He’s an idea guy. A big-picture person. And that’s the way he explains things, too.
And he loses some people when he extrapolates. Not everyone can follow, imagine, or believe in pie-in-the-sky ideas that sound too good even for a kindergartner’s daydream. Some, in fact, have walked away mad, but they’ve returned to the table to hear Jason Koegler’s next-best idea because the man has hit a few home runs at West Liberty University and in the community.
And he’s hoping to do the same now as the executive director of Grow Ohio Valley, a non-profit super-success when it comes to winning state and federal grants and promoting proper nutrition with a locally owned food system. Koegler now works directly with GOV founder Danny Swan to create that operation utilizing home-grown harvests partnered with local farmers for local products.
The good news? The Public Market in downtown Wheeling has proven very popular since opening in October 2019, and the model works better than expected.
The better news? The better news is that there’s no bad news except that there are more steps to take, and the next ginormous stride is the “Wheeling Food Hub.”
And yes, Koegler has his visions of that could look, too.
Which vegetable is your favorite to eat raw and which vegetable is your favorite to eat cooked?
Raw = Tomatoes.
My father grew up on Wheeling Island where my grandfather and great-grandfather both grew tomatoes in their backyards which often were planted along the gentle hills rolling adjacent to the river on the north front side. At some point a tradition was stolen or created by one of these guys of picking fresh tomatoes and serving them cut and chopped atop a plate of cottage cheese with salt and pepper.
I am not an expert chef, and I am not really into the art of cooking, but I appreciate it and in this case, if the tomatoes are still warm from the heat of the day they were picked, the cool cottage cheese seems to balance the heat perfectly.
Cooked = Three-Way Tie: Broccoli, Mushrooms, Swiss Chard
- Gram Kull’s Thanksgiving Brocolli Casserole.
- Any New York thin-style pizza with mushrooms.
- When Sarah sautes swiss chard with olive and garlic.
Do you have a green thumb or a brown thumb? And how do you know?
I don’t do well with houseplants. Sarah takes care of the vegetable garden. Stop by some time though and see my mason work – I love landscaping spaces for others to use as gardening spaces.
What is the “next best thing” to be developed by Grow Ohio Valley?
That’s an easy one – The Wheeling Food Hub.
Grow Ohio Valley, in just 9 years, is a non-profit that has grown from $3k in 2014 to over $10 million by 2022. Through this dramatic growth, GrowOv has planted the flag in a few important categories. We produce food, we sell food and we create awareness of the importance of food sovereignty.
We feel strongly that the WFH is the missing link in the creation of a fully integrated and local food system. Currently, our urban farms team works hard to grow food and our Public Market team manages the point of sale to customers. Both of these entities are connected to community partners, farmers and producers, yet the WFH will give us the ability to help make more and stronger connections with these groups.
At the same time, it will help platform their business to gain the opportunity to reach a greater audience via larger grocery chains and partner organizations in Ashtabula, OH, Athens Ohio, Huntington, WV and more.
What item on your bucket list are you planning to do next and why?
Growing up I played soccer but was a huge baseball fan, especially in the history and mystique of the past time. Over the years I have made a commitment to see a game in as many different ballparks I could and I am currently at 14. At the top of the list of the “not been to” fields is Boston’s Fenway Park.
In June Sarah and I are headed to Boston to catch Dead and Company, the current version of the Grateful Dead, at Fenway and I am beyond excited. (This is the last tour ever for the aging Dead).
In October Sarah and I are headed to Portugal to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We try not to visit a country more than once in order to gain a diverse experience of cultures. When the pandemic hit, our whole family almost got stuck in India. It was a harrowing and at the same time unique travel experience.
Needless to say, we will never forget this trip. We were fortunate to gain five seats on the last plane to New York from Delhi, just 15 minutes before the country shut down on March 23 2020. It was after this when I requested – if we ever get to travel again, maybe we could go somewhere easier next time?
And thus Portugal. This will be my 11th country visited in my lifetime.
What is the biggest obstacle to getting people in the Wheeling area to eat healthier and how does Grow Ohio Valley plan to overcome it?
The biggest obstacle for a healthier Wheeling, in my opinion, centers on access to a nutritious diet. Before the Public Market opened in 2019, downtown Wheeling was a true “Food Desert,” meaning no grocery store in the downtown proper. The only options for food pre-2019 were at convenient stores like 7/11 – which one could argue does not provide a diverse offering of healthy options.
If you are without access to transportation, what are your options? Bus, hitch a ride or walk to the Martins Ferry Kroger? If you are living with these challenges, are you able to prioritize healthy food? Most likely not.
The ease and access to Burger King and KFC in this case will reign. According to research performed by BMC Public Health:
Low income is associated with poor-quality dietary intake. Compared to those with higher income, lower-income individuals consume fewer fruits and vegetables, more sugar-sweetened beverages and have lower overall diet quality.
How can GrowOV help?
Of course, our Public Market, which accepts SNAP funding, provides a direct, positive impact on this public health challenge. However, I believe the key for our organization is to help our community overcome its health crisis via healthy eating; we have the ability to create awareness of the benefits of healthy eating, and it starts with our programming and partnerships with our region’s youth, in partnership with folks who bring the wisdom of earlier generations (gardening, food preservation, healthful cooking) in our community.
I think we do a great job in this area and I am very impressed with the team so far. Stay tuned for further news from us in this area.
We have some things “cooking”.
