Why Does DG Speaks Focus So Much on Food?

People often ask why DG Speaks focuses so much on food. The answer is simple. Food connects almost every issue I care about. Culture, sustainability, women’s empowerment, travel, public health, business, and identity all intersect through food in some way.

For me, food has never been just about eating.

Food tells stories about who we are, where we come from, what we value, and how communities survive and evolve. It reflects migration, struggle, celebration, tradition, creativity, and power. The deeper I moved into my career and my studies, the more I realized that food sits at the center of some of our most important global conversations.

Ironically, I did not originally plan for food systems to become such a huge part of my work.

Why Food Has Always Been Part of My Story

I grew up in rural North Carolina surrounded by agriculture. Corn fields stood around the corner. Chicken coops lined the road. Dairy cows grazed nearby, and grape vines stretched across our backyard. Long before I studied public health or sustainable development, food was already shaping how I understood labor, family, culture, and community.

My first job was picking blueberries during the summer for four dollars a crate. At the time, it simply felt like hard work in the Carolina heat. Looking back now, I can see how deeply those experiences grounded me in the realities of agriculture and food production.

Food was never distant from my life. It was part of everyday living.

Even now, I think growing up in that environment gave me a natural appreciation for the people behind our food systems. Farmers were not abstract figures to me. They were neighbors. Food production was not a trend or a political talking point. It was simply part of the rhythm of life.

How Working With Women Led Me Into Food Systems

After completing graduate studies in Sustainable Development with a focus on gender, I entered the international development world focused on women’s empowerment and social change.

What quickly became clear is that women are central to food systems across much of the world.

In many communities, women are farmers, processors, fish dealers, market vendors, cooks, caregivers, and entrepreneurs all at once. If you are serious about working with women globally, chances are high that you will eventually work in agriculture, nutrition, or food production in some form.

That is exactly what happened to me.

Over time, I worked alongside women farmers, food producers, and cooperatives across different countries and sectors. The work felt surprisingly natural because of my own upbringing. What started as a professional pathway slowly became a genuine passion.

Today, I work across food systems in multiple ways, from agriculture and sustainability to food culture, nutrition, storytelling, and consumer behavior.

Food Is About More Than Eating

Of course, I am absolutely a foodie. I love discovering restaurants, exploring culinary traditions, and experiencing beautifully prepared meals. Some of my favorite travel memories are tied to food.

Still, my relationship with food goes much deeper than restaurant culture.

Food is one of the strongest forms of cultural expression we have. Meals carry memory. Recipes preserve history. Ingredients reflect migration and trade. Certain dishes tell stories about colonization, survival, poverty, celebration, and resilience.

That complexity fascinates me.

Too often, food conversations stay very surface level. Social media encourages people to focus only on aesthetics, luxury experiences, and trends. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying beautiful food content, I am far more interested in the deeper stories connected to what we eat.

Who grows the food?
Who profits from it?
Which cultures get celebrated and which get erased?
Why do communities develop certain eating habits?
How do economics and history shape our diets?

Those are the conversations I find most interesting.

Why Sustainability Matters to Me

Sustainability is another major reason DG Speaks focuses so heavily on food.

Food systems impact nearly every aspect of our lives, including climate, public health, labor, waste, water, and economic opportunity. At the same time, many people feel disconnected from how food actually reaches their tables.

I try to approach sustainability from a realistic and accessible perspective.

Reducing waste matters to me. Supporting local producers matters to me. Preserving food traditions matters to me. I believe small shifts in how we consume, cook, and think about food can collectively create meaningful change.

At home, I love experimenting with cooking and baking. I enjoy making jams, desserts, burgers, and all sorts of random creations. More importantly, I appreciate slow food and intentional cooking. In a world built around convenience and speed, preparing food thoughtfully can feel grounding.

And yes, I am still proudly a beer geek too.

Food, Identity, and Cultural Criticism

Earning my Master of Public Health with a focus on nutrition and global food systems pushed these interests even further.

What fascinates me most now is humanity’s emotional and cultural relationship with food. Why do we crave certain things? How do historical experiences shape cultural diets? Which traditions nourish us, and which ones deserve more critical reflection?

Not every cultural practice comes from a positive history. Sometimes traditions emerge from survival under oppression or scarcity. Sometimes they evolve through migration and adaptation. Food reflects all of that complexity.

That is one reason I increasingly see myself not only as a food writer, but also as a cultural critic and systems thinker.

When I write about food, I am rarely just talking about food.

I am talking about labor, women, identity, economics, sustainability, culture and power.

Food simply happens to be one of the most powerful entry points into those conversations.

Why Food Will Continue To Be Central at DG Speaks

Food touches every single person on this planet, yet many of the conversations surrounding it remain shallow or disconnected from larger realities.

At DG Speaks, I want to explore food differently.

I want to talk about the beauty of culinary culture while also discussing sustainability and inequality. I want to celebrate incredible chefs and restaurants while also examining the systems behind them. I want to highlight women, communities of color, local producers, and cultural traditions that deserve visibility.

Most importantly, I want these conversations to feel human.

Because food is human.

And honestly, that is why DG Speaks will probably always focus so much on food.