Zamora’s Market

Your summer to-do list probably looks something like this:
✅ Farmers’ market runs
✅ Picnics with friends
✅ Beachmaxxing (with sunscreen!)
✅ Stay hydrated (for glowing skin)

What isn’t on the list? Turning on the oven to cook a meal. Luckily, you don’t have to. Enjoy the produce from your farmers’ market run with these meal ideas to help you stay cool in the kitchen 🌬️
1️⃣ Overnight oats are best made the night before and are a nutritious, cold alternative to common breakfast foods.
2️⃣ Chilled soups make the perfect appetizer, side dish, or main (and are great leftover). We especially love a cucumber-avocado soup or watermelon gazpacho.
3️⃣ Invite your friends to make summer spring rolls with pre-cooked shrimp or raw tofu and whatever seasonal produce you found that week!
4️⃣ Nourishing grain bowls may require some heat in advance to cook grains, but you can easily incorporate chilled plant-proteins and produce. Always include an interesting sauce, too!
5️⃣ Go poke (pronounced poh-kay), and enjoy a meal of rice, raw fish (or plant-based proteins), seaweed, and toppings of your choice. ...

For our 2026 LGBTQ+ Pride Month campaign, we chatted with Vanessa Parish, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Queer Food Foundation, to learn more about the origin of the organization and their diverse programs and collaborations. For the unabridged interview, head to the link in our bio!

❓ Can you tell us the story of the origin of Queer Food Foundation — when it began, and how it came to be?
🅰️ While we initially focused on immediate aid for community members impacted by [COVID-19] pandemic-related job losses, the mission expanded as we connected with more queer food workers and realized the systemic gaps in inclusion and representation across the food system.

❓ What are some of the biggest systemic barriers you see today for LGBTQ+ individuals in the food system, and how does QFF seek to address them?
🅰️ Many queer workers, particularly trans and intersectional individuals, are disproportionately affected by food insecurity. Even as many queer people are in low-wage food roles, they often lack safe and supportive workplaces where they can bring their full identity to work without fear or discrimination. There also has historically been limited representation of queer voices in broader food industry conversations, [...] leaving gaps in mentorship, visibility, and industry support.

QFF seeks to address these barriers by building community resources, mutual aid, connections, representation, and advocacy so queer food workers can not only survive, but thrive, in their careers.

❓ What do you envision for the future of the Queer Food Foundation in the next 3-5 years, and the food industry at large?
🅰️ We would love to expand our outreach and in-person community building, deepen our industry partnerships, and continue the growth of mutual aid and structural support!

❓ How can readers get involved or contribute to the Queer Food Foundation?
🅰️ Donations help sustain QFF’s mutual aid programs, directory, events, and community resources. Our current economic and political climate has made it increasingly harder to retain funding from larger corporations that were previously loud and proud supporters. ...

In honor of our partnership for LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the Queer Food Foundation (QFF) team shared recipes to uplift LGBTQIA+ chefs and build community through food.

Executive Director Vanessa Parish shares, “At QFF, we believe recipes are more than instructions; they’re stories of care and connection. By sharing dishes created by chefs within our community, we celebrate queer creativity, resilience, and the joy of cooking for and with one another.”

Learn more about the stories behind the recipes contributed by the QFF:
1️⃣ Jae Camino`s (he/him) Tamarind Kelp Noodle Salad marries a bright and tangy tamarind dressing with kelp noodles and crisp asparagus. Jae is a plant-based chef and business owner who currently splits his time between Miami and NYC, working in the food industry for over a decade. Although he started in desserts with his award-winning bakery, "Jae`s Sinful Delights," he transitioned to a 100% plant-based lifestyle and now owns PLANTATUDE.

2️⃣ Vanessa Parish (she/her) is a Black, Indigenous, lesbian chef, advocate, and social media producer who has made a significant impact in the culinary world and beyond. She is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of QFF, and her commitment to community empowerment and education extends to other mutual aid initiatives she founded. She shared her recipe for a Chocolate Banana Nut Bread, which is the ultimate comfort bake!

Get these recipes at the link in our bio! ...

This LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Bon Appétit Management Company is proud to partner with the Queer Food Foundation (QFF)! 🏳️‍🌈

QFF is committed to working across the food system to build a more inclusive, equitable food industry. Here`s just some of what they do:
➡️ Create a platform for LGBTQIA+ people in food — from farmworkers and gardeners to
sommeliers and waitstaff — to promote, protect, and fund queer food spaces.
➡️ Offer direct aid to Black queer and trans individuals experiencing food insecurity through the QFF’s Queer Food Fund.
➡️ Maintain their Queer Food Directory, which is a resource for industry professionals to connect, create opportunities, and build community.
➡️ Partner with organizations to host collaborative, engaging events, such as the Queer All Year initiative with the James Beard Foundation, which encourages ongoing partnerships rather than short-term collabs.
➡️ Support LGBTQ+ folks through financial aid initiatives and nationwide donation drives, e.g., establishing emergency funds for food spaces that have experienced hate crimes and stocking community fridges.

Bon Appétit is honored to partner with the Queer Food Foundation to amplify queer voices and support their mission in building a more inclusive food future. ...

These are the best foods to snack on for maximum brain power (from avid snack lovers & dietitians).

🥑 Call us boring but avocado toast and adding avocados to smoothies is still delicious and nourishing.

🔵 Snack on blueberries as is or and add them to yogurt or oatmeal.

🥜 Try adding walnuts to your trail mix for extra crunch (and better cognitive function).

🌱 Crisp up some cooked lentils and toss them in your fave spices for a fun, crunchy snack.

🟣 Make a roasted beet hummus and munch away with whole wheat crackers or vegetables

🟡 Add turmeric to your smoothies or eggs for a dose of curcurmin, an anti-inflammatory.

☕ Drink a cup of coffee with a milk of your choice for caffeine and antioxidants.

🍫 Enjoy a chunk from a dark chocolate bar (70% or more cacao content) to improve attentiveness. ...

We think pickles make everything better, and it isn`t just because they are good for your gut! 🥒 (You have to believe us. Please.) Here`s why:

1️⃣ They`re delicious on a sandwich. And it doesn`t just have to be pickled cucumbers! A pickled onion is honestly the best move here.
2️⃣ They`re a perfect midnight snack, whether or not you choose to use a fork.
3️⃣ Add them to your next girl dinner. ✅
4️⃣ They help with your gut health (we had to include this for the dietitians to be happy).
5️⃣ Plus, if you have produce that might go bad soon, you can always pickle it to prevent it from going to a landfill! (Look at you go, you food waste fighter!) ...