Beijing Farmers' Market Beijing, CHINA
Laura Shunk will work with the Beijing Farmers’ Market in Beijing, China, which supports locally and sustainably produced food and products and educational exchange between farmers and consumers. The first and the largest market of this kind in China, the Beijing Farmers’ Market works with over 40 organic, local, artisanal producers in the city and more than 100 across China. Co-founded and led by Chang Tianle, a former journalist-turned social entrepreneur, the Beijing Farmers’ Market is at the forefront of a grassroots movement to foster sustainable consumption and cooperative sustainable agriculture in China.
Laura Shunk is a writer and editor who covers the national restaurant and bar industry as well as the local scenes in New York City and, occasionally, Denver, Colorado. Save for a yearlong foray into strategy consulting, she’s been in the food and beverage industry for her entire career. She has managed national training programs for Chipotle Mexican Grill, sold boutique fine wine, and worked in the front of the house of restaurants. She has also provided media, marketing and branding advisory services for a variety of hospitality industry clients including fine dining establishments, wine and spirits brands, restaurantrelated technology startups, and a restaurant-oriented law practice, both as an independent consultant and as a senior account executive with New York-based public relations firm Baltz & Company. For the past two years, she has been the editor of the Village Voice food section, where she has directed coverage and managed a team of 20 freelancers to carry out the section’s goals. Passionate about all aspects of the food community, Laura studied global food politics at Claremont McKenna College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She sits on the board of directors for the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of impoverished communities and food banks in New York City.