BRADY LOWE - TASTE NETWORK | ATLANTA
Lowe grew up in Iowa reading the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series and his mother’s collection of cookbooks; books that would influence the narrative of his culinary future. In 2002, Lowe started hosting tasting events for private clients and notable members of the Atlanta food community under Taste Network. Three years later in 2008, he launched Cochon555, a 20-city culinary tour showcasing five chefs, five pigs and five winemakers in a friendly competition to promote heritage breed pig diversity and whole animal utilization. In 2010, Cochon555 teamed up with Food + Wine Magazine as an Official Event of the Food + Wine Classic in Aspen. As a result, Grand Cochon became one of the most talked about events at the Classic.
What started as 250 million impressions in the media annually has grown to over 1 billion impression in the top media channels worldwide. The tour is comprised of an array of live expressions and cultivates a long-term impact for heritage species. Both educational and inspirational messages are circulated among 16,000 guests; 2,200-plus chefs; 150-plus family farms and numerous culinary schools each year. Since 2009, 108,000-plus consumers have experienced heritage pork for the first time; more than $1.1 million has been donated to charities; and more than $1.2 million has been paid directly to participating farmers. In 2015 he launched Piggy Bank, a farm and home for heritage breed pigs, many of which are endangered.
Piggy Bank provides access to shared business plans to family farms who want to raise heritage pigs. Piggy Bank aims to change the future of food by creating a community in which small farmers can learn about safer, more responsible practices and share genetics, livestock, and the very information needed to thrive as small businesses.
In the summer of 2017, Brady founded the first local-agriculture based PeachFest in Atlanta which highlights the iconic stone fruit, small farmers, chefs and benefits charity. Additionally, he produced Kosta Browne’s 20th Anniversary Party in Sebastopol and helped raise over $100,000 for local charities, including Piggy Bank.
In 2018, Lowe began working on his next project called Mags for Ag combining all he has learned in his 20 years in hospitality. Mags for Ag is dinner series project that will host interactive discussions around a dynamic program called GrowA’Farmer that engages children 7-11 years old to start growing food. Through technology and hospitality, the goal is to improve the odds against North America not having enough farmers in the future.
As the farm to table movement expands, we need a resurgence of family farmers to meet the demand in the next 20 years. We are facing a huge loss of farmers called the “silver tsunami” aka the aging of Baby Boomers - that is 90% of farmers in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Coupled with the growth of restaurant empires and media marketing, scarcity is imminent. We need to be in front of the conversation and grow thousands of new farmers a year or we will lose safe food-ways and accessibility to diverse and independent sustainable agriculture. It's just a matter of when. So the question, who is growing tomorrows farmers?
During the pandemic, Lowe began Fish House, a chef competition filled with culinary professionals, world-class beverages, public relation teams, brand agencies, sponsors, influencers, story-tellers, fish farmers and food artisans. From chefs to sommeliers, brands to barkeeps, each three-day program is stocked with talent at the top of their game. Guests embark on a collaborative journey with influential storytellers who spotlight futurist food, world-class wine regions and historic cocktails. Everyone is determined to make sure responsibly sourced seafood reaches our tables for centuries ahead.
Join us for a night to explore ideas and meet new friends who have a commitment to making the world a better place through eating and drinking. Sometimes a meaningful conversation is all it takes. Join us at the table.
