The Foreign Service Journal, March 2019

46 MARCH 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL professionals and culinary diplomats who weave together their passion for incredible food, marginalized communities, food jus- tice and international outreach as seamlessly as the dishes they prepare. On this evening Rydhave’s formal dining and reception area were reconfigured to resemble a fine restaurant, replete with the highest standards of continental service. This may not be unusual in Scandinavia, but the fact that the residence and its kitchens were staffed nearly entirely by 11- and 12-year-old students certainly was. The Insurgo Project As with any successful dish, from street food to Michelin- starred fare, the evening’s event relied on many different ingre- dients. Insurgo’s dedication to empowering marginalized youth, sharing their expertise and fostering nutrition in underserved communities was the starting point. Insurgo, along with the associated Chefs’ Collective for Food Justice, was founded in New York City to address local social challenges and the growing needs these culinary professionals saw in their communities. The groups’ founders believed noth- ing should confine the ever-expanding farm-to-table movement and its nutritious food to wealthy neighborhoods, yet an invis- ible border was keeping these healthy options out of lower- income communities. Insurgo stepped in to spread the farm-to-table movement across the United States and around the world. Informed approaches to space utilization, urban gardens and cultivation have allowed Insurgo to help address the lack of access to high- quality food caused by limited local organic retailers and res- taurants, high prices and uninformed food-selection decisions. Partnering with farms, restaurants, chefs and other food produc- tion professionals, Insurgo has also educated and empowered young people along the way. Insurgo was founded in 2013 by Chef Harold Villarosa, Chief Strategist Joaquin Elizondo and a dedicated team of supporters. Chef Harold, as he is known to his friends and colleagues, did not train at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts or Le Cordon Bleu. No, his introduction to kitchens and the restaurant game began at a McDonald’s in the Bronx, where he worked when he was 15 years old. Villarosa moved to the United States from the Philippines as a child, and he says cooking saved his life. The number-one ingre- dient that led to his success: hustle. Without it, says Villarosa, all the talent in the world is meaningless, and he knows whereof he speaks. He attributes his climb from fast-food fry machines to world-renowned chef to hustle and a refusal to accept life as it is. He brings this spirit to those who train under him, and he confronts food injustice with the same passion. Chef Harold Meets Nørrebro Chef Harold’s culinary travels brought him to Copenhagen in 2013, at the height of the then-emergent New Nordic Cuisine Guests enjoy an evening of fine dining and continental service in Rydhave’s formal dining and reception area, staffed entirely by 11- and 12-year-old students. IVANHALPERN/INSURGOPROJECT