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Maker: Michelle Horovitz, Founder and Executive Director of Appetite for Change
Homebase: Minneapolis, Minn.
The Scoop: Michelle Horovitz knows how to get things done. Before she founded Appetite for Change, a nonprofit organization that creates community-based food and garden programs, Michelle worked as a public defender in Miami-Dade County. Though she was a promising young lawyer and a tough litigator, Michelle had a nagging sense she wasn’t after the right type of justice. Motivated by a desire to help people, and deeply affected by the inequalities she saw in the PD’s office, she switched her focus to something more elemental: food. Michelle believes kitchens can be a laboratory for creating healthier, stronger families, and that food can be a force for social change.
Though rooted in North Minneapolis, Appetite for Change is part of a growing national movement toward food justice – communities coming together to grow, sell and eat healthier food. Too often, lower-income neighborhoods such as North Minneapolis suffer access barriers to affordable, fresh produce. Organizations like Appetite for Change are slowly and surely moving the needle. We checked in with Michelle to get a glimpse into the making life.
What inspires you?
MH: I’ve always had a strong sense of social justice, but now I’m more interested in community-led change. It’s got to come from within. And I also feel strongly about North Minneapolis – my grandparents emigrated there from Eastern Europe during a time when landowners were prohibited from selling deeds to Jews in other parts of the city.
How do you “make it happen”?
{Laughs} Well, I just put my nose to the grindstone and try to get through every day. When I was young, my dad used to call me a pitbull because I’m pretty tenacious in my approach to life and work. A euphemism we like to use is “persistent.”
What shortcuts, gadgets or other life-savers do you swear by?
I couldn’t live without my iPhone, and I’m also a big fan of [the app] Evernote. It helps me keep a lot of Appetite for Change processes and business organized.
What about in the kitchen?
My Microplane grater and my food processor.
Any Pillsbury® products or recipes in your rotation?
I’ve been known to make chocolate-filled Crescents. It’s a quick, easy treat.
Who are your favorite makers?
I’m continually inspired by the chef I apprenticed with in Miami, Michelle Bernstein. She’s amazing. And Rose McGee, a local storyteller, actor and business owner. She started a food company specializing in sweet potato pie, and puts her dramatic skills to good use within the community. Also, a mentor of mine, Gunnar Liden. He’s the Executive Director of Youth Farm and Market Project – he’s a total maker, and very inspiring.
What's next?
Right now, we’re working really hard on a Healthy Corner Store Program. We’re working with 12 convenience stores and bodegas around North Minneapolis to increase their sales of fresh produce. It’s been challenging because the store owners don’t think the produce will sell, but people are telling us they want fresher options. We’re making progress.