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Kurt Friese, chef and owner of the Iowa City restaurant Devotay, was one of the Mark and Kay De Cook Distinguished Speakers last year at Central College. Friese serves on the Slow Food USA national board of directors and is editor-in-chief and co-owner of the seasonal local food magazine Edible Iowa River Valley. According to www.slowfoodusa.org, “Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.”

Friese spoke in one of my courses, sharing his insights on leadership from the Slow Food movement. He asked us to think about the best moments in our lives, and the response was that these moments almost always involve food: family dinners, holidays, reunions, parties. He reminded us to relax, slow down and enjoy the food we’re eating. If we are what we eat, then as a society we are fast, cheap and easy.

The Slow Food movement is based on using fresh and organically grown ingredients. With fast food, we are losing our sense of identity and community. In his book “Community: The Structure of Belonging,” Peter Block says we have created fragmented communities where people feel isolated and alone. Our culture is more interested in individuality and independence than interdependence. Ironically, we talk about how connected we are through instant sharing of information and workplaces that can operate around the globe. But many people feel alone, detached and disconnected.

What is wrong with this picture, and what does this say for how we relate with one another at work and at home?

Though Friese focused on how we eat, the current movie “Food, Inc.” makes us think about what we eat. The movie describes how industrial food production has replaced much of local farming in America. One of the co-producers is the author of “Fast Food Nation,” and he emphasizes that buying fast food is cheaper than buying fresh food. When a bag of chips costs less than a bag of carrots, something is wrong with the system. There is a human cost in what and how we eat.

If we stop to think about these issues, we can consciously make better choices. If more of us demand organically grown food, supply should go up and the prices should go down. We can choose to support local farmers and eat foods that are in season and grown without the use of chemicals. We can slow down, savor our food and engage in good conversation and mindful eating, remembering what we ate and how it tasted.

Friese said that “everybody seems to be in a hurry, but nobody really wants to be.” He reminded us that speed is a dangerous thing in almost all aspects of life. We should be deliberate about our thought processes. In doing so, we should make fewer mistakes and be more civil and more polite. He closed with this advice: “Spend more time around the table. Nourish yourself, your family, your friends and your spirit.”

If the most important person to lead is yourself, take his advice to heart. Think about how to make decisions that build community at home and at work. Bon appétit!

Jann Freed holds the Mark and Kay De Cook Endowed Chair in Leadership and Character Development at Central College in Pella.