Transformative approaches to building non-extractive economies for the habitually excluded.
Transformative approaches to building non-extractive economies for the habitually excluded.
Ismail is dedicated to building a new economy.
This new economy is one that is inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. The short name for this is an emancipated future.
In an emancipated future, we have a world where everyone belongs in the most robust sense, and where our systems and structures support health and well-being for all, and do not prop up unjust, unhealthy, oppressive systems.
MEET ISMAIL SAMAD
Ismail Samad is a social entrepreneur and closed loop food systems expert with a focus on economic, environmental, and spatial justice. He has held key positions in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations and has founded several successful enterprises. Ismail has worked with various initiatives, including Farm to Institution New England (FINE), Island Grown Initiative, and the EPA’s Web Academy Webinar Series on Sustainable Materials Management. He has also been a Common Future Fellow and former Board President of Boston Area Gleaners. Ismail’s latest venture is Loiter, an ecosystem of enterprises that addresses systemic issues. His work has focused on addressing food insecurity, wasted/surplus food, and providing equitable healthy and community-relevant destinations for underserved communities.
THE WORK
Building foundations and footholds for that new economy, within the one we’ve got. These foundations and footholds are physical manifestations of an emancipated economic system and future.
NUBIAN MARKETS-BOSTON, MA
Nubian Markets offers a disruptive retail option that centers the African Diaspora and legacy residents.
CORBIN HILL FOOD PROJECT-HARLEM, NYC
Corbin Hill disrupts supply chains that do damage in favor of one that builds community and sustainability.
LOITER-EAST CLEVELAND, OH
Loiter is an experiment in building an emancipated future from scratch, an island in the mainstream economy. Loiter is disrupting ‘place-making’ – envisioning a true “place” as having a deep level of ownership by and accountability to those who live, work, play and learn there.
WAKE ROBINS FERMENTED FOODS-CLEVELAND, NYC
Wake Robins strives to make delicious, healthy food; support local sustainable agriculture; and minimize the environmental impact.
CROSS ATLANTIC CHOCOLATE COLLECTIVE-GLOBAL COLLABORATIVE
The Cross Atlantic Chocolate Collective is rewriting the narrative, and decolonizing the Cocoa market bean by bean.
WHAT DO THESE PROJECTS HAVE IN COMMON?
They are all focused on building genuinely new structures and systems inside of our existing structures and systems. The ‘Lesser of two evils’ approach does not work because it relies on the structures they are trying to take apart
Investing in new structures and systems that are defined by community ownership, sustainable/non extractive practices, cooperative economics and transparency will lead to the transformation many of us are fighting for.
PRESS & MEDIA
Bon Appetit
5 Easy Ways to Use the Food Scraps in Your Kitchen
Chef Ismail Samad shares his tips and recipes for turning scraps into sustenance.
Food Tank
Loiter Is Reimagining a New Future for East Cleveland
Based in East Cleveland, Ohio, Loiter is a nonprofit organization working to uplift its city’s residents by developing successful,…
Yahoo News
Celebrating Boston’s Black Businesses: Nubian Markets
The brainchild of entrepreneur Yusuf Yassin and Chef Ismail Samad, Nubian Markets is a grocery store, kitchen, cafe, and gathering space…
Cleveland Magazine
Ismail Samad: Most Interesting People 2023
Why He’s Interesting: Ismail Samad launched a restaurant in rural Putney, Vermont, operated a catering company on Martha’s Vineyard and…
CHEF ISMAIL
As a Chef, Ismail is an accomplished zero-waste chef with over two decades of experience in the food industry. He co-founded the Gleanery, a fine dining farm-to-table restaurant with a mission to address food waste, ran Kitchen Porch, the highest-rated catering kitchen on Marthas Vineyard, and was pivotal in the planning, launching, and early expansion of Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery store focused on addressing food insecurity and providing an equitable destination for underserved communities. Ismail believes food can be a powerful social and environmental change tool. He still loves jumping into the kitchen to express his creativity around flavors and presentations.