Each of the panelists works at the intersection of creativity and a commitment to fostering a just and regionalized food system. This panel will explore what it means to celebrate seasonality as a conduit to taste, place, and connection. The discussion will help us understand the ways in which practices such as industrialization, structural racism, and lack of access have dissociated society from experiencing “a sense of place” through food. The panel will share the barriers they experience in supporting a local food system, and the ways in which relationships serve as a pathway to overcome those same obstacles. Ali Ghiorse, the panel’s facilitator, will engage the panel about their professional journeys, what compels them to use food as a catalyst for change and where they see the opportunities for growth and renewal in our food system.