My answer is simple: YES, we do and now!
Because of the climate we are living in today, both environmentally and economically, our global food supply systems are becoming more unpredictable by the day. Climate change, disruptions in global trade, wars, and rising costs are reminding us that we can’t rely on long, fragile supply chains the way we once did. It can change in a blink of an eye. It has never been more important to strengthen local food production and local food systems.
For over twenty years, through my restaurants, I’ve worked closely with local farmers and producers. One thing I’ve learned is that a strong food system is really about connection. Farmers, fishers, chefs, processors, and communities all depend on one another, but it's hard to connect. But when those connections grow stronger, we create jobs, build resilience, and strengthen our local economy.
But one of the biggest challenges has always been finding each other. This is where the idea of this food web becomes incredibly important.
Food Web is an exciting app and website that helps people navigate and connect with our food system. One of the first things it’s doing is helping people find commercial kitchens they can rent. Many churches, cafés, and restaurants have certified kitchens that sit unused for parts of the day. At the same time, there are entrepreneurs, community groups, and small producers with great ideas but no access to a safe commercial kitchen. This is so needed!
Food Web helps bridge that gap and connect the dots.
Imagine a group of neighbours with a big tomato harvest. Someone in the group has an incredible tomato sauce recipe. With access to a commercial kitchen, they could make that sauce, bottle it, and sell it locally. Now,that’s how small food businesses start, and that’s how local economies grow.
As this web grows, it will also help connect people producing food in commercial kitchens with local farmers, creating new markets, new businesses, new opportunities, and yes, new friends! These kinds of connections strengthen our communities while building a more resilient local food system.
I’m incredibly excited about this initiative and the vision behind it. The founders, Justin Andrews and Keegan Francis, are two fantastic people working to build something that will play a serious real role in the future of our food economy.
And in a world that is becoming more unpredictable, food security is local security.
Lil’s Connection to Food Web
Lil MacPherson is the co-owner of The Wooden Monkey, a pioneering farm-to-table restaurant in Nova Scotia.
Justin Andrews (Food Web’s founder and CEO) used to work at the Wooden Monkey!! He actually got his Chef career started there! It was his first full-time restaurant job coming out of cooking school.
A fun story
At the time, Justin was a little under qualified for what the restaurant was looking for, but he was deeply passionate about local food.
So he applied anyway.
When he went to the interview, he brought something with him: a printed copy of an article he had written for the Queen’s University newspaper while he was in cooking school. The piece was all about local food systems and why they matter.
He handed it over and essentially said, “These are my values. This is why I want to work here.”
It worked.
He got the job, and went on to work at The Wooden Monkey for nearly two years.
Coming full circle
Today, Lil is an advisor to Food Web. In many ways, it feels like things have come full circle.
The values that The Wooden Monkey has stood for (supporting local farmers, strengthening local food systems, and building meaningful connections between producers and communities) are deeply aligned with what we’re building at Food Web.
It was through that early exposure to Lil’s work and leadership that Justin developed the confidence and conviction that food systems could be better, and that it was possible to actually help build something that moves the needle.
Building on that vision
Food Web is now carrying that vision forward, creating tools that make it easier for people to participate in their local food system.
By improving access to commercial kitchens, supporting food entrepreneurs, and helping connect farmers, producers, and communities, Food Web is working to strengthen local food economies and make food infrastructure more accessible.
The same belief that Lil speaks to in her reflection above, that a strong food system is built on connection, is exactly what Food Web is designed to support.
Keegan Francis
Justin Andrews