Meet Chris Cooper from Hammer & Hand
a School Kitchen Garden Sponsor
When two Reed college graduates started Hammer & Hand 20 years ago, their first love was remodeling historic Portland homes. They quickly branched out to include new construction for both home and business, executing a wide range of architectural designs. Hammer & Hand has been part of the neighborhood for all of these 20 years, with many employees living and working nearby.
One customer joyfully reports that her home was built “with great talent and a lot of heart.” Hammer & Hand approaches construction with care, recognizing their responsibility as stewards of the neighborhood’s built environment. Their decision to sponsor the School Kitchen Garden grows out of this commitment to the community. |
Chris Cooper (pictured above with his two boys, Jackson and Finn) has been working with Hammer & Hand for nearly 15 years. He began as a carpenter, worked his way up to a project lead role, and he is now a supervisor. Here he talks about his craft and about the School Kitchen Garden.
SKG: We are so grateful for your sponsorship! What is it that you like about the School Kitchen Garden?
Coop: The School Kitchen Garden connects the dots between what our children eat, and how it comes to be. It allows our kids to realize and respect the work that goes into farming, and sustainable agriculture- in general. It hopefully gives them a respect for the items that they see in the produce department at the market, and instills a sense of ownership in the process of what farm to table means, opening their eyes to healthy food items that are good for them to eat.
SKG: Your work brings forth new living space, rather than crops. What is your favorite part of your job?
Coop: I love working with architects, designers, and craftsmen to come up with the most creative and efficient solution to the multitude of riddles that older homes can present. I love making people’s quality of life better by transforming their living spaces, making houses more efficient, safe, healthy, and livable.
SKG: What would you like parents to know about Hammer & Hand?
Coop: Hammer and Hand has moved to the forefront of high performance building in Portland, Seattle, and beyond. We believe in the preservation of classic, older homes in Portland, and enjoy the inherent challenges that come with remodeling them. Our commercial endeavors continue to expand, as well as the new custom homes that we build. These allow us the opportunity to implement modern details into every component of a brand new home- from the ground up.
SKG: Thank you, Hammer & Hand, for your support!
You can read more about Hammer & Hand on Facebook and on their website.
SKG: We are so grateful for your sponsorship! What is it that you like about the School Kitchen Garden?
Coop: The School Kitchen Garden connects the dots between what our children eat, and how it comes to be. It allows our kids to realize and respect the work that goes into farming, and sustainable agriculture- in general. It hopefully gives them a respect for the items that they see in the produce department at the market, and instills a sense of ownership in the process of what farm to table means, opening their eyes to healthy food items that are good for them to eat.
SKG: Your work brings forth new living space, rather than crops. What is your favorite part of your job?
Coop: I love working with architects, designers, and craftsmen to come up with the most creative and efficient solution to the multitude of riddles that older homes can present. I love making people’s quality of life better by transforming their living spaces, making houses more efficient, safe, healthy, and livable.
SKG: What would you like parents to know about Hammer & Hand?
Coop: Hammer and Hand has moved to the forefront of high performance building in Portland, Seattle, and beyond. We believe in the preservation of classic, older homes in Portland, and enjoy the inherent challenges that come with remodeling them. Our commercial endeavors continue to expand, as well as the new custom homes that we build. These allow us the opportunity to implement modern details into every component of a brand new home- from the ground up.
SKG: Thank you, Hammer & Hand, for your support!
You can read more about Hammer & Hand on Facebook and on their website.
Meet Laura and Austin Whipple from Scout Books
a School Kitchen Garden Sponsor
Laura and Austin Whipple started Pinball Publishing in 2002, driven by a love for books. Their hands-on experience with the materials and mechanics of publishing inspired the creation of Scout Books: handcrafted pocket notebooks for clients to customize with their own designs, inside and out. Scout Books can be a platform for marketing, micropublishing, notetaking, gift-giving, and so much more. The Scout Books website blossoms with possibilities.
From the beginning, Scout Books has been committed to sustainable manufacturing. Their papers are made from 100% recycled materials, sourced from domestic paper mills in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest. Their vegetable-based inks are crafted here in Portland from plant oils like soy and linseed. The end result is a handheld spark of joy. Here, Laura Whipple talks about why she supports the School Kitchen Garden, and what we can expect from Scout Books in the future. SKG: Thank you so much for your sponsorship! What is it about the School Kitchen Garden that inspires you? |
Laura: Albert Einstein once said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” This quote sums up my passionate belief about how important it is for humans to stay connected with the natural world. Being close to nature makes us wiser. We should all spend more time with our hands in the dirt and our minds thinking about our natural world. We need to consider how it provides for us, and how we can be better stewards of our precious natural resources. What better way to foster that connection than through a garden based curriculum.
SKG: Why do you choose to sponsor the School Kitchen Garden financially?
Laura: I feel very fortunate that my two daughters Phoebe and Alice can attend a school that integrates an indoor and outdoor garden classroom with a commitment to healthier food for the school’s community. It’s revolutionary and also sensical. Visionary Abernethy community members founded our School Kitchen Garden program years ago, and it’s my pleasure and honor to help sustain that vision and support the program with a business sponsorship from our company Scout Books.
SKG: What are the latest developments at Scout Books?
Laura: The Scout Books team is growing and we are hard at work developing a new website. We’ve introduced a larger format 5” X 7” size notebook, and also colored staples this year.
SKG: Your growth is really exciting! What new ideas can we expect to see at Scout Books in the future?
SKG: Why do you choose to sponsor the School Kitchen Garden financially?
Laura: I feel very fortunate that my two daughters Phoebe and Alice can attend a school that integrates an indoor and outdoor garden classroom with a commitment to healthier food for the school’s community. It’s revolutionary and also sensical. Visionary Abernethy community members founded our School Kitchen Garden program years ago, and it’s my pleasure and honor to help sustain that vision and support the program with a business sponsorship from our company Scout Books.
SKG: What are the latest developments at Scout Books?
Laura: The Scout Books team is growing and we are hard at work developing a new website. We’ve introduced a larger format 5” X 7” size notebook, and also colored staples this year.
SKG: Your growth is really exciting! What new ideas can we expect to see at Scout Books in the future?
Laura: After attending a conference this past month (SXSW Eco), I’ve become deeply inspired by the Biomimicry movement, which looks to nature for design innovations. The idea is that we can find solutions to human problems by looking at time-tested patterns and processes in nature. In the coming year, I hope to incorporate biomimetic thinking into how we manufacture books and notebooks. Biomimicry asks that we move beyondsustainability to a regenerative design model. I’m really excited about making small changes that add up to a more regenerative business. Stay tuned!
SKG: Thank you, Scout Books, for your support!
You can read more about Scout Books on Facebook and on their website.
SKG: Thank you, Scout Books, for your support!
You can read more about Scout Books on Facebook and on their website.
Meet Mac Kohler From Brooklyn Copper Cookware
A School Kitchen Garden Sponsor
Mac Kohler had a revelation in the mountains of Portugal, where he discovered a kitchen full of copper pots and pans hundreds of years old and still going strong. More than beautiful, copper cookware lasts just about forever. This insight launched a mission to revive copper cookware manufacturing in the United States, and bring it back to American kitchens.
The Brooklyn Copper Cookware mission reflects Mac’s belief that we all are at our best when we connect to our local environment. Their products are sourced 100% domestically and made entirely by hand, using traditional metalsmithing techniques. The end result represents a renaissance of American craftsmanship. Together with his family, Mac provided a matching donation to kick start the School Kitchen Garden’s first annual business sponsorship drive. Here, Mac talks about his business, and his interest in the School Kitchen Garden. |
SKG: Thank you so much for sponsoring the School Kitchen Garden! What would you like parents to know about your business?
Mac: A year ago we soft-launched BCC v2.0 with all new designs. The first recipients were folks who had been waiting some three years for our first pieces. Following the success of our initial offering, this year we'll be doubling our catalog with a new range of completely unique saucepans and covers, made the same careful way from the same robust materials - elementally pure copper, tin and iron. The first production run sold out a month early.
SKG: Congratulations! What affinity do you see between your business and the School Kitchen Garden?
Mac: BCC will always support constructively mixing kids and food whenever we’re able. One of the more subtle reasons I founded BCC has to do with the garden my folks always had going during the growing season, their fondness for foraging, fishing, canning and cooking at home.
SKG: What are the key lessons you learned in your family’s garden?
Mac: There is an intelligence in an intimate relationship with one’s food that is a natural protective against despoiling the planet and one’s own body. We’re all about having and sharing such intelligence.
SKG: Thank you, Brooklyn Copper Cookware, for your support! You can read more about Brooklyn Copper Cookware on Facebook and on their website. |
Meet Dr. Jonathan Warmflash from Neighborhood Dentist
A School Kitchen Garden Sponsor
Dr. Jonathan Warmflash comes from a long line of dentists, which brings a sense of tradition to his practice. He grew up hearing stories about his grandfather commuting by bicycle to his dental office in Brooklyn during WWII. He remembers his father letting him use the casting ovens and air compressors for science fairs. And he celebrates an uncle who was still practicing at the age of 83!
These family members have had a clear influence on Dr. Warmflash and his practice. He holds dear a commitment to quality dentistry, personal relationships, and service. He likes to call his patients by name, and he has a ready smile when he runs into them at school and at the store. He is truly our Neighborhood Dentist. |
Dr. Warmflash is a general dentist, which means that his practice welcomes both children and adults, and he offers comprehensive dental care. He also understands dental anxiety, and has the patience and skills to put people at ease. The staff are famously hospitable. Best of all, the team includes the family dog, Daisy. She likes to make patients feel at home, but she doesn’t mind taking a nap in the back when that’s what it takes to make people comfortable.
Of course, Dr. Warmflash lives in the neighborhood. After hours, he can be found at home with his wife Carolyn, two Abernethy graduates who now attend Cleveland High School, and an Abernethy 3rd grader. He has learned about the Abernethy School Kitchen Garden through his children, over many years. Neighborhood Dentist supports the School Kitchen Garden because they share the goals of improving the health and wellness of our community, through knowledge and engagement.
Thank you, Neighborhood Dentist, for your support! You can read more about Neighborhood Dentist on Facebook and on their website. |
Meet Tim HeAlea, Owner and Baker at Little T American Baker
A School Kitchen Garden Sponsor
“Flour, Science, Hand, and Heart.” These are the elements that guide Little T American Baker. Each delicious treat demonstrates a commitment to quality ingredients, a detailed knowledge of baking science, skilled handwork, and genuine joy in the process.
Tim Healea is an award-winning baker with experience teaching baking techniques around the world. When he opened Little T American Baker in 2008, it became an instant favorite in the neighborhood. Here he talks about volunteering in the garden classroom, teaching Abernethy students about growing wheat and baking bread. |
SKG: Thank you for sponsoring the School Kitchen Garden! Your interest in our program has inspired us to plant wheat along the fence behind the school. Please tell us a little about the plans you’ve made with the garden teacher for the 5th grade students.
Tim: This year, we’re really excited to be able to participate and talk to kids about how grains grow and how we use them in the bakery. Probably a number of kids (and adults too!) think that flour is something that just appears on supermarket shelves, so we’re grateful to have the opportunity to demonstrate that wheat and other grains are farmed.
SKG: What do you hope children will learn from this hands-on demonstration project?
Tim: This year, we’re really excited to be able to participate and talk to kids about how grains grow and how we use them in the bakery. Probably a number of kids (and adults too!) think that flour is something that just appears on supermarket shelves, so we’re grateful to have the opportunity to demonstrate that wheat and other grains are farmed.
SKG: What do you hope children will learn from this hands-on demonstration project?
Tim: There are hundreds of varieties of wheat, and the growing conditions of the plants have a huge impact on the breads and other baked goods we can make with the harvested grain. Flour is so important to us, so we’re really looking forward to sharing our knowledge and a bit of our passion for baking with the kids.
SKG: What else would you like parents to know? Tim: We’re thrilled that a program like the Abernethy School Kitchen Garden can thrive in our neighborhood. SKG: Thank you, Little T American Baker, for your support! You can read more about Little T American Baker on their website. |
Meet Bruce Birk, M.D., from Pediatric Associates of the Northwest
A School Kitchen Garden Sponsor
Pediatric Associates of the Northwest offers comprehensive pediatric services with a collaborative and compassionate approach. The practice includes multiple specialties working together with a common goal, to provide excellent health care for the whole child. It’s also one of the best places to work in Oregon, according to the Oregonian’s 2014 and 2015 Top Workplaces study.
Bruce Birk, M.D., is a pediatrician who also has two children at Abernethy: Enzo in 4th grade and Solomon in 1st. Here he talks about the PANW philosophy and the School Kitchen Garden. SKG: Thank you for sponsoring the School Kitchen Garden! Please tell us a little about why Pediatric Associates of the Northwest supports this local school program. |
Bruce: We believe strongly that to improve the lives of patients we have to take part in the community that they (and we) live in. As a parent, I take it as a responsibility to take part in helping community organizations like the School Kitchen Garden that work to improve the education of my children. Many of the children at Abernethy bring their kids to our practice, so the money we donate is out of respect for them as well as my personal interests.
SKG: Have I also seen you in the garden at school, inflating wheelbarrow tires and maintaining compost bins?
SKG: Have I also seen you in the garden at school, inflating wheelbarrow tires and maintaining compost bins?
Bruce: We as a group don’t just donate financially, we also donate our time and energy. I am as happy fixing garden beds with my drill as with my check book.
Thank you, Pediatric Associates of the Northwest, for your support! You can read more about Pediatric Associates of the Northwest on their website. |
Meet Jess Desbrow from Growing Care
a School Kitchen Garden Sponsor
Jess Desbrow is a Doctor of Chiropractic who founded Growing Care in 2007.
She and her business partners have a long list of heartfelt testimonials on their website and Facebook page. Here she talks about her work and her School Kitchen Garden sponsorship. SKG: Thank you for sponsoring the School Kitchen Garden! Please tell us a little about your business. Jess: Growing Care provides gentle chiropractic, craniosacral and massage therapy in Southeast Portland, with a focus on pregnancy and pediatrics. We are female practitioners who specialize in pregnancy, post-natal and pediatric care and love serving whole family wellness. Auto accidents, jaw, ear and sinus conditions are also some of our favorites. SKG: What can you tell me about why you support the School Kitchen Garden? Jess: Starting while in the womb, I strive to support children’s health. I work to align mothers for birth, breastfeeding and nurturing their young- naturally and consciously. I therefore resonate with everything about the mission of the School Kitchen Garden as the ongoing path toward healthy choices for growing bodies. SKG: Thank you, Growing Care, for your support! For more information, visit: http://growingcarepdx.com and check them out on Facebook. |