By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Aug 14, 2019 at 6:01 PM

Meredith Leigh is a mother. A farmer in Asheville, North  Carolina. She’s a butcher and a chef. Over the past two decades, she’s worked as a teacher and a non-profit director. She has also shared her expertise in two published works: "The Ethical Meat Handbook," and "Pure Charcuterie: The Craft and Poetry of Curing Meats at Home."

Her mission? Discover and share pragmatic solutions related to sustainable, ethical, real food.

On this week’s podcast, we talk face-to-face with Leigh about some of the tough questions facing our food system including elitism in the food movement, food justice, women in butchery and the role of empathy in farming and raising livestock. We also discuss multiple topics tackled in her books, including the rationale behind -- and the skill needed -- to make delicious charcuterie at home. Along the way, Leigh shares stories about her food journey, from humble beginnings in urban America to years spent living a vegetarian lifestyle and her subsequent decision to take on farming, butchery and food advocacy.

Listen in!

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Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.