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Pei-Ru Ko

Author 「用愛發酵」(published Fall 2023) | Story Doula | The Food Tank’s 14 Women Changing Food Around the World

Pei-Ru Ko is the founder and former director of Real Food Real Stories, a nonprofit organization dedicated to humanizing the food system and inspiring cultural and social change.12 Born and raised in Taiwan, Ko moved to the United States for her education and later settled in the Bay Area.3

Ko's journey in the food world began when she was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome, an autoimmune condition that led her to explore nutrition and holistic culinary practices as a means of self-healing.13 This personal experience inspired her to create Real Food Real Stories in 2014, which later evolved into Food Culture Collective.3

Key aspects of Pei-Ru Ko's work and background include:

  1. Author: Ko recently published her first book of narrative essays in Chinese, titled "Ferment with Love: Healing through Food Collectively" (用愛發酵).34

  2. Storytelling advocate: She uses storytelling as a powerful medium to build connections and humanize the food system.25

  3. Community builder: Ko has created a community of food workers, culture bearers, and creatives to reorient towards food as a life source.3

  4. Educational background: She studied at Williams College, where she created her own major called "Art for Social Change".3

  5. Current work: Ko is now based in Taiwan, helping Taipei residents explore their relationship with food and hosting discussions on collective well-being.3

Throughout her career, Pei-Ru Ko has focused on promoting sustainable, just, and connected food systems through storytelling, community building, and personal exploration of food's role in healing and social change.123

Highlights

Sep 26 · linkedin

Nervous and excited to share that my first book of narrative essays is recently published by Yuan-Liou Publishing Co. for the Mandarin-speaking world.

While learning to be a mom and sneaking in time to sit down, calm my mind, and put thoughts to paper, I am proud of accomplishing this collection.

It captured much of what I’ve learned healing through food, running Food Culture Collective in the past years, and a firm belief that there is no individual wellness without collective and environmental wellness. We are all connected. The book hopes to plant a seed for food culture change in Taiwan and beyond.

The book features stories with and learnings from Nikiko Masumoto, Michelle Pusateri, Jered Lawson, Lorraine Walker, Kristyn Leach, Leticia Landa, Geetika Agrawal, Sana Javeri Kadri, Keba Armand Konte, Joyful Clemantine, Martin Reed, Cat Gieser, sam mogannam, Yana Gilbuena-Babu, Christopher Wong, MBA, Dede Boies, Vincent Medina, Louis Trevino, Natalie Gantz, Cody Gantz (listed with love, in no particularly order). Thank you for your teaching and for making a hopeful and delectable future.

It also featured wonderful organizations: Bauman College: Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts, The Edible Schoolyard Project, Conscious Kitchen, Foodwise, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, Inc., Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, Devoto Orchards, Eatwell Farm, Cafe Ohlone, STATE BIRD PROVISIONS LLC, Gospel Flats Farm, FOOD CHAIN WORKERS ALLIANCE, Green Thumb Organic Farm, White Lotus Yoga Foundation, Namu Farm, Second Generation Seeds, Masumoto Family Farm, Diaspora Co., Red Bay Coffee, Nana Joes Granola, Pie Ranch, La Cocina - Nonprofit Kitchen Incubator

If you know any Mandarin readers, please do share the book!

Nov 8 · linkedin

Hello all my food/culture-loving friends,

It has been ABSOLUTELY incredible watching RFRS grow and adapt its ambition this past year. Now, with its shift towards using storytelling and listening to democratize food culture, they help answer these questions I think of all the time.

Who gets to tell our food story? Who gets to define our food culture?

We have to take the narrative power back to BIPOC, women, immigrant, queer and otherwise marginalized changemakers. That's the beginning of healthier, more diverse, more interesting, more holistic conversations.

This is democracy. This is justice. It's time.

Can you give $25 or any more that you can spare to make this work possible? I'll match $500 to meeting my donation goal of $500!

#culture #food #storytelling

Related Questions

What inspired Pei-Ru Ko to start Real Food Real Stories?
How has Pei-Ru Ko's autoimmune disease influenced her work?
What are some notable stories shared through Real Food Real Stories?
How does Pei-Ru Ko's background in Taiwan influence her approach to food?
What role does storytelling play in the mission of Real Food Real Stories?
Pei-Ru Ko
Pei-Ru Ko, photo 1
Pei-Ru Ko, photo 2
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Location

San Francisco, California, United States