Culinary Artist, Explorer Chef Steven Ferneding Pitches Online Crowdfunding, His Mission: To Feed The World

Steven Ferneding, chef, explorer, entrepreneur, seeks online funding platform to raise money to film a television pilot and web series. The show titled Trading Dishes, is about a renowned chef, international travel and how to grow food in a world affected by climate change.

On February 22, 2015 Chef Steven Ferneding and his film crew will be departing on a 90 day world changing exploratory adventure to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia. They will be filming a pilot and web series for a show which Chef Steven has created, called Trading Dishes.

Chef Steven is attempting to raise funds through IndieGoGo, a popular crowdfunding website in order to pay for flights, visas, lodging, food, post production editing, and other travel expenses. Funding will also go towards buying local seeds, plants, and soil for the villages the production team will be visiting. To date, Chef Steven and the Trading Dishes Team have raised $20,000 through the support of family, friends and their own incomes. They are hoping with the help of IndieGoGo and the support of the community they can raise an additional $3,000.

"My goal is to take my audience on an adventure of a lifetime. I will be introducing them to different cultures and customs while simoatainisly raising awareness about global climate change. I am going to teach the world unique and nutritious ways to bring communities together, by using the local ingredients from the villages I will be visiting,."

Chef Steven Ferneding, Host

According to National Geographic Magazine in the October 2014 issue, the ‘Future of Food,’ NGO explains “By 2050 we’ll need to feed two billion more people.” In his own travels Chef Steven has encountered villages, towns and cities around the world, where inhabitants are having to adjust their traditional farming methods to adapt to the current global climate changes. This is not only affecting food production but how and what people are feeding their families.  

Chef’s Steven’s enthusiasm for his project Trading Dishes has already inspired thousands to start growing their own gardens and to learn more about the food which they are feeding their families. Chef Steven noted, 

    “My goal is to take my audience on an adventure of a lifetime. I will be introducing them to different cultures and customs while simoatainisly raising awareness about global climate change. I am going to teach the world unique and nutritious ways to bring communities together, by using the local ingredients from the villages I will be visiting,.”

When the Trading Dishes Producer Jennifer Ferneding was asked about the show she said,  

    “The world will soon be able to watch as my brother, Chef Steven and the Trading Dishes Team fly around the globe to the Far East; the land of curry, elephants, and palaces. The audience will be inspired when they witness the locals' modern farming techniques. They have begun to use these techniques due to climate changes affecting their gardens. Throughout the show, the viewer can join Chef Steven as he discovers thousand year old recipes from a local woman in Jodhpur, India. It will be possible to listen in as he introduces new and healthy world cuisine to the inhabitants in Sri Lanka. Watch as he rides the rails to Tsunami stricken fishing villages where they are now producing hydroponic rice and using ducks to fertilize their fields.” 

If the Trading Dishes Team is able to raise more than the required funds, they hope to develop the show into a year long, around the world series. This would enhance the viewers’ experience by exploring and exposing the world to food, travel, and climate changes in a wide rage of environments. With the additional funds, they will be able to promote the show around the globe, where everyone can watch, enjoy, and learn from Chef Steven and the Trading Dishes Team.  

The Trading Dishes fundraising campaign runs through February 24, 2015 11:59PM EST. If you are interested in supporting Chef Steven and his dream to feed the world, one dish at a time, please check out his IndieGoGo website under Trading Dishes.