The Co-op Q&A with Pamela Turczyn
By Patrick Pauley
Member-owner Pamela Turczyn (she/her) is a mixed media painter who draws her inspiration from nature. After a long career designing printed fabrics for home furnishings, she now utilizes her pattern making skills in her work, which has lately been influenced by the leaves and bark of trees.
Additionally, Pam writes a column for NY Spirit called Urban Biophilia: The Tree Diaries which aims to help city dwellers foster deep relationships with nature, runs a lively, international Facebook group called The Tree Diaries, and co-teaches tree workshops in Prospect Park.
With an abiding love for dance and movement, she has also been a part of New York’s dance community for over 30 years. During the pandemic, Pam has sampled online classes in everything from Haitian dance to Sufi dance and gyrokinesis.
Q: How long have you been a member of the Co-op, and what motivated you to join?
A: I joined the Co-op nearly two years ago, soon after the store on Fulton Street opened. I was thrilled to find a reliable, year-round source for organic and minimally treated produce, sourced primarily from local farms. Being able to do my work shift offsite was, also, important to me and Greene Hill Co-op made that possible. For many reasons, I like the flexibility and intimacy of our community.
I was also drawn to the co-op model because I’ve been involved with co-ops most of my life. My first introduction was when I was fourteen and my college-age sister moved into student co-operative housing. A few years later, I followed in her footsteps and lived in co-op housing both in Ann Arbor, Michigan and in Toronto, Ontario. In both places, I worked as a chef and prepared dinner for groups of 65-90 students. Later, I lived in a small, four-unit co-op in Carroll Gardens for nearly 30 years, where I served first as treasurer and then as president.
Q: Can you describe your work at the Co-op? Have your roles and responsibilities changed in the last couple of months with the COVID-19 outbreak and the protests?
A: Since March, I have been spending most of my time outside of the city. I had previously been writing a series of articles for the Monthly that spotlighted product categories, including mushrooms, fermented foods, nuts and seeds, beans, rice and eco-friendly home products. Since it’s difficult to do this kind of article remotely, I’ve shifted my focus to writing recipes, another interest of mine.
Q: What do you enjoy about your Co-op work?
A: I enjoy researching and writing about the food and products sold at the Co-op; I’ve learned things that I’d had been wondering about for years. I also enjoy the creative process of making a new recipe and then formulating it so that other people can prepare it for themselves. I’ve learned a lot from my colleagues on the Content team who are all super talented professionals: journalists, food writers, photographers, editors, etc. It’s both exciting and humbling for this art school grad!
Q: What’s your favorite thing to shop for at the Co-op?
A: The ever changing array of gorgeous fruit and vegetables! Second to that, for me, is the bulk section where I can find all the staples to stock my pantry. I love that we can shop for groceries without adding more plastic to the landfill.
Q: Has the Co-op changed the way you interact with food? If so, how?
A: I’ve always invented new dishes on the fly; it’s part of my creative practice. Up until I joined the Co-op and began writing recipes, I never recorded my culinary explorations. That meant I could never recreate, let alone remember, a successful meal! Now, I often refer back to the recipes I’ve made for the Monthly and, when making something new, I tend to prepare for possible future publication by taking notes and photographing the plated food.
Q: Anything you’d like to see more of at the Co-op, whether it’s a product or practice?
A: Like all of us, I’d like the Co-op to have a more diverse membership that reflects the rich culture of our neighborhood. Diversity and culture are the things I love the most about living in Brooklyn.