At the Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy

When Katherine Miller was first asked to train chefs to be advocates, she thought the idea was ludicrous. This was a group known for short tempers and tattoos, not for saving the world. But she quickly learned that chefs and other leaders in the restaurant industry are some of the most powerful forces for change in our troubled food system. Chefs are leading hunger relief efforts, supporting local farmers, fighting food waste, confronting racism and sexism in the industry, and much more.

In At the Table, Miller shares the essential techniques she developed for the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change. Readers will learn how to focus their philanthropic efforts; pinpoint their audience and develop their argument; recruit allies and support action; and maybe most importantly, grab people’s attention in a crowded media landscape.

Miller also shares the moving stories of chefs who used these skills to create lasting change. Tom Colicchio became one of the word’s most respected voices on ending hunger. Bakers Against Racism recruited more than 3,000 people to participate in their global bake sales. Chefs from around the country pushed Congress to provide financial relief to the restaurant industry at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Table is filled with inspiration for anyone who has ever wanted to make a difference outside the four walls of their restaurant. And most importantly, it offers proven methods to become a successful advocate. You don’t have to be a celebrity chef to change the food system; you just need the will and the tools in this unique guide.

Called one of the most innovative women in food and beverage by Fortune and Food & Wine magazines, Katherine Miller was the Vice President of Impact at the James Beard Foundation and the founding executive director of the Chef Action Network. She was the first-ever food policy fellow at American University’s Sine Institute for Policy and Politics and served as a Distinguished Terker Fellow at George Washington University. She is also an adjunct professor at the Culinary Institute of America. She is a past board member of RAINN, the national sexual assault hotline, and NARAL ProChoice America. She is a member of Les Dames Escoffier and on the board of directors of the New Venture Fund. She lives on the ancestral lands of the Anocostans in Northeast Washington DC with her husband Lou and their kitty Lily.