The Foreign Service Journal, March 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2019 47 restaurant scene. He found work at NOMA, four times named the best restaurant in the world. Copenhagen’s Nørrebro neighborhood and the vibrant Bronx neighborhood of immi- grants in which Chef Harold grew up are so similar that Nørrebro is often referred to as the “North Bronx.” It is seen as the center of Danish gang activity and social division—during the summer of 2017 alone, more than 30 people were shot in gang violence within this relatively small community. It was a place in need of Insurgo’s message of self-reliance, entrepreneurship and community health. Insurgo’s message of local food production, healthy eating and the do-it-yourself ethos found a receptive ear there. Chef Harold, the ever-diplomatic Joaquin Elizondo and photo journalist Ivan Halpern (who has long documented Insurgo’s story) paired with 14 enthusiastic children fromNørrebro Park Skole, who never imagined that in just a week Chef Harold would turn them into highly-trained, front-and-back- of-the-house restaurant staff. But he did just that. From kitchen staff, to waiters, to floor manager andmaître d’, every student was assigned a role and every job was perfectly executed. Insurgo accomplished this through its Meal With a Purpose program, which condenses a months-long curriculum into seven days of education covering every aspect of the farm-to-fork movement, beginning with seed selection and ending with a cup (or two) of coffee following a won- derful meal. The students received a rapid but thorough course in the professionalism, teamwork, etiquette and discipline that make a restaurant function. A Meal With a Purpose All of this training and education culminated in the dinner at Rydhave, hosted by the U.S. chargé d’affaires and organized by the Insurgo stepped in to spread the farm-to-table movement across the United States and around the world.