Flavor Begins with Seed
Our Mission
The Culinary Breeding Network brings together plant breeders, farmers, chefs, and eaters to actively participate in the plant breeding process. Our mission is to create opportunities for stakeholders to engage with new vegetable and grain varieties, share feedback, and contribute to the development of flavorful, resilient crops that work well in organic farming systems.
what we do
Foster a Collaborative Plant Breeding Community: Create opportunities for breeders, farmers, culinary professionals and other stakeholders to engage with in-development vegetable and grain cultivars, share insights, and actively contribute to the creation of flavorful, resilient varieties suited to organic systems.
Identify Optimal Organic Varieties: Discover and promote vegetable, grain, and fruit varieties best suited for organic farming with an emphasis on exceptional taste. This often happens in partnerships with land-grant universities and non-profits where we work with organic farmers to trial commercial varieties and breeding lines to figure out which grow the best on organic farms; and then work with chefs to evaluate their flavor and performance in the kitchen.
Raise Public Awareness of Organic Plant Breeding: Educate the public on the importance of organic plant breeding and its impact on food growth and flavor. Organize interactive events to inspire public interest and create meaningful connections. Examples include large ticketed events like the Variety Showcase and Sagra del Radicchio with up to 1000 attendees, as well as smaller free festivals like Tomato Fest. These events happen in the US and beyond, including Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Hawaii (Oahu; Big Island), New York (Manhattan; Hudson Valley) and Italy.
Enhance Produce Appeal: Develop marketing campaigns to highlight the benefits and appeal of organic vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and fruits. These marketing campaigns are usually grant-funded; examples include "Eat Winter Vegetables” and Radicchio Work. CBN has been working with radicchio for over a decade. Developing relationships with Italian breeders and farmers to exchange information on growing and preparing radicchio as the Italians do. We have led an Radicchio Expedition; twice co-organized an event in the Alto-Adige region of Italy called Giaz; been awarded grants to foster a cultural exchange, educate growers at a Radicchio Symposium and host four Sagra del Radicchio events in Seattle and Portland; started the Gusto Italiano Project seed program; and publishing a book on the history, culture, botany, growing and recipes of radicchio which will be released in October 2026.
Create Collaborative Food System Networks: Build meaningful partnerships and networks among stakeholders across the food system to encourage collaboration, synergy, and mutual support. Cultivate a sense of belonging within the food community, where shared objectives and collective action empower all members to thrive together.
Join Us
Whether you're a farmer, chef, breeder, seed company, or simply passionate about sustainable agriculture and delicious food, there's a place for you in the Culinary Breeding Network. Join us in our mission to cultivate a more flavorful and resilient food system for all. Explore our upcoming events, and join us when you can.
