Pizza (and volunteerism) that could inspire change
Island ingredients in classic recipes that are good for your heart, your wallet and an economic and environmental future of Yap's community.
This is how hundreds of slices of pizza were made for Yap Day and help kick off more healthy and sustainable local projects.
Yap Fusion is a free concept started from the raw desire to inspire people and empower change starting from small passionate volunteer initiatives.
Every local food choice means less dependence on imported goods, less consumption of unhealthy packaged products and fueling a positive local economic cycle.
Fusion is the process of combining two or more different things into a new whole.
Volunteers of the Yap Women Assosiation (YWA) and their families cooked taro, yam and sweet potatoes to make the pizzas - helping peeling and steaming vegetables until midnight in preparation for the Yap Day production.
Meanwhile, over in Kadai, Linda's kitchen - the UN Volunteer founder of Yap Fusion - was the all-night sight of the pizza dough and topping preparation.
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Until there's a dedicated kitchen for local food R&D, the initiative is riding on volunteerism, these pizzas were born from three kitchens.
Starting out down south on traditional outdoor stoves, then over to Linda's in Kadai, then the final product was carried out of the Manta Ray Bay manager apartment oven.
Both days had Yap Fusion's friends standing oven watch and delivering hot food to the Yap Day booth.
The effort to bring the first slice of pizza and pie to Yap Day was the sum of 14 different people's actions.
The Outcome
Each slice was served on a leaf to reduce plastic consumption and waste.
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All of this was a personal investment with volunteer labor and contributed local food.
The project creates a healthy local model for food production and a platform to grow from.
Linda is a developmental economist working with Yap state government through the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) agency.
In her spare time she created a food concept that is a realistic and sustainable alternative that is good for Yap, its economy and future.
There's an opportunity for people to make these recipes themselves, create healthy local food businesses and participate in sustainability from your own home.
Recipes, workshops and support are free for anyone interested in making healthy good food.
Get InvolvedThere's a lot of things that could happen; people can make awesome food at home that's good for all of us, be the first ethical corporation on island and pizzeria or have a home-based biz filling orders for ingredients and pre-preparation.
Recipes are free and available here for all Yap Fusion local food concepts.
Let us know what you think: www.facebook.com/yapfusion
What's Next?
Yap Fusion salads, sweet potato gnocci, pumpkin desert ice cream substitute and possibly a Tuba cocktail... 100% local and semi-local fusion creativity that addresses food security, economics, health and strengthens community.
