FoodiO is the centerpiece of a food empowerment project started by myself, JaemiO.
Best School Assignment Ever
During my final year in graduate (grad) school, I realized I wanted to create a 
place for food lovers and food explorers alike. A place where folks could come learn about food without feeling judged or unwelcome. A place for both fooducation (food-themed education) and foodertainment (food-themed entertainment). So I started a farmers’ market.
The Sunnyside Farmers’ Market (SFM) Project served as my thesis in grad school. The goals of the project were to:
- host a minimum of three test markets
- create plans for SFM based on the test markets
However, these two simple things allowed me to learn so much about my community and even more about the food system as a whole. In the test market phase of SFM, I was able to:
- understand why folks in my community did not attend farmers’ markets
- learn what folks desired at and from a farmers’ market
- comprehend what folks struggle to understand about food and health
- realize folks desired to attend farmers’ markets and understand them, food, and health better
…and ultimately…
- determine why farmers’ markets hadn’t been successful in my community
So I created a plan to fix this.
Best laid plans
No longer was my plan for SFM just something I wanted to see exist in my community. It was something I wanted to thrive in my home, so that folks could become empowered through food.
My goals were now to create a plan for SFM based on the test markets, that could:
- increase food access in the Middle Peninsula of Virginia (MPV)
- Increase food sovereignty in the MPV
There are several ways I plan to do this. One is by creating a space for folks to sell their locally raised produce and meats or handcrafted goods. The other is by creating a means for all people to better understand food and health. That is why I created FoodiO.
Active Fooducation
At SFM, I aim to fooducate folks during their visit. This is done through simple 
conversations and Q&A among visitors, vendors, volunteers, and myself. The conversations are getting more exciting and beneficial all the time! We chat about anything from “what’s this vegetable” to “how can I cook this for my family,” or ” how can I better budget meals for my family, while keeping our health in mind.” It is quite amazing and would not be possible without the willingness of the visitors, vendors, and volunteers that attend SFM.
SFM only operates two weekends a month from March til November. We are working towards renovating an indoor space, so we can operate year round. Nonetheless, people eat and have questions about food everyday.
FoodiO is a place where folks from the MPV and all over the world can access answers to their food related questions year round. They can ask them below or via my Patreon page, and I will be sure to answer them. They can also access my YouTube channel for cooking demonstrations and other food related videos.
In short, FoodiO is my way of giving back to the community that has given so much to me. I hope you find this website useful and become an active member of the community here.
Looking forward to your foodie related questions below,
JaemiO