By: Robert Alan Wight, PhD
Cincinnati’s Foodshed: An Art Atlas is a visually stunning and thought-provoking exploration of our food economy. This collection
explores the past, present, and future of our foodshed, blending original artwork, storymaps, timelines, historical insights, and community-driven research, all wrapped into a beautiful coffee table book. This project celebrates the people, innovations, and businesses that have shaped our regional, national, and international food landscape. As a collaborative endeavor, the stories shared highlight the farmers, gardeners, chefs, policy makers, advocates, non-profits, and educational institutions working to create a more just and sustainable food system.
The Atlas is composed of three main sections – past, present, & future. The past illuminates the First American Nations and European settlers, showcasing indigenous knowledge, the impacts of the African Plant Diaspora and the introduction of European style agricultural. Gain an appreciation for how geography and innovation helped Cincinnati rise as the “Queen of the West,” building on the Shakers’ agricultural advances, the creation of the Poland-China Pig Breed, invention of the disassembly line, growth of pork packing, founding of Procter & Gamble, and our region’s early leadership in viticulture and beekeeping. Cincinnati birthed several impressive food empires and related business – from Kroger, Castellini and Kahn’s, to Fleischmann’s Yeast, and our confectionary, dairy, and brewery industries including United Dairy Farmers, Greaters Ice Cream, Cincinnati style chili, Christian Moerlein and La Roses Pizza to name a few.
From a faith and cultural lens, Cincinnati is the home of Reform Judaism and where Manischewitz invented the mass production of Matzo. The Protestant Work Ethic is exemplified in the success and philanthropic nature of our German Immigrant Beer Barrons – most from the Bavarian region. These titans of the brewing industry helped to change the style of, and the way America consumed beer. The Catholic presence is seen in the invention of the Filet-o-Fish for the McDonalds Menu, an item that had such success, it is now a permanent offering.
The Present section dives into the food movement, sharing stories about saving soil, and preserving greenspace and farmland. Here, readers can engage with a smell map of the lower Mill Creek highlighting industrial food production sites, see where our butcher shops use to be, learn about the restaurants sourcing locally, and discover the direct impacts of redlining regarding current day food desserts. There are chapters on Food Mapping, our food waste and recovery efforts, and local food production. The last two chapters of this section pay homage to our institutions promoting agriculture education and permaculture, such as the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Cincinnati Public Schools, the Civic Garden Center, several Colleges and Universities, and the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute.
Finally, the Future section invites the reader to dream of broader system and food system changes over the next 30 to 50 years. What if we had fully implemented the planning designs and inspirations from the Garden City Movement more than 100 years ago, where food production was woven into the fabric of our cities and suburbs? What if Cincinnati had completed its Subway and continued to build affordable housing and planned communities, such as the Village of Mariemont (planned in 1921) and the Village of Green Hills (1930s)? What if we followed Permaculture Design and Living Building Challenge Principles for these developments? Imagine if our dwellings, offices, schools, and government buildings generated renewable energy, captured and used rainwater, grew food in their landscapes, and were constructed using materials that are environmentally friendly?
If you enjoyed reading about these topics and stories, please dive deeper and discover the richness of the Atlas for yourself by visiting our website – Cincinnatifoodatlas.com.
Join us for Fruit Fest!
Where: Urban Artifact – 1660 Blue Rock St, Cincinnati, OH 45223
When: Friday, August 15th 4 – 8 pm
What: Panel of foragers, orchardists, & fruit fanatics, 4 – 5 pm
Open to the public, free of charge, with food trucks on site.