We often talk about how finding your dream food job requires a leap of faith. For Lindsey, that leap was particularly risky - quitting her job without knowing when her next paid work might come, and leaving the country she grew up in for the great unknown. But that's why we're certain that her next venture as an entrepreneur will be a success - she's planning to start a food educational tour business/ social enterprise to reconnect people with where food comes from. Show us a great risk, and we'll show you a great reward.
When did you know that you wanted to work in food?
In 2010 I was volunteering at Astor Center in New York City, helping to prep, serve and clean before and after their food and wine education classes. The fact that I often got the opportunity to sit-in and participate in the sophisticated cooking and wine classes was my main motivation. What started as an occasional gig eventually became my normal evening job - but I wasn't getting paid for it. I was working a 9-5 in the corporate world that I felt zero passion for. The metaphorical light bulb went off and a few months later, I quit my job, hauled my stuff into storage and moved to Argentina with the goal of working a harvest at a winery in Mendoza. I planned to stay in Argentina for five months and head back to NYC to work in the wine business. I got really lucky and landed the dream job of wine harvest documenter at a boutique winery in the foothills of the Andes. It was an unpaid internship that covered my costs of living. Needless to say, it was a game changer. That was over three years ago and I'm still traveling, volunteering and working. As part of Operation Groundswell, I lead ethical travel and service learning trips in Peru and Guatemala. This fall we'll focus on ethical consumerism and how what we buy at home affects the often-ignored food producers at the point of origin - you can learn more about the trip here. I'm finally doing what I love - and getting paid to do it!
How did you get your current good food job?
In 2011 I was volunteering in Peru as Project Manager of a disaster relief organization. Operation Groundswell came through with a group of volunteers and that was the first I had heard of them. Their Program Leader at the time, Laura, and I later spent a weekend camping on a beach in Paracas, Peru. A few months later, Laura was promoted to an office position running all of OG's programs and she recommended I apply for the Peru Program Leader job.
How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?
What I'm doing now is the perfect mix of all my random jobs: seven years spent at various corporate marketing and PR offices in Washington, DC and New York City, Wine Harvest Intern and Documenter, Project Manager of volunteers in Peru, Specialty Coffee Barista in Australia, Sales and Marketing Director of a coffee cooperative in Guatemala. While the cubicle world wasn't for me, I am fortunate to have had that experience as it has opened many doors for me in the NGO, food and travel world that I wouldn't have had otherwise.
What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream?
I had to give up the idea that I always needed to have a plan. We're told to never quit a job without another lined up, right? I quit my job and put my intention out to the universe. What came back was the greatest support from friends and family - more than I had ever thought possible. From friends introducing me to their friends in Argentina to my brother giving me his old backpack he used when traveling post-college, everything just came together perfectly. It showed me that what I was doing was moving in the right direction - even if it was vastly different than the norm and what other people my age were doing.
There were many times when I thought I couldn't do this crazy travel-work-travel thing anymore. Not having a consistent home base is trying at times - you meet amazing people from all over the world, you get to know them quite intimately for a few months, you or they move on, and you know you might never see each other again. Fortunately I met my partner in work, love and life while volunteering in Peru and we've been able to keep this going so long because of each other. Passion, stability and support in whatever job wherever in the world is absolutely necessary.
What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?
I think the current food movement focused on knowing - and caring - where your food comes from is huge. As more consumers realize that the current food system is broken on so many levels, they will start to look at alternative food sources and we will start seeing a change in what's being offered. I see more people (even my mom!) starting to have a closer connection with their food, and starting to grow, ferment and make their own foods.
If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?
Travel! Travel that is culturally immersive, rich in local foods and raises awareness of the world beyond ours.