Why We Gather
Catalyzing A More Resilient Food System.
At a recent gathering, we opened with a simple question designed to reveal our collective values: “You’re hosting a dinner party and you can request the company of anyone. Who do you invite to the table?” It’s an exercise in the visualization of an ideal experience made up of human interactions. As we dove deeper together, we considered potential topics of conversation between guests, the food that would be served, and the setting.
In Community with Food 2023 is our visualization, actualized: a 3-day long “dinner party”, carefully curated, a high-touch human gathering. Indigenous Hawaiian leaders, storytellers, artists, international impact investors and business leaders, media executives and academics, entrepreneurs, chefs, and designers – all gather around our table. Now together, we open to the potential of deep human connection driven by the shared experience of incredible, authentic food in an otherworldly setting on Kauaʻi. Relationships are formed, projects are initiated, uncomfortable topics are addressed, memories are forged, inspiration is rekindled, and a transformative new endeavor in its initial stages begins to flourish.
With food as our great connector, and simultaneously as a reflection of society at large, ICWF fosters discussions around the political, social, and environmental implications of eating food and potential solutions to current food system inadequacies. But these discussions are just the genesis, food just a window into greater systematic redesign, as it prompts contemplations of the world as a whole.
“When we design gatherings in a place that demonstrates the interconnectedness of a regenerative food cycle, our role in the greater natural system returns to clarity. The opportunity to acknowledge our individuality amongst the whole sets the stage to break down patterns of learned divisiveness, find common ground and unify in our efforts to tackle the uniquely complicated problems of our time.”
ICFW is fortunate enough to be able to cultivate this journey in connection at a venue rooted in the purpose of catalyzing a more resilient food system. We maintain and perpetuate deep respect for the land, local traditions, and Hawaiʻi’s rich history. This farm of the future allows us to give our guests the opportunity to plant food in our regenerative agroforest, learn to make lei, distill botanicals, forage for edible plants and connect to our communal roots. And, for those who are committed to reforming the way we grow, source, fund, and think about food – this is only the beginning.
We’re inviting you to the table.
Join ICWF 2023 and explore food to better understand our world and
all of us living in it.