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Sustainable Food Systems (B.S.)

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PROGRAM START: FALL 2020

Program Overview

The food ecosystem is at the core of the planet’s well-being. Your well-being.

The future of food is taking shape on the campuses of Johnson & Wales University. We stand upon our reputation as a global leader in culinary education to push the boundaries of learning and action. The Sustainable Food Systems program takes you through the web of the food system, from the farm to supply chains, from the debate hall to the kitchen, and from the community to the Capitol.

Our interdisciplinary curriculum allows you to work closely with faculty who have expertise in a multitude of disciplines relevant to the challenges of our times. Each one of these mentors will help guide you towards your vision of having a lasting cultural impact. You will explore a vast array of topics that prepare you to take a leadership role in a generation of globally active citizens.

This program encourages you to discover where your passion for food can take you. Food industries, large and small, need leaders whose vision sees beyond the horizon and whose voices define a paradigm shift towards sustainability. Your future starts here.

Appy to JWU Request Information
I’m excited about this program because it opens up the conversation of preservation, not only for our resources but for our way of life in society. AMANDA GONZALEZ '22

JWU Career Outcomes

This program is available in Providence and Denver. The JWU Catalog links will be added when they become available. Contact Admissions for more info.

Admissions is contingent upon meeting the technical standards for this program. To learn more, visit the JWU Catalog’s technical standards page.

Featured Faculty

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Branden J. Lewis

Associate Professor

I teach a number of classes in sustainability where students learn where our food comes from and we actually travel our food web.

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Jorge de la Torre

Dean of Culinary Education

Students know that sustainability is not only the right thing to do for the environment, but it’s important financially.

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Douglas Stuchel

Associate Professor

My passion is food systems, ethical farming, culinary arts, sustainability & wellness and food justice.

Sample Courses

  • Cultivating Local Food Systems
  • Growing for the Menu
  • Politics of Food, Human Security & Social Justice
  • Sustainability in the Culinary Kitchen
  • Health & the Harvest
  • Internship

In addition to classes, free elective credit can be applied to a number of options such as Directed Experiential Education (DEE), internship, minor or study abroad. You are encouraged to contact an advisor before scheduling free elective credits.

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Slow Food, Not Fast Food

Food movement leaders from across the US, Canada and beyond convened at JWU’s Denver Campus for Slow Food Nations’ Slow Food Leader Summit.

Agenda topics ranged from the ethics of meat eating to initiatives to support equity in the food chain and to ensure that farmers’ voices are heard.

Participants included such outspoken advocates as:

  • Massimo Bottura, Osteria Francescana and Food for Soul
  • Raj Patel, research professor and author, “Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System”
  • Chef Ann Cooper, Boulder Valley School District director of food services

Since its founding in 1989, Slow Food’s mission to encourage public engagement around good, clean and fair food has grown into a global movement.

The “slow food” movement aligns with JWU’s Changing the Way the World Eats campaign, a public awareness effort to encourage healthy eating and to emphasize the university’s influence on the world’s food decisions, industry choices, and overall health and well-being.

In his opening remarks, JWU Denver College of Culinary Arts Dean Jorge de la Torre said, “I am grateful to be surrounded by such talented people in the food industry dedicated to positive world change.”

Did You Know?

  • By 2020, 65% of all jobs in the economy will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school.
  • There will be 55 million job openings in the economy through 2020: 24 million openings from newly created jobs and 31 million openings due to baby boomer retirements.

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce at CEW.georgetown.edu (visited April 15, 2019)


Faculty Contact

Providence

Branden Lewis
401-598-1972
Email

Denver

Jorge de la Torre
303-256-9387
Email

How JWU Ranks

“Once I began working on the farm, I started becoming more conscious about food waste, which was a big thing for me already. I could not think of a better way to learn about food than where it all starts.” VICTOR DELGADO '19

Hopkins Southdowns Farm Internship

“Get your hands dirty. Go work on a farm. Learn what it takes to germinate a plant, to grow, to harvest. Learning what wild edibles are out there is also a good gauge for the seasons.” CHEF MATT VARGA '05

Gracie’s, Ellie’s