Most people associate hackers with stealing email passwords but I've learned that not all hackers are created equal. In 2010, I joined the chefs at the Facebook HQ where I began feeding these "hackers" and I learned that hackers can actually do really great things, especially during hackathons. A hackathon is a gathering of hackers (coders), hustlers (business minds) and designers (artists) working collaboratively to accomplish a goal in a short period of time. I was intrigued so I decided to jump in the deep end and in 2012 I got aboard the StartupBus (recorded here). Funny thing is, my team accidently won the competition!

I liked my experience so much that I deciced to apply the model of a hackathon to my passion for building a more just and sustainable food system. I've teamed up with Matt Wise and Wayne Sutton to produce the first ever Food Hackathon (www.FoodHackathon.com) on April 6th & 7th in San Francisco. Our goal is to bring together designers, developers and entrepreneurs for a world class hackathon competition. At the new SoMa Central, we will create space for them to build networks, cross pollinate ideas and create new products and tools that innovate and improve the food ecosystem.

We live in a time when so much is possible, when so much information is at our fingertips and when we have the power to change the world for the better. Personally, I want to contribute to making the world a happier, healthier and tastier place. It's time to bring together people who are excited to work on achieving these goals.

I believe that if we beging to address our challenges in our food system then we begin to solve our problems in our healthcare, our environment and our local economies all while building community. This project is meant to catalize a larger movement into action with the next step being a collabortive hackathon for the National Day of Civic Hacking (www.HackForChange.org) on June 1st & 2nd. Together we can be the change we wish to see.