Episode 121: Building a Truly Regenerative Kitchen with Mollie Engelhart

Mollie is a chef, restaurateur, and farmer with a strong commitment to regenerative agriculture and sustainable food practices. She operates Sage Regenerative Kitchen and Brewery in the Los Angeles area and runs Sow a Heart Farms with her husband in Fillmore, California. She actively promotes the restaurant industry to switch to using ingredients from regenerative farms. Mollie believes in supporting local farmers and making conscious choices about food consumption, including responsibly sourced meat products. Mollie’s previous menu options were all plant-based and the inclusion of meat options drew harsh criticism. Despite some initial resistance from customers, she emphasized the positive impact she hopes to have on both consumers and the farming industry through her commitment to sustainable practices.

In this episode, Mollie and John discuss:

• Experiences that highlighted the necessity of integrating animals into farming practices

• Difficulty in finding large-scale regenerative food service products

• Advocates for smaller, decentralized systems for truly regenerative dairy practices

• Other chefs adopting regenerative ingredients

• The hidden human and environmental costs of cheap food

• Advocating for regional food systems to reduce costs

Additional Resources: For more information about Mollie, please visit: https://www.sowaheart.com/about-us

About John Kempf John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). A top expert in biological and regenerative farming, John founded AEA in 2006 to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who grow it.

Through intense study and the knowledge gleaned from many industry leaders, John is building a comprehensive systems-based approach to plant nutrition – a system solidly based on the sciences of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

Support For This Show & Helping You Grow Since 2006, AEA has been on a mission to help growers become more resilient, efficient, and profitable with regenerative agriculture. 

AEA works directly with growers to apply its unique line of liquid mineral crop nutrition products and biological inoculants. Informed by cutting-edge plant and soil data-gathering techniques, AEA’s science-based programs empower farm operations to meet the crop quality markers that matter the most.

AEA has created real and lasting change on millions of acres with its products and data-driven services by working hand-in-hand with growers to produce healthier soil, stronger crops, and higher profits.

Beyond working on the ground with growers, AEA leads in regenerative agriculture media and education, producing and distributing the popular and highly-regarded Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, inspiring webinars, and other educational content that serve as go-to resources for growers worldwide.

Learn more about AEA’s regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com