A Different Kind of Love Story For Valentine’s Day

At the beginning of my recent conversation on this week’s podcast, I asked Tracy Moore, a volunteer coordinator of the EAT FOR IMPACT campaign, to complete the sentence: I do this activist work because my heart desires…

She didn’t skip a beat.

“My heart’s desire is a healthier planet for the future of our children, our community, our neighbors, for animals, for everybody,” she said.

Knowing what our heart desires propels our work forward, like a mission statement.
But really, what I am asking is, what do you love?

As we inch closer to Valentine’s Day, the traditional focus is romantic love. But it can also be the time we reflect on all types of love stories. This week’s episode on the Kitchen Activist Podcast is one of those other types of love stories, the kind of love that helps us overcome fear.

Climate-friendly Mediterranean salad at Mouthful Eatery
As Tracy described the EAT FOR IMPACT campaign, a global initiative that requires collaboration with local chefs to add climate-friendly options to menus, she named the three restaurants that volunteered in her hometown of Thousand Oaks, California, Mouthful Eatery, Honey and Herb, All Good Eats and Drinks.

“How many restaurants did you call before you found your three?” I asked.
“About sixty,” she answered. She received 57 no’s before she heard three say YES. I paused there in our conversation. It was a moment to celebrate her tenacity and commitment. And it was also an opportunity to understand what helped her move past the fear, not only to become involved in her community, but also to find the courage to keep dialing those numbers. It is the love she described at the very beginning of our conversation that broke through the fear, at least long enough to get off the sidelines and participate in the solution.

I will honor the love story (s) in my life this Valentine’s Day, all of them.
The romantic one.
The familial ones.
The friendships.
And the quieter love stories — the ones rooted in care for community and this planet.

Sometimes that love for community and planet, for animals, and for our children, is picking up the phone 60 times, organizing a campaign, starting a project, writing an article.

And sometimes it looks like choosing where to make a dinner reservation.
Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest restaurant nights of the year. We are already going out. Already spending the money.

What if we let that decision reflect our heart’s desire to grow well-being?
If you are making a reservation this week, here are a few things to consider:
Look for restaurants participating in the Eat for Impact directory
Browse the James Beard Foundation directory of award winners and nominees
Search online for “farm to table restaurant near me” and read their About page
Scan for language like local, seasonal, sustainable, organic, responsibly sourced
You do not need perfection. You are looking for intention. You are looking for those love stories, written into the menu.

For Michael and me, that looks like dinner at Pinyon in Ventura, California. We will enjoy a meal made with love for people and the planet, joined by our other valentines — my two daughters and the love of one of them.

This Valentine’s, I’m thinking about love as something expansive. Love that includes the people cooking our food. The farmers and workers behind each ingredient (like the chocolate we gift). The animals and ecosystems that are affected by our choices.

And I’m thinking about Tracy — and what becomes possible when we let love move us past fear.

Listen to the episode.
Explore Eat for Impact.
Choose one meal with intention.

P.s
This Valentine’s Day, I am asking myself: What is stirring in my heart that deserves a yes?
I invite you to ask yourself the same.