Get ready to be rocked to your roots. Robert Egger has a record of putting ideas into action and after hearing his presentation at Rooting DC on February 20, you’ll be inspired to jump out of your chair and get to work. This dynamic go-getter founded DC Central Kitchen in 1989 by connecting the dots between food need and food waste—a landmark idea at the time. The organization now produces 4,000 meals a day for Washington’s hungry and provides cycle-breaking education and support through its Culinary Job Training program.

Egger knows DC’s foodscape intimately. In addition to furthering the success of DC Central Kitchen, he chairs the Mayor’s Commission on Nutrition and is actively working to get more local food into schools. His talk at Rooting DC (“Breaking through the Barriers—The Business of Better Food for All,” from 11:45 to 12:45) will spread his infectious enthusiasm for food equality by laying out ideas for what could come next—if we work for it.

As a frequent traveler, Egger speaks to groups around the country and observes other cities’ unique problems, as well as their bold initiatives. He started The Campus Kitchens Project as a replicable model that’s been implemented by 20 universities across the US. As he travels, he keeps an eye out for trends that could become lasting solutions. “Trends are potential. Trends are maybes,” he says.

In his presentation at Rooting DC, Egger will discuss America’s turbulent relationship with agriculture during the past century—from our ubiquitous dependence on the family farm, to the flight away from farming and into cities, and now to renewed attention on knowing where our food comes from.

What Egger calls the “return of the prodigal generation” to an interest in food and farming coincides with the potential for social enterprise as an alternative to charity. As an example, he cites Finger Lakes Fresh, an Ithaca, New York-based organization that employs people with disabilities to grow local vegetables. The produce is sold to local Wegman’s stores where shoppers can buy the food they want, while supporting an at-risk segment of their community.

Educating the public on the great potential for social enterprise is key. Although it’s catching on in the UK, most Americans still aren’t familiar with the concept. “The thing that’s missing in social enterprise is demand,” Egger says. But that also means that the time is right for advocates and entrepreneurs to step up and take action. “We have to start businesses that has the average person saying, ‘Whoa! Whoa, can you do that?’” he challenges.

Come to Egger’s presentation at Rooting DC and you’ll be ready to answer that question with a resounding “Yes!”

Robert Egger will present his talk “Breaking through the Barriers—The Business of Better Food for All” at Rooting DC on February 20 during Workshop Session 2, from 11:45 to 12:45. Register for Rooting DC now and view the full schedule.

Cross-posted on DC Food for All.