Annual Garden to Tables Food Day Highlights the Need for Bees

Saint Louis University held its seventh annual Garden to Tables Food Day Thursday, Oct. 26, highlighting the importance of pollinators in the environment.

Keynote speaker Juan William Chávez of the Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary and Northside Workshop, told the crowd that he sees similarities in the collapse of the bee population and the shrinking population of St. Louis.

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Juan William Chávez, right, was the keynote speaker for Food Day. Pictured with. Chávez, from left, are Mardell Wilson, Ph.D., dean of Doisy College of Health Sciences; Ivis Forrester, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics; and Lauren Landfried, instructor in Nutrition and Dietetics. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Instructor Lauren Landfried, MS, RD, LD, believes attending this event will help others realize how they can make a difference in the community. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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Juan William Chávez was the Food Day 2017 keynote speaker. Chávez works on projects and collaborations in North St. Louis including Urban Expression for the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary and Northside Workshop. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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A volunteer with Campus Kitchen tells a visitor at Food Day about the SLU program. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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Food Day guests were treated to tacos with roasted goat meat and local vegetables. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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Food Day guests were treated to tacos with roasted squash and local vegetables. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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Chocolates were prepared by the Nutrition and Dietetics faculty and students. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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Pear affogato featured whipped cream and a macaron on top. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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A student roasts locally-sourced squash and carrots. Photo by Amelia Flood

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Chocolates were prepared by the Nutrition and Dietetics faculty and students. Photo by Maggie Rotermund.

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A member of the Garden to Tables culinary team prepares squash tacos. Photo by Amelia Flood

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Diners could choose between roasted, spiced goat meat or fire-roasted squash for their entrees. Photo by Amelia Flood

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A SLU student receives her entree from one of the members of the event's culinary team. Photo by Amelia Flood

"We need to reconnect bees and humans," he said. "Bee hives can teach us - bees survive as a group and they thrive as a group." 

Chávez's Bee Sanctuary teaches young people to tend bee hives, while also learning to work in the garden and cook what they grow. SLU's Nutrition and Dietetics staff named Chávez a local food hero at the event.

Pollinator health is topic of interest across the university. On Oct. 19,  DineSLU held a pollinator-themed meal for its “Farm to Fork” dinner. Farm to Fork was a joint effort for DineSLU and University researchers Gerardo Camilo, Ph.D., Damon Hall, Ph.D., and their students.

Food Day is a partnership between SLU's Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, the City of St. Louis Department of Health and Les Dames d’Escoffier International. Food Day is designed to promote sustainable, healthy and just agricultural practices, as well as a healthier St. Louis community.