I. Mission statement
We heal our community, our planet, and ourselves
by building a sustainable model for community-scale food preparation
and processing that honors culinary traditions and provides nutrient-dense
foods for local households and beyond.
II. Business Structure
The Three Stone Hearth CSK will be a worker-owned
cooperative, incorporated in the State of California.
III. Guiding Values
A. Health
The Three Stone Hearth CSK follows the guidelines
for human nutrition that were developed and discovered by indigenous
and traditional peoples around the world and recorded by Dr. Weston
A. Price, which include:
- Nutrient density
- Liberal use of traditional fats
- Mineral-rich bone broths
- Lacto-fermentation
- Raw and cultured dairy products
- Whole grains that have been soaked, sprouted,
soured or naturally leavened
- Use of natural and unrefined sweeteners only,
balanced by fats and proteins or lacto-fermented
- Animal products from pastured livestock
- Avoidance as much as possible of processed and
chemical ingredients and toxic substances
The Three Stone Hearth CSK also seeks to support
health in the lives of its workers and members in other ways:
- Adequate rest and balance between work and other
activities
- Access to holistic healing approaches
- Value of the spiritual, emotional, psychological
aspects of health, as well as the physiological
B. Earth
The Three Stone Hearth CSK is committed to an
ecological stewardship of resources with a goal of moving our
society towards sustainability. We live out that ideal by practicing
the following:
- Re-use of glass containers rather than disposable
plastic packaging
- Sourcing our ingredients and products from Northern
California whenever possible
- Sourcing our ingredients and products from farms
and ranches that practice good ecological stewardship of their
land
- Making maximum use of ingredients and wasting
as little as possible
- Composting anything we are unable to use
- Maintaining the cleanliness of our kitchen with
products that have minimal impacts on ecosystems
- Using water and other resources wisely
- Delivering and distributing our shares in ways
that minimize use of petroleum products
- Exploring alternative forms of energy and using
energy as efficiently as possible
C. Heart
The Three Stone Hearth CSK is committed to building
and maintaining a thriving community where relationships between
members, workers, growers, and the society at large are respectful,
joyful, and mutually appreciative, including:
- Active celebration of diversity and a wide range
of perspectives and traditions
- Opportunities for members and workers to become
familiar with local producers
- Opportunities for members to participate in
a hands-on way in the preparation and processing of food in the
CSK
- Opportunities for families and children to work
and learn together in the CSK
- Opportunities for members to have fun together
- Recognition of and respect for differences of
opinions and experiences
- Ongoing recognition of the efforts of all who
contribute to our business
- Generosity and support offered to community
members who find themselves vulnerable due to factors such as
socio-economics, physical ability, age, language-access, health
crisis, societal prejudice, personal tragedy, and natural or man-made
disaster, as long as such support enhances rather than compromises
the greater good of the community
- Modeling decision-making processes that are
democratic and mutually beneficial to a wide range of stake-holders
- Maximizing transparency to members in regards
to CSK policies, procedures, and decisions, except in situations
where confidentiality is necessary
IV. Products
A. House-made Products
The Three Stone Hearth CSK will center its operations
in a Bay Area commercial kitchen, where workers and members will
prepare nutrient-dense, traditional foods based on ingredients
from selected local farms and ranches. CSK members will receive
a weekly or bi-monthly ‘share’ of prepared foods, which can
be tailored to each household via a user-friendly web-based ordering
system. Members will be able choose from a range of products to
meet their individual’s or family’s needs. The line of products
produced in the CSK kitchen will include but are not limited to:
- Soups, stews, and curries
- Long-simmered bone broths
- Sauerkraut and other lacto-fermented foods
- Lacto-fermented beverages based on medicinal
herbs, seasonal fruits and natural sweeteners
- Crème fraiche, yogurt cheese, and whey
- Crispy nuts and nut butters
- Sourdough crackers and other baked goods
- Whole-grain, lightly sweetened cold cereals
prepared following traditional methods
- Quiches, tamales, potpies, and other nearly-ready-to-eat
foods that families can reheat for suppers
- Natural sweets and snacks
- Salad dressings
B. Retail Products
The Three Stone Hearth CSK will also sell some
products produced by local farms and small businesses that share
our commitment to quality and nutrient density:
- Sourdough breads from local bakers
- Raw milk cheeses
- Pastured eggs
- Pastured meats
- Salad greens and fresh fruits
- Coconut oil, coconut milk, and other coconut
products
- Cod liver oil
C. Dinners and Gatherings
The Three Stone Hearth CSK will host occasional
dinners featuring nourishing, traditional foods:
- Full Moon Feasts
- Special Holiday Meals celebrating a wide range
of culturally significant occasions
D. Educational Programs
The Three Stone Hearth CSK will offer educational
opportunities for subscribers and community members, including:
- Cooking classes
- Farm tours
- Lectures
- Film series
V. Staff
A. Worker-owners
The Three Stone Hearth CSK will launch initially
with a core staff of 5 worker-owners. As the business grows, additional
staff may be hired and after a set process, may also become worker
owners. The original 5 worker owners are:
Porsche Combash
Porsche Combash has been in the food business
for over 23 years. Starting her career in baking with French pastry
apprenticeship, she worked in the specialty food, hospitality,
and catering industries. In she helped open the Ravens Restaurant
in Mendocino, which featured an organic vegetarian menu. In 2001,
Porsche completed the professional Chef Training Program at the
Natural Gourmet School of Cookery in NYC. There she was introduced
to the Weston A. Price Foundation and the principles of indigenous
diets. After graduation, Porsche completed a cooking internship
at the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland and went on to teach at
the Ballymaloe School of Cookery in Ireland. In addition, she
has traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico and Sicily to study their regional
cuisines. For the past two years she has worked as the Manager
of the Pasta Shop on Fourth Street in Berkeley.
Born at home in Berkeley during the radical sixties,
Porsche comes from a truly blended background. Her grandmother
was a founding member of the Black Panthers. Her ancestry includes
African-American, German, Scottish, Irish, Native-American, and
English. She lives in Berkeley with her partner, Michael McGill.
Misa Koketsu
Misa Koketsu’s love of eating began early in
life around the kitchen table set for her family of eight and
topped with delicious meals her mother prepared daily. Her enthusiasm
for cooking, however, developed during her junior year abroad
in France, where food is a national obsession, cooking an art
form, and la sieste provides the time to relax after savoring
a good meal. Following graduation, Misa attended culinary school
and has since baked in hotel pastry shops and bakeries in and
around the Bay Area, including Auberge du Soleil and Grace Baking
Company. In 1999, she began work at the Center for Ecoliteracy
in Berkeley, where her background in cooking merged with the work
of the Center’s Food Systems Project. This experience provided
an introduction to, and gave her an appreciation for, the social,
ecological, and political issues associated with local, sustainable
food systems.
Misa is sansei or third generation Japanese American,
born and raised in San Jose, California. She has a B.A. in Humanities
from UC Berkeley. Having lived all over the East Bay since 1986,
she now resides near Lake Merritt in Oakland.
Jessica Prentice
Jessica Prentice has loved cooking for as long
as she can remember. In 1996 she received professional chef’s
training at the Natural Gourmet Institute of Food and Health in
New York City. She worked as the Chef of the Headlands Center
for the Arts in Marin from 1997-2001, where she founded the Headlands
Hearth Bakery and Café in 2001. Jessica educated herself in sustainable
agriculture issues, and in 2002 was hired as the first Director
of Education Programs for the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San
Francisco. She became a Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader
in 2001, founded Wise Food Ways in 2004, and co-founded Locavores
in 2005. Her first book, Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger
for Connection was released from Chelsea Green Publishing in 2006.
Jessica’s ancestors include Scottish, English,
and Swiss German immigrants, and she grew up in an extended community
of progressives in the Washington, DC area. She earned a B.A.
from Brown University in 1991, moved to the Bay Area in 1992,
and now lives in Richmond Annex with her partner, Debora Tully.
Catherine Spanger
Catherine Spanger was born and raised in the
East Bay. Her grandparents were farmers in Brentwood, California,
where fertile land produced a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Her grandmother, an immigrant from the Dust Bowl, taught her to
live modestly and be resourceful. Later travels abroad exposed
her to families and cultures that shared these values, where a
variety of nutrient-dense and delicious foods were produced from
local ingredients. A desire to share these life-lessons led Catherine
to become a professional cook at Green’s Restaurant in San Francisco,
and she has also cooked for many Bay Area catering companies.
For the past five years, Catherine has worked in Water Conservation,
helping families develop an appreciation for the precious resource
of water and its vital importance in producing our food.
With a lineage from Holland, Germany and Arkansas,
Catherine believes in the connection between food, family and
tradition. She has a B.A. from the University of California, Santa
Barbara and currently resides in Oakland, California.
Larry Wisch
Larry Wisch has been interested in ecology and
community his entire life. He received a degree in Urban Human
Ecology from Antioch College 1975 and a Certificate of Horticulture
from The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in 1977, and began working
as a horticulturalist and horticulture instructor. In 1980 he
co-founded San Francisco’s first limited equity housing cooperative.
From 1985 to 2004 he expressed his entrepreneurial spirit by starting
and running two different market research companies: Larry Wisch
Associates and Blarry House Research. In May of 2006 Larry celebrated
the sixth anniversary of his victory over lymphatic cancer. He
is also a leader in the Alive and Well HIV alternative movement.
Larry’s lifelong quest for healing and wellness led him to the
Weston A. Price Foundation, and in 2005 he became the San Francisco
Chapter Leader.
Larry grew up in an extended community in the
North Bronx, where socialized medicine, cooperative daycare, nursery
schools, and union organizing were part of his original view of
the world. Chicken soup and other wonderful Jewish Eastern European
smells permeated the hallways and apartments. He now lives in
San Francisco with his partner Giancarlo Calabrese.
B. Barter-workers and contractors
The CSK will hire part-time or contract staff
as needed to fulfill functions that the worker-owners are unable
or untrained to fulfill. As much contract work as possible will
be arranged with members as well-tracked barter for CSK products.
C. Subscribers
Subscribers will have the opportunity to volunteer
a set amount of time to the business by working in the kitchen—approximately
2 hours per share per month. All volunteer work will be arranged,
facilitated and supervised by worker-owners.
VI. Delivery and Distribution
The goal will be to distribute shares to homes
or drop-off locations in a wide range of Bay Area neighborhoods.
Initially, shares may need to be picked up at the CSK kitchen or
in just a few central locations. As business increases, more pick-up
points will be made available. The purchase of a refrigerated, diesel
truck (that can run on biodiesel) will greatly facilitate an ecological
and practical means of distribution.
VII. Location
The Three Stone Hearth CSK is currently negotiating
a lease for a commercial kitchen at 1 Bolivar Way in West Berkeley.
The space includes a kitchen work area, a dishwashing area, two
office spaces, a storage room, a small room ideal for warm-temperature
fermentation, and a walk-in refrigerator. The square footage of
the entire space is 2300. There is easy access for delivery and
pick-up, and the location is convenient to the freeway (80/580 near
the University Avenue exit). There is ample parking.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a large space used by
the social service agency that would sublease the kitchen to Three
Stone Hearth. This large space is in use during business hours,
but will be available on a limited basis to the CSK for feasts and
other group events during evenings and on weekends.
VIII. Meaning of the Name
From ancient times, human beings have created a
simple and functional hearth by placing three large stones in a
triangle pattern. A fire is then built in the center of the triangle,
and either a cooking pot or a flat cooking stone is balanced on
the stones for cooking. Some foods are also cooked directly in the
fire. This classical hearth form is still used throughout much of
the world today.
Among Mayan peoples, the three-stone hearth has
sacred and cosmological meaning as well. In sacred stories dating
back to ancient times, three hearthstones were placed in the center
of the universe, and it was from this three stone hearth that the
God of Maize was born. This sacred place can be identified in the
heavens. Among Maya peoples today, three stars that are part of
the constellation we call Orion are called the three hearthstones,
and the nebula at their center is called the fire. The story of
the placing of the three hearthstones is told in Mayan glyphs dating
from the 8th Century at the archaeological site of Quiriguá, Guatemala.
In contemporary Mayan societies, the three stone
hearth is still often the center of the household. In the morning,
a woman’s first activity is to light the hearth. This is a practical
act, but also a sacred, home, and community.
The three stone hearth is symbolic for us as well.
It is a reminder that cooking and food have been central to community
life throughout human history, and that when we prepare food we
are engaging in a fundamental, universal, and profoundly meaningful
human activity.
one. The household’s hearth is a spiritual center—a
place of connection between earthly daily life and the divine. It
is a place of creation and transformation.
This aspect is not unique to the Maya—in many
traditional societies, the hearth is both a center of daily life
and a place with spiritual meaning. Even in modern English, the
word hearth is both a place for a cooking or heating fire, as well
as a symbol for family
