On the Table: A Fellowship for Change in the Food Industry

WITH FOODLAB DETROIT

Program development, cohort-based learning, design, and storytelling for a more equitable local food system.

FoodLab Detroit was a Detroit nonprofit that supported a community of food entrepreneurs dedicated to building an equitable and sustainable food industry. From 2017-2021, we partnered with the organization to co-create programming, materials, and strategies that empower food entrepreneurs to make meaningful, systemic change. Guided by our people-centered approach, we brought together fellowship cohorts and community members in warm, inclusive spaces to spark dialogue, movement-building, and collective problem-solving.

11 women smiling and laughing in front of brick wall.

Foundational Work

We collaborated with FoodLab to develop guiding principles, member expectations, and self-assessment tools to help food businesses adopt more equitable and sustainable practices. These foundational efforts informed the design of a fellowship program and roundtable series, ensuring that programming was aligned with the needs and values of Detroit’s food entrepreneurs.

2019

In 2019, we launched On the Table: A Fellowship for Change in the Food Industry, a nine-month initiative designed to address labor inequities and elevate sustainable practices in Detroit’s food system. The fellowship brought together seven women entrepreneurs who shared stories, challenges, and strategies for building equitable businesses. Alongside the fellowship, we facilitated a roundtable series that addressed critical topics such as mental health, sexual harassment, and workforce development.

The program culminated in the publication of A Seat at the Table, which documented the fellowship and included fellows’ personal narrativesWe co-wrote and designed this publication to embody the community-oriented ethos of the fellowship. Hand-drawn elements and organic textures infuse the pages with a sense of warmth and authenticity, while the layered storytelling combined bold visuals and personal accounts to highlight both the systemic challenges and the deeply personal journeys of the fellows. The design aimed to inspire a sense of connection and action, bringing the fellowship’s lessons to life in a way that resonated with Detroit’s broader food community.

2020

In 2020, the fellowship’s second cohort focused on resilience, healing, and reimagining the food system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We facilitated interactive exercises, such as a visioning activity to imagine a “Dream Café” allowing fellows to articulate their aspirations for an equitable food system. The roundtable series continued, bringing in experts, changemakers, and movement builders from Detroit and beyond. Together, they explored topics such as redefining eco-friendly practices, fostering social transformation, and creating equitable local food systems. We grounded these discussions around meaningful and open-ended questions, and encouraged participants to engage deeply and let conversations flow naturally toward impactful insights.

This work culminated in Finding Our Voice: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Food System, a manifesto and tactical guide that captured the chaos, uncertainty, and transformation of the moment. Designed during a time when the food system and society were faced an uncertain future, the book reflected this turbulence in its visual language. The pages feature layered textures, bold, fragmented imagery, and handwritten elements, evoking the disarray and urgency of the pandemic. We balanced this visual approach with hopeful storytelling and actionable tools, mirroring the fellows’ journeys of grappling with the unknown while working toward a more just and resilient food system​.

Through these efforts, FoodLab Detroit and The Work Department empowered food entrepreneurs to adopt equitable practices, connect with broader movements, and drive meaningful transformation in the food industry. By creating spaces for dialogue and collaboration, and producing resources that capture both personal and collective journeys, this work continues to inspire action and innovation in food systems locally and beyond.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Val Waller

Bree Gant

Two Black women sitting in restaurant booth, smiling, with worksheets in front of them.
Notebook with writing in it on table with worksheets.
Group of people around table, listening and taking notes.
Group of people laughing at table with posters and sticky notes on wall behind.
Cover of A Seat at the Table held by hands with tattoos.
Book spread with smiling Black woman at left, text at right.