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A Merging of Two Missions
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WholeHeart: A for-profit company
with a social justice heart.
By Allan Nahajewski
COUTURE BRIDAL
COUTURE EVENING WEAR MOTHER OF TILE WEDDING
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22, 23, AND 24
MARCH 30, AND 31
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new company — built on two over-
A graduate of Cranbrook, Jaffee said she
was about 10 when she began to think
about the country's broken food system.
"I grew up in a medical family, and I saw
the disconnect between health and food,
and I was never able to reconcile that," she
said. "I remember as a child, volunteering
at a hospital and having to take a plate of
beige food to a patient. It literally made me
sick to take that food to someone who was
already sick."
One source of inspiration was a talk by
Andrew Weil, M.D."That's where I learned
that medical students are only required to
take maybe a semester of nutrition. That's
when it all started to come together for
me," said Jaffee.
"I became passionate about nutrition
and trying to infiltrate the industrial food
system with healthier alternatives. That's
a mission with a big scope, but I had my
own family so I thought what better place
to start than in the home with my own
family and with individuals learning to
cook for their families.
Until we take that step
ourselves in our own
homes, it can't really
spread into the institu-
tional levels!"
For 10 years, Jaffee
worked with Dr. Weil at
the Arizona Center for
Integrative Medicine.
"That proved to me that
health doesn't have to be
sacrificed for taste or vice
versa!'
Aaron and Jaffee both
cite their Jewish roots as
key motivators.
"My father, who
recently passed away,
came from a Depression
background," said Aaron.
"He would tell the story
about remembering his
mother sending him to
the store for a pat of but-
ter because they could
not afford to buy an
entire stick.
"Although he was very
successful in business,
he stressed the value
of education and the
security of economic
self-sufficiency that
comes with it. He also
modeled a lifelong com-
mitment to Jewish phi-
lanthropy, giving back to
the community that had
Patti Aaron (in black) and chef Dena Jaffee (in red) make granola
embraced him when he
in a community kitchen.
most needed it:'
"I jokingly call myself a
culinary Jew," said Jaffee.
Aaron is focused on helping others
"I identify with all the foods I grew up with
achieve economic self-sufficiency. Jaffee's
— chopped liver, matzah ball soup. I'm a
drive is to fix a broken food system. "Tastes
huge believer in soups and chicken stocks,
good. Does good." is WholeHeart's four-
with the chicken boiling for days, the
word mantra. The company's goal: making
medicinal qualities. I respect the value that
and selling healthy and delicious prepared
the Jewish traditional culture gives to food
foods while helping underserved indi-
and eating together as a way of ceremony.
viduals to develop marketable skills and
Eating is not just about not being hungry
achieve economic self-sufficiency in the
— the kitchen is a gathering place, and
healthy food business.
that's where real intimate conversations
"I bring years of experience working
happen and real bonding occurs:'
with nonprofits whose mission was help-
Aaron cites Maimonides (a.k.a Rambam),
ing people get on their feet with market-
a 12th-century Jewish scholar, who said the
able job skills," said Aaron. "After studying
highest form of charity is enabling others
companies like Tom's Shoes, I became ex-
to stand on their own two feet. Toward that
cited about the idea of creating a for-profit
end, WholeHeart will begin training interns
social enterprise whose primary mission is
in the next few months.
to serve those in need and thereby our en-
"There is no need to wait. We can begin
tire community. In and around Ann Arbor,
training people now — people in need of
there is a very visible and active local and
work but requiring skill-set development;'
sustainable food community. When I was
she said. She hopes to work with Jewish
pondering what the basis for this social
Family Services of Ann Arbor and JVS of
enterprise model would be, I was meeting
Detroit to identify intern candidates.
great people engaged in the food reform
For more information on WholeHeart
movement. At that point, my cousin told
Group, or to order products, visit www.
me I should talk with Dena, who was work-
wholeheartgroup.com .
ing in Arizona at the time."
A
lapping visions — is taking shape in
Ypsilanti.
WholeHeart Group is the creation of
owner Patti Aaron and chef Dena Jaffee.
Leasing kitchen space from Harvest
Kitchen in Ypsilanti's Depot Town, the duo
began producing healthy grab-and-go
snacks late last year, test marketing at vari-
ous street fairs and farmers markets.
Their current line of products consists of
three types of healthy"crunches" (a grano-
la-like snack), popcorn and seasoning, and
a refreshing hibiscus elixir. The products
are available through the company's web-
site, at area farmers markets, at a cafe in
Chelsea and, soon, University of Michigan
students will be able to buy WholeHeart
products, including the AmaizenBlue
Crunch, at the school's U-go's on-campus
convenience stores.
Setting WholeHeart Group apart from
many businesses is its mission as a for-
profit social enterprise.
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