food-related opportunities. There are several morals to her story, but foremost is the principle that all experience can be valuable.
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One might consider Anne an expert sculptor as much as a gastronome, as she mindfully created her own career path with the tools that she had available.  Determined to combine both her passion (for sustainable living) with her profession (working with food), Anne’s held a series of jobs that are off the beaten path from a strictly “chef” position. You can find her now in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, guiding the students at Sterling College to do the same: think more creatively about how they can change the world. read more… »

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Jerusha hits all the marks: a former actress with a passion for food, she knew she’d have to take an entry level gig in order to work her way up. Now she’s not only working for one of the most influential non-profits in the industry, Slow Food, but also helping to implement a new tool for battling obesity, specifically in young children, at FoodCorps. She might just inspire you to get involved.

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