Last Wednesday, we're standing in the middle of the Main Street Farmers' Market when Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly begins a story that stretches back 30 years ago with one of the greatest local athletes ever.

"Joe Jacobi," he said.

A half-hour earlier, the mayor and I warmly shook hands; I'd invited him to tour the market; he was right at home, meeting new friends and old.

Like Eric Hanson of Hissing Possum Farm.

And Pledger Schaefer from Midway Mushrooms. Brad and Tara Smith from Fresh Tech Growers. Liz Bounds of Other Milk Co.

Before he brought up Jacobi, we chatted for a bit: the permitting process for restaurants, City Hall's current and future goals, the possibility of a Saturday farmer-run market at the renovated Montague Park. As the market crowd ebbed and flowed, we turned to the big question:

How can we increase awareness with our local food community?

And engagement? And love?

That's when he brought up Joe Jacobi.

"It was 1996," he began.

These were the infant days of our city's outdoor scene. Kelly Subaru - the former car dealership owned by the mayor's family - had sponsored Joe, a gold medalist from the '92 Olympics -whitewater canoe slalom - and big influence in getting the whitewater event here in '96.

Back then?

Not many people knew Joe, the mayor remembered. (If you don't either, here's a great story.) By not knowing Joe, we didn't know our outdoor scene either.

Today, Chattanooga's the Best Outdoor City, twice over.

But back then?

"It hadn't broken into the public consciousness," Mayor Kelly said.

It was a stirring moment. Standing in the middle of the farmers' market, Mayor Kelly was comparing our current local food movement to our outdoor scene from 30 years ago.

Today, it's known around the world.

Thirty years ago, not at all.

Is it possible Chattanooga can elevate its food scene in such expansive ways? Can it become part of our identity? Can the local food movement tell a story that's equally adventurous, encouraging and effective?

"Chattanooga is a strong farm-to-table organic food movement town. The food movement is there, but there is not a general awareness," he said.

Yet.

Mayor Kelly's presence at the market was literal - shaking hands, having fun - but also symbolic. Where are our other elected officials?

I've been going to the Main Street Farmers' Market for years. I can't remember seeing any other politician there with any regularity.

I invited him because, frankly, he's an old friend; I enjoy him, appreciate his work and wanted to pick his brain on some issues.

But also so that we can see an example of one of the most influential regional leaders standing in line to talk arugula, mushrooms, pecan milk and sweet potatoes with local growers.

Imagine a day where multiple farmer-run markets are overflowing with 1000s of customers, including some of our most powerful leaders.

"We should be more intentional about everything we are buying," he said.

How do we increase awareness?

Which increases action and engagement?

• It was September 18. An email popped up. Sent from a UTC Honors College student named Kaiya Lutz.

She had an invitation and idea.

Both turned out to be among the best gifts of my 2024.

"I am part of a group that will be making a short documentary-style film based on an interview of someone we are interested in learning more about," she began. "We are fascinated by your blog and the idea of food as an action, a miraculous sequence of events that lead to the blessing of a meal and the Chattanooga food scene as a whole."

A few weeks later, I met Kaiya and her team - Ella Peterson, Neilly Hodges, Brylee Goldman  - in the UTC library.

With cameras rolling, they asked questions. Heavy, thoughtful, brave questions.

And - here's the gift - they listened. Really, intently, generously listened, which seems so precious and rare these days. For someone normally on the other side of the questions, I was humbled and left with a heart three sizes bigger.

Why?

Because being heard is an act of kindness and honor. Our lives matter. It's a gift when someone offers a curious heart-mind full of questions.

Tonight, the UTC Honors College hosts its film festival. Curtains up at 6:30 pm at the Guerry Center. One of the debut documentaries spotlights Food as a Verb.

Come shake hands and see the gutsy, mature and loving ways these UTC Honors students engage the world.

Kaiya, Brylee, Ella and Neilly, thank you. Someone out there - when you see their resume or job application, act quickly. They're the kind of people that make all the difference.

• Finally, we want to offer a hearty shout-out to our partner, Divine Goods, which sells unique and creatively curated gifts and gift baskets - like The Tennessee Stud, Dirty Shirley, Shock the Monkey, Roam Gift Set - through its online store.

This holiday season, remember Divine Goods: locally-owned, female-led and a good friend of Food as a Verb.

Have a great week, everyone. See you Sunday.

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.