New Food Ventures Tenant, Bad Boys Chicken |
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ACEnet staff took advantage of the beautiful weather last week to do a staff lunch at Stroud’s Run. Thanks to new ACEnet Food Ventures tenant, Bad Boys Chicken for the yummy food! |
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BBC is one of ACEnet's newest Food Ventures tenants. They will be utilizing our cold storage, and pre-batching waffle batter and marinades for their chicken.
Available for pickup or delivery through DoorDash, you can find Bad Boys Chicken at 61 N Court Street in Athens, Ohio.
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After Brian Godfrey gained 450,000 followers on TikTok and published a vegan/vegetarian cookbook with HP (Hewlitt Packard Company), opening Bad Boys Chicken seemed like the next step for Athens residents Godfrey & Leslie Aguilera.
The recipe development for their new culinary enterprise was an even split process for Godfrey and Aguilera. Aguilera worked on the waffle development and Godfrey took care of the chicken.
“I'm Black, I’m African American, so my grandma cooked fried chicken and that fried chicken was good as hell,” Godfrey said. “I thought about what her fried chicken tastes like, and using my abilities that I've come to grow as a chef, I was kind of able to replicate those flavors a little bit.”
The flavors were able to create the signature Bad Boys Chicken, or BBC. Aguilera worked to find recipes for their waffle batter and eventually came up with her own, but with a twist.
“Our waffles are naturally vegan, which is pretty cool,” Aguilera said.
You can read the rest of the story by Kennedy Odgen for The Post here:
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Earn ServSafe Person in Charge Certification with ACEnet |
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Person-In-Charge (PIC) Certification in Food Protection is a mandated training for the designated person in charge for each shift of a risk level I, II, III, and IV food service operation or retail food establishment if any of the following apply:
- A food service operation or a retail food establishment initially licensed after March 1, 2010 unless the individual has successfully completed an equivalent or more comprehensive manager certification in food protection course (Manager Certification).
- A food service operation or retail food establishment has been implicated in a foodborne disease outbreak.
- The licensor has documented a failure to maintain sanitary conditions in accordance with section 3717.29 of the Revised Code for a retail food establishment or section 3717.49 of the Revised Code for a food service operation.
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Tackling Rural Food Challenges & Opportunities |
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Whether you’re venturing out to dine or mostly cooking at home, you’ve probably noticed a trend toward more local, fresh, and healthy food in the past few years. Farmers markets saw an uptick in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic as they became one of the few safe places for community members to gather, and new farm-to-table style restaurants that work directly with farmers to provide fresh produce, meats and cheese have gained popularity as a cornerstone of the local food scene. |
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“Local food and agriculture are the key to all of our survival, particularly in our rural communities,” said Adam Hudson, Director of Refresh Appalachia, a social enterprise program of Coalfield Development in Huntington, West Virginia. “It’s the one thing that binds us all together- we all have to interact with it. Knowing where your food comes from is important. You’re supporting your neighbor by doing that,” he continued. |
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Since October of 2020, ACEnet has been partnering with Refresh Appalachia and Appalachian Sustainable Development on a USDA Regional Food Systems Partnership grant to help strengthen and implement those goals. The program supports partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. It focuses on strengthening the viability and resilience of regional food economies through collaboration and coordination. |
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Bailey Grenert, ACEnet Project Coordinator & Trainer, has been instrumental in ironing out some of the logistical hurdles for the project. Her role includes coordinating the distribution of Southeast Ohio foods along the corridor and the Coalfield route. She sees the connections she has to small businesses and word of mouth as key to the ongoing success of the project. “Working with a business like Snowville Creamery, who has a really experienced team, who is knowledgeable on building these types of networks from the ground up has been instrumental as far as distribution and getting products into small stores,” Grenert said. |
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ACEnet Partner Hiring Opportunities |
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Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) is hiring an Herb Hub Associate to work with the Agroforestry Program Director and Procurement Manager to oversee daily operations of AHHH, including producer assistance, quality control, facility operations, and outreach.
For more information & to apply:
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The CFAES Center for Cooperatives at Ohio State is hiring a Cooperative Development Specialist.
Position is based in Piketon, OH, with potential flexibility for hybrid remote work. This position will include travel and may include some occasional evening and weekend work as well as overnight travel.
For more information & to apply:
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ACEnet is excited to welcome Brianna McGuire back to ACEnet, and to welcome Tessa Wieneke as she also joins our staff! |
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Brianna McGuire began her position as Food Access Partners Coordinator in August 2022. Through generous funding from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, she facilitates the dynamic Appalachia Accessible Food Network between ACEnet, Community Food Initiatives (CFI), and Rural Action in order to accelerate the expansion of healthy, local food access in Appalachian communities.
Brianna builds the capacity of several different demand and distribution networks between the three partners, including CFI’s Donation Station and Veggie Van, ACEnet’s Athens Food Ventures Center and Nelsonville Food & Farm Enterprise Center, and Rural Action’s Country Fresh Stops, the Chesterhill Produce Auction, and Farm to School programming.
To learn more about the Appalachia Accessible Food Network:
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Tessa Wieneke joined ACEnet in August 2022 as the Fresh and Healthy Foods VISTA through the Ohio CDC AmeriCorps VISTA program.
Tessa will spend the next year assisting with evaluation design, training, and infrastructure support to provide farming and specialty food entrepreneurs with resources, infrastructure, skills and strategies to start and expand their operations into profitable businesses that support sustainable livelihoods, while simultaneously increasing the diversity and safety in the local food economy.
Tessa graduated from Ohio University in May 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Conservation Biology, a minor in Psychology, and a certificate in Environmental Studies. She is interested in sustainable development, food systems, and building relationships within the community through ACEnet. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, cooking, and caring for her pets.
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Celebrating the Shawnee Farmers Market |
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The village of Shawnee in Perry County, Ohio is home to a vibrant history of Appalachian heritage, coal mining, Victorian-era architecture, outdoor recreation on the Buckeye Trail and Wayne National Forest— and recently, a growing farmers market.
The Shawnee Farmers Market (SFM) runs the first Friday of every month, May through October, and is organized by a grassroots network of Shawnee residents, local government, and nonprofit organizations including Destination Shawnee, Southern Perry Incubation Center for Entrepreneurs (SPICE), Rural Action, and the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet). The final market of the season is Friday, October 7th from 5-7pm in Shawnee.
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This year marks a new period of growth as Rural Action leads the SFM in the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), a USDA grant intended to expand direct producer-to-consumer markets and increase access to availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. ACEnet staff, in partnership with Rural Action, SPICE and Destination Shawnee, have been supporting the growth of the SFM through board development, formalizing management plans, and connecting with mentor markets throughout the region including the Meigs County Farmers Market and Lancaster Farmers Market. |
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The Shawnee Farmers Market supports ongoing work to highlight local history, arts, entrepreneurs, outdoor recreation and regional agriculture in Shawnee. A robust and collaborative network of nonprofit organizations and local government entities keep the culture of Shawnee alive through annual events, education, outreach, and outdoor activities for the community.
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Join us for the final market of the season on Friday, October 7th from 5-7pm in Shawnee!
For the full story by ACEnet Project Coordinator & Trainer, Bailey Grenert:
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Rural Action Ginseng Sale |
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Coalfield Development & Marshall University |
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The Appalachian Social Enterprise Summit, a collaboration between Coalfield Development and other regional partners will be the area’s largest gathering of social entrepreneurs this year. This amazing event will attract entrepreneurs who are interested in the model of social entrepreneurship, as well as current practitioners and investors who are looking to network and expand. The event will kick off the night before with a Farm to Table Dinner and Social Enterprise Training with the following topics to choose from: Woodworking, Screen Printing, Composting & Reuse.
Win up to $10,000 for your Social Enterprise!
Dinner Keynote by Gayle Conelly Manchin, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission
Summit Lunch Keynote by Brad Smith, President of Marshall University, former CEO of Intuit, Philanthropist, and Venture Capitalist.
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ACEnet Can Assist with USDA Assistance Applications |
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Applications are being accepted for financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crop Program 6/27/2022 - 1/31/2023.
Through generous support from Farm Aid, and the USDA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program that ACEnet is a sub-awardee for under Rural Action, we are excited to assist small farmers with their applications! Contact info@acenetworks.org for more info.
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Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program Opportunity |
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What?
A Fair Food System: A Summit on Scalable Solutions to Creating Community Food Systems, a series of half-day events presented by the Central Appalachian Network (CAN) in partnership the USDA, will be a learning environment regarding the problems related to nutrition security such as healthy food access and affordability. It will engage a coalition of organizations who are working to build and support resilient and accessible community food systems, and will work to attract federal, public, and private funding for scalable programs addressing nutrition security in Central Appalachia.
Topics for Summit #3 on September 22nd include Climate Smart Agriculture, Climate Resiliency, and Food Security Solutions in response to the recent Kentucky flooding.
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Summits will include educational presentations, panel discussions, opportunities for partnership building & collaboration, networking events, and state-focused breakout sessions to address community food system issues within Central Appalachia. |
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Who?
Summit #3 speakers will include:
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Summit #3 speakers will also include representatives from:
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For more information about CAN & its network of nonprofit members:
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Saturdays, 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
The Athens Farmers Market takes place year round on Saturday at the Market on State Shopping Mall, both inside and outside, and Wednesdays April 20th - November 23.
- Sept 17 - OHIO University Day: Students get a complimentary raffle ticket for a chance to win an AFM gift basket.
Saturdays, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
The Meigs County Farmers Market takes place May - October on Saturday at 100 Main St. Pomeroy, OH
- October 1, 11:00 AM - Gourmet at the Market: Tapas (Small Plates) from Spain
1st Fridays, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
The Shawnee First Friday Farmers Market takes place May - October on the first Friday of the month at the intersection of State Route 93 & 155 in Shawnee, Ohio.
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UpBeat: Activities for Older Adults |
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Have you heard of UpBEAT? A program sponsored by OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital in Athens, Ohio, UpBEAT offers free programs for those in our community 55 years and older.
For UpBEAT in September, in recognition of Falls Prevention Week, we will learn about bone health and preventative measures that can be taken to maintain bone health and prevent falls. We will learn more about the history of the King Midget Car. Fun Fact for your day, the King Midget Car is considered the smallest (street legal) automobile made in America and was manufactured in Athens, Ohio from 1947 through 1970. In addition to these topics, we will have additional opportunities to learn, socialize and remain physically active, through our book club, “listen and converse” group and exercise class. Also, you can read a recap of the past six months in our September newsletter under the “A Message from Caitlin” section. Please feel welcome to share our UpBEAT newsletter with those you feel may enjoy joining us: www.ohiohealth.com/UpBEAT
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Your tax-deductible contribution helps ACEnet expand economic opportunities in the Appalachian Ohio Region! Thank you for your continued interest in and support of what we do here at ACEnet! |
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Sincerely,
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Meggan Loveland
Appalachian Center for Economic Networks
94 Columbus Rd, Athens, OH 45701
(740) 592-3854
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