Room for All at This Table

Equity At The Table (EATT) is a dynamic effort to level the playing field in the food industry by providing an online database of women, gender-nonconforming and LGBTQ food professionals. EATT is designed to change up who does the hiring and who gets hired to tip things to a more equitable alignment.

“Every single decision we make every single day about food is a political one,” says organizer Julia Turshen, a cookbook author, radio host and recipe developer. Need a food writer? Search EATT. Looking for a caterer in your area? Search EATT. And if you’re not a woman of color or in the LGBTQ community but you’re hiring, you can submit your profile to EATT, too.

The website, launched April 2018, is supported by a Patreon page, as there are no fees to join.

Edible Columbus: Much like Edible Communities Inc., it seems like EATT arose out of a need in the food industry. How would you describe that need and how did you and your board design EATT to meet it?
Julia Turshen: The need was, and continues to be, for a tool that can help the industry move in a more equitable direction. In pro-viding an easy-to-navigate directory of women and nonbinary individuals, and focusing primarily on people of color and the queer community, EATT centers the people who have not been centered. It is accessible (there are no fees to join or to use the directory) and simple to use and aims to be a dependable resource for anyone in a position of power to use when they can hire, feature or fund someone. It’s also an amazing tool to keep everyone on the site connected to each other and create community in doing so. We have an active Instagram feed and an email newsletter that goes directly to members to keep us all in touch with each other. We’re not just waiting for gatekeepers to come to us—we’re working with and supporting each other.

Q: Tell me about the differences for you between diversity and inclusivity and equality and equity?
A: Equality is pulling up more seats to the table. Equity is about who the table belongs to and who gets to do the inviting.

Q: Why do you think it’s vital for freelancers to have a virtual space to come to and connect?
A: No matter how technologically advanced the world becomes, we all crave and need connection and community. Our work is stronger, and our lives are enriched, when we know about each other and can support and lift up each other.

Q: In time, how do you see this tool advancing and/or moving the food industry forward?
A: I see it shifting not just who gets covered, featured, honored and invested in, but also who gets to do the covering, featuring, honoring and investing.

Q: What do you want readers in the Midwest to know about EATT and take away from your mission?
A: Every single decision we make every single day about food is a political one (where we eat, what we eat, etc.). When we make these decisions, remember that there are women and nonbinary individuals, especially people of color and the queer community, working in and around food everywhere and each choice can move us in a more equitable direction.

Learn more about EATT at www.equityatthetable.com