Page 49 - Sharp Winter 2024

A BETTER PLACE
CHEF, ENTREPRENEUR, AND SOCIAL ADVOCATE MARK BRAND ON RELENTLESSLY COMBATTING FOOD INEQUALITY AND CHAMPIONING A GLOBAL SENSE OF COMMUNITY
By David Stol
IF THERE’S ONE THING IMMEDIATELY APPARENT UPON MEETING MARK
Brand, it’s that he has an unquenchable passion for work. The West Coast chef is armed with an unparalleled sense of commitment, and he takes every task and challenge that presents itself — both culinary and otherwise — in his stride. The far harder proposition? Defining all he does, and all he is.
Because that list is lengthy. Brand could be described as an entrepreneur or an environmentalist. He could be deemed an agitator, a chef, or a community leader. Hell, throw DJ into the mix if you want, as he does that too. But, above all, Brand is a social advocate, and works tirelessly to achieve both sustainability and equality in food.
From the chef’s perspective, we’ve reached a critical juncture in our relationship with food. And, while it may be easy to let the divisions in the food industry — from educational disparity to the inconsistent quality of ingredients — tear us apart, Brand believes that we should fight for the resources necessary to bridge these gaps, wherever in the world they may be. And this, he says, all starts by establishing an open dialogue.
You wear many hats. Was there an adjustment period in balancing all of your responsibilities? In a traditional business set-up, not only would it be challenging, it would be impossible. But the gifts I’ve been given to pursue the tools [required] are a direct result of having my teams lift me up and fill in the gaps. The second part is not buying into the systemic belief that we can only be great at one thing. We’re all polymaths. We’ve just been taught to neuter ourselves to make the machines work or to make others comfortable. Lastly, each of the “hats” points to the same thing: being in service to the community and breaking false narratives.
When you have to describe what you “do,” how do you put your work into words?
My work, our work, is in food justice, food sover- eignty, system redesign, experiential advocacy, and educational reform, with each using food as the centre point. I think that question makes us all squirm a little. It used to give me anxiety until my dear friend, Holley M. Kholi-Murchison, spent time helping me refine it. Holley wrote a book titled Tell Me About Yourself that is a must-read for anyone who wants to communicate what they do without falling into the trap of feeling wildly braggadocious or, on the other side, downplaying their gifts.
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WINTER 2024 • GUIDE 49
MAN WORTH LISTENING TO
PHOTO BY SCOTT PILGRIM.