By Kaden Fazio-Vives
David Cook is one of the creators and writers for the website Food as a Verb, which tells meaningful stories about food in and around Chattanooga. Cook was a journalist for 15 years and a teacher for 20 years, during which he learned “how to listen… how to ask questions…[and] how to get to the heart of things.” During the COVID pandemic and past elections, he had to write opinions, which he found challenging in such a chaotic time. Cook started Food as a Verb because he wanted to do something that would heal him and others in the Chattanooga community. He and his partners, Sarah Unger (photographer) and Alex DeHart (designer), have created a beautiful website that releases new stories twice a week. They have social media accounts and events a few times a month, which are designed to tell original and powerful stories. But here’s what separates it from the majority of media about food: They talk about the background of food, which often gets lost in things like cooking shows or recipes. They highlight stories about farmers, chefs, restaurants, and the health of our land. They educate people in one of the most fundamental yet underappreciated subjects: food.
Food as a Verb has also impacted the Chattanooga community by curating events that bring people together, spotlighting local businesses, and offering educational content that isn’t agitating or fear-based, as typical news tends to be. Food as a Verb’s purpose is to offer stories that uplift people’s hearts and educate the community. The reality is, many people don’t know where their food comes from or the processes behind it. Nor do they understand the environmental and ecological decisions that are made to grow food. Cook sums up why Food as a Verb is so important to our community by saying, “We can live without sports. We can live without entertainment. We may even be able to live without politics. But you can’t live without food.”