Located in the 4Roots Cafe – Level 1
Food might be the true universal language. We need it to sustain ourselves. We use it to comfort ourselves. It is often a singular reason for us to engage with one another.
Our current food system has many challenges. In this exhibit, you will uncover a group of people, corporations, non-profits, and educational institutions working hard to create a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy community-based food system, all in Central Florida.
This exhibit explores the interconnectedness of the food system, and those people fighting to make it more equitable, sustainable, and healthier for everyone.
Check out the Building Guide to see a map and information for our current exhibits.
Learn How to Become a Food Hero!
- Use a robotic arm to understand farming automation.
- Learn about pollinators through an experience featuring virtual butterflies.
- Explore composting with interactive time-lapse videos of fruits and vegetables.
- Check out the living wall highlighting the importance of vertical farming.
- Watch a giant LED display with stories of 15 local food heroes. Discover how they are changing our world, from hydroponic gardens to culinary medicine.
- See scheduled appearances by guest speakers and cooking demonstrations. Check the calendar for dates and times.
- Engage with Food Heroes on your smartphone! A web-enabled app experience lets you create your own digital plant, which will then be shared on the LED Display for everyone to see.
This exhibit is inspired by John Rivers, of 4Rivers BBQ and the 4Roots team, and their passion for food sustainability. We enlisted a group of advisors, including the 4Roots and our presenting sponsor Orlando Health, to help us identify who is already working to make a positive impact around food insecurity and how we can get more people involved.
Food Heroes highlights various food and agriculture careers, beyond farming, that are having a growing impact.
Meet Our Food Heroes!
Orlando Health is a not-for-profit healthcare organization that serves the southeastern United States. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the system was founded more than 100 years ago, and includes award-winning care for kids provided by Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
4Roots is an alliance of community stakeholders investing in a healthy thriving, sustainable, food system.
Founded in 2017, Black Bee Honey is a non-profit organization ran by young entrepreneurs from the Parramore and Holden Heights communities in Orlando, Florida. Through our nutritious honey we provide our community with access to food that has various health benefits and serves as a great substitute to sugar.
Edible Education Experience – The Emeril Lagasse Foundation Kitchen House & Culinary Garden empowers students and their communities through seed-to-table experiences.
Fleet Farming is a non-profit urban agriculture program of IDEAS For Us whose mission is to empower all generations to grow food to increase local food accessibility.
Harvest CROO Robotics holds the key to a sustainable food future that will benefit farmers and consumers of fresh produce.
Hebni Nutrition’s mission is to provide culturally appropriate nutrition education and intervention strategies to prevent diet-related diseases.
Ocoee High School’s agriculture program gives students a hands-on opportunity to learn more about agriculture and the food that they eat.
O-Town Compost has a two-part mission that aims at both reducing the amount of food waste going to Orange County’s landfill, and making compost to support the local food system.
The goal of SyNRGE is to identify technologies that were developed for producing plants in space and developing those for Earth applications.
Uncle Matt’s goal was, and still is, to produce the highest quality juice, using only premium 100% organically-grown fruit that is free from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life.
Urban Smart Farms was founded on a passion for changing the future of farming. By harnessing the power of aeroponics Urban Smart Farms is the perfect solution for farming at home or in an urban setting, using 90% less land and 98% less water.
Green Sky Growers by Valencia College is a rooftop aquaponic and hydroponic system that sits atop a three-story building in downtown Winter Garden. This rooftop system serves as an interactive classroom that teaches the community about sustainable farming.
Thank You to Our Supporters
Presenting Sponsor:
