Paula Thomas
Food I Culture I Environment
Hi! I'm Paula, welcome to my digital home. I'm a food professional with more than 20 years of experience in different aspect food, from working in restaurants to teaching and working with community-based organizations . I'm now a Food Anthropologist & Sustainability and Food Preservation practitioner and educator. I'm also the co-founder, in partnership with my husband Scott, of Grappolo Food & Wine School.
After more than a decade in the kitchen working as a pastry chef and business owner, I transitioned in 2015 to explore food origins and history, the people who grow and produce our food, and the land we occupy to grow or raise the food on our plate.
This journey took me to the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy in 2018, where I received a Master's degree in World Food Cultures and Mobility, and also had the opportunity to work at the Slow Food International headquarters connecting with leaders across the world.
I've had the fortune to work with communities at the local and global level, promoting community-based programs that support food sovereignty and environmental justice. I have visited farms in Mexico, Colombia, Greece, The Philippines, and many European countries, to understand diverse methods of food production with an emphasis on the connection between our food and the environment.
My quest toward a more sustainable food system landed me a scholarship in 2022 to MAD Academy, the educational arm of Noma Restaurant (named the best restaurant in the world five years) for an intensive training in Environment & Sustainability with some of the most forward-thinking food professionals in the world.
All these experiences have opened the doors to the James Beard Foundation's Legacy Network 2022 cohort as an advisor to the next generation of BIPOC hospitality professionals.
I’m a food preservation geek - fortunate to have joined a week-long residency with the one and only Sandor Katz. I’m in the garden from mid-February to late November learning about biodiversity and all the work it takes to grow food in our Colorado climate. I also served as a board member of the Denver Sustainability Food Policy Council from 2021-2024 to better connect with the local food community.
I'm endlessly curious about food origins, the mobility of ingredients, and the cultures built around them, and our modern outlook of food, the nostalgia of food rituals and traditions, and the socio-economic and environmental aspects of the way we eat [and drink]. All of which are topics of my writing and photography.
Cheers,
Paula
