Urban Farming — Stories

Following Masterchef, Alice Zaslavsky got vocal! Now she is a food literacy advocate; resident culinary correspondent for ABC News Breakfast; author of two books; and creator of a free digital toolbox helping teachers slip more serves of vegetables into the classroom. We sat down with Alice to see what makes her tick.

Claudia Jovanovski is going places. The internationally recognised fitness personality manages a busy schedule of well-known brand engagements, along with running a lifestyle business. Claudia has a bunch of Glowpear Urban Gardens and Minis at home, where she grows a range of  fruits, veggies and herbs so she can prepare fresh salads, Sunday bruschetta, pesto, Mexican dishes, and curries.

Don Applebee is 65 years old and has always been a keen gardener. Raised on a dairy farm with an agricultural secondary education Don had a green thumb from an early age. He is presently working in the spare parts Industry for trucks and light commercial vehicles, so as you'd expect this guy is pretty handy.  

Geert Hendrix and Serena Lee are not your typical farmers, yet they may be archetypes for agricultural professionals of the future. The pair devised the innovative start-up Farmwall, a small-scale indoor farm offering for restaurants and cafes that allows chefs to grow and harvest their own herbs and microgreens in a space the size of a bookcase.

Nashville is fast becoming a go-to food destination in the US, and Jamie Cunningham is at the forefront of the revolution. A leading light in the US coffee industry, Jamie Cunningham has nearly 10 years of experience developing commercial culinary ventures and programs for the Barista Guild of America. Jamie's latest venture is a restaurant, bar and coffee bean roastery,  Stay Golden Restaurant & Roastery, features a full-service restaurant complete with coffee and cocktail bar, an onsite coffee bean roastery, a private event space and hydroponic gardens.

After spending several years studying and working in the Netherlands in incorporating sustainability into product innovation, Charity Teoh Buldt returned to Melbourne to start a family. With the busyness of juggling work and family commitments, sustainability can be hard to implement. A good start has been to expose her kids to edible gardens as early as possible, hence she chose to use Glowpear Urban Gardens.

Indira Naidoo is no stranger to the spotlight. She has been a familiar face delivering news and current affairs on Australian television for years. After developing an interest in sustainability working with the UN and Al Gore, the Sydneysider found a new green outlet to use to engage with her audience.

Our Glowpearian this quarter is Madison based Steven Knurr. Steven is in marketing at a Wisconsin technology consulting firm focusing on  healthcare, retail, and manufacturing sectors.

Using his creative talents Steven developed an impressive urban greenhouse that is technology driven. It blends seamlessly with his 'up and coming' neighbourhood, where 'pour over' coffee, fixed geared bikes, and backyard chicken coups are the norm. 

Chicago native, Sara Gasbarra, is the founder of Verdura, a full service culinary garden design company working with hotels, restaurants, cafes and businesses all over the US.