So...this link is for an expired event, but it taps into a couple of major inspiration points for me when it comes to thinking about how to market grain chain initiatives:

Heritage Winooski Mill Museum is pleased to present David Macaulay: BUILDING A MILL TOWN as part of the 2020 Vision initiative of the Vermont Curators Group from December 2- March 12. The show is free but timed tickets are required. Timed tickets can be reserved on our website. Featuring original drawings, sketches, research notes, and manuscript from Macaulay’s 1983 book Mill.

One is the museum itself. While this particular museum does not appear to have much in the way of a history as a grist mill, the mill technology and its evolution have a rich and nostalgic history to to tap into (for good of course). There are also a number of historical working grist mills and mill museums across the country that are ripe to have their stories woven into this retro-revolutionary grain chain story moving forward.

The other inspiration point is the author David Macaulay. I read his illustrated books on castles and mills when I was still in grammar school, and they still inspire me to this day. The combination of fact, the creativity and whimsy of the illustrations, and the inadvertent gaining of knowledge along the way is something I have always aspired to being able to do myself.

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“Less than half the breads we looked at that were labeled multigrain, oat or made with whole grain, for instance, contained only whole-grain flours,” Keating says. “And even all-whole-grain breads can be surprising sources of added sugars, sodium and additives that you may want to eat less of.”

I'm posting this article as an example of just how confusing nutritional education can be when it even comes to the basics. Granted, this is an article coming from a mainstream news source and is not geared toward people people with their "nose to the grindstone" in the world of grains and nutrition.

My point in posting it: The article does illustrate the fact that consumer marketing, and in turn sales, succeeds today mainly anchored on the premise that people want to believe what they read. In this case, on the labels of the food they buy.

Information needs to become easier to validate.

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It all started with a walk last summer. Dau Xiong and his wife Maria Nguyen were out for a stroll in their hometown of Lafayette when they saw a restaurant up for sale on the outer edge of Old Town. While the two are both restaurant industry vets—Xiong is a chef, and the couple previously owned a fast-casual franchise—they’d never served their own food: the Hmong cuisine Xiong grew up eating, along with the Cajun seafood boils his family loved.

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Noble Treasures Antiques, operated by Nancy and Terry West, occupies 6,200 square feet at 409 South Public Road in Lafayette, Colorado. The store features 20+ independent dealer booths, each exuding their own particular passion. The Wests' involvement in antiques began when Terry refinished a secondhand dresser for storage purposes. They established West's Antiques 36 years ago in Old Town Lafayette, operating from the 400 block of South Public Road for 21 years. The shop specializes in furniture, primitives, Native American jewelry, fine art, books, and decorative pieces.

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> Patrick Libonate's obsession with bone broth began over ten years ago in a cozy New York City apartment. After moving to Denver, he noticed significant health improvements from drinking bone broth regularly: 'My energy and stamina levels increased, I wasn't having stomach issues, I was sleeping better, dropped a few pounds, and my hair felt thicker.' Denver Bone Broth sources beef from Flying B Bar ranch in Strasburg, Colorado—grass-fed, grass-finished wagyu/angus cattle that are antibiotic, hormone, and steroid free.

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Great video from January 2021 illustrating how community members of a grain chain are working together in Pennsylvania. It always amazes me how much information can be packed into a video if it is done well, and this is indeed well done. This is one of those mini-documentaries that brings attention to local food systems without avoiding discussion of the business realities and hard work required.

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Wonderful article from our local version of Edible magazine covering the background of the Colorado Grain Chain. If you are getting into the Front Range grain scene or if you just want an example of what is behind these national movements around rebuilding local and regional food systems, this is a good place to start.

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I just came across this page on Amy Halloran's website as I kicked off my new nightly grain data research. There is a pretty healthy list of local grain mills and other businesses selling grains and flour across the US. She also links to a couple of other online directories.

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The Artisan Grain Collaborative is focused on rebuilding the grain chain in the Midwest. They've posted a great illustration laying out the conceptual framework for classifying the various organizations and community members involved in their efforts to strengthen their regional grain chain and local food system.

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> Mario and Kelly Crobu bring nearly 30 years of combined restaurant experience to their family business, with Mario hailing from Sardegna (Sardinia). Kelly describes their signature dish: 'They originate from a tiny, tiny region in Sardinia, and we worked with a woman when we were there one year to learn how to do the closing process, so those are super special.' The culurgiones feature potato purée filling with pecorino cheese and mint, closed with delicate pleats. The couple emphasizes their commitment to hospitality, believing that shared meals represent 'no better way to spend time with family, get to know a new culture, or to make new friends.'

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Inspiration from Mill Museums and David Macaulay

Myths vs. Facts About Nutrition and Bread

Enjoy Cajun-Asian Fusion At Casian Seafood in Lafayette

Noble Treasures Antiques In Lafayette Offers 6200 Sq. Ft. of Personality

Denver Bone Broth: From NYC to Mountain Life

The Grain Chain

Rebuilding Our Local Grain Economy

Online Resources for Sourcing Smaller Local Mills Across the US

Midwest Regional Grain Chain, Illustrated

Casa Crobu: Sardinian Culurgiones and Authentic Italian Specialties

	Grinder Finder's map of mills
	New American Stone Mills portfolio

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