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Publishing Design &
Community Curation
Context & Challenge
FDzeeN launched as the inaugural periodical from Food Design Nation, aiming to spark collective action around a simple but urgent question: How might we ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all?
The challenge was to bring together voices from around the world—designers, farmers, cooks, activists, into a single, cohesive publication that feels both urgent and hopeful.
Role & Team
I stepped in as a contributor and session host for FDN Roundtables, working with a pan-global cohort of over 15 creatives from 10 countries. Our collaboration was virtual by necessity and design, reflecting the project's digital-first spirit. The core team included Food Design Nation curators and members passionate about food equity.
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Research & Insights
To fuel the issue, we:
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Gathered design-led work and stories submitted through an open call
- Curated documentation from FDN Roundtables, an adaptation of Virtual Dinner Party
- Hosted virtual dinner sessions focused on real-world problems like food safety, street food, and food choice autonomy
Insights surfaced quickly: food challenges are local and global. Solutions that may work in one place like reviving native grains might not function the same way elsewhere. Context matters.
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Design Process & Mediums
Curation & Concept
I collaborated in setting the structure for the publication: As a contributor, I had the opportunity to host virtual dinner parties centered around various themes such as:
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Solution Details
- Thematic Structure: Clearly defined chapters like Food Safety + Ethics, Urban Food Evolution, and Street Food Celebration
- Global Voices: Weaving firsthand accounts into the editorial to elevate lived experience
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Virtual Conversation: Dinner sessions served as content labs, influencing which stories made it into the issue
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Impact & Outcomes
- Published an inclusive, action-oriented periodical with inputs from 15+ anthropologists, chefs, researchers, artists, and designers
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Modeled collective creativity—all through remote collaboration
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Sparked follow-up dinners, community threads, and thematic social media engagement
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Reflection & Learnings
- Cooking and conversation open paths to candid insight
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Publications that speak to food issues must be built from the ground up, rooted in lived experience
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Remote global curation demands empathy, coordination, and a shared sense of purpose
