Closing the Circle 2026: Roots, Remedies & Rescue.

Roots, Remedies and Rescue

This in-person gathering will be filled with engaging discussions, interactive workshops, and opportunities to network with others who share your passions. Don't miss out on this chance to be a part of something special. See you there!

Roots, Remedies & Rescue is made possible by CAVA, Athens Services, UWS Company, Careit, USDA SARE, and LA Sanitation & Environment, and is presented in partnership with the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, FoodCycle, and End Hunger LA.
Disclaimer: All session titles, descriptions, and speakers subject to change

Info: Roots, Remedies & Rescue brings together leaders in food systems, public health, research, policy, agriculture, food recovery, and community-based solutions for a day of conversation and collaboration at UCLA. (Disclaimer: Agenda and speakers subject to change)

Info: Katherine Miller author of At the Table: The Chef's Guide to Advocacy and founder of Table 81, on what it actually takes to turn good ideas into change in the food system.

Info: From understanding food insecurity to driving meaningful change, hear from Kayla de la Haye and Dipa Shah about how data, policy, implementation, and advocacy can advance food security across Los Angeles County.

Info: Jessica Handy is a registered dietitian who served as the partnership development lead for Kiss The Ground, Her work is is currently focused on soil remediation in response to the Altadena fires.

Info: Dr. Tannaz Moin, Dr. Suzanne Devkota and Fatinah Darwish-Elsherbiny on the path from clinical research to produce prescriptions in practice.

Info: Food Forward, Food Finders, Hollywood Food Coalition and FoodCycle on how organizations decide where recovered food goes, and what equitable distribution looks like when supply, geography and need don't line up.

Info: Jon Christensen of UCLA's Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies in conversation with Jack Bobo and Ursula Heise on the stories we tell about food, and the ones we should be telling.

Info: Natalie Flores and Liam Hurley from Nourish LA , and Los Angeles Food Policy Council representative discuss the state of urban agriculture and community gardens in LA and what we can do to better support these efforts.

Info: How can we harness the hidden diversity of food to nourish everyone? This interactive session connects regenerative agriculture, Food is Medicine, and food recovery through the lens of food quality. We’ll explore emerging evidence on how growing practices shape food quality and health, and taste delicious foods created from ingredients that might otherwise go to waste. A live demonstration will show how food quality data and AI can translate this evidence into action, from school meals and hunger solutions to Medically Tailored Meals and healthier diets for all.

Info: Dr. Vetri Nathan, Dr. Kayla de la Haye and graduate student Fernanda Madrazo on how food systems education is shaping the next generation of leaders.

Info: Jack Bobo, Katherine Miller and a representative of the LA County Office of Food Systems, connecting policy, research, health, agriculture, food recovery and community-based solutions.

Info: Natasha Wasim

shares recent research examining changes in food waste and composting behaviors in Los Angeles following SB 1383, alongside a systems map identifying 70 interconnected factors influencing food and nutrition insecurity. Together, these findings highlight the relationships between individual behavior, public policy, and systemic challenges to food systems transformation.

Event venue & nearby stays

Hershey Hall, 801 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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