For the past decade or so, TED talks have been trending. That’s because the goal of a TED Talk is to share about “ideas worth spreading.” TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks in 18 minutes or less.
In Spring 2019, the first-ever TEDx event in Eastern Kentucky was held in Corbin. There were over 20 speakers at the event, including a chaplain, farmers, educators, musicians (and even a musician physician), and more. All focused on Appalachia with an emphasis on Appalachian Kentucky.
After several months of preparing the footage captured during the event, as of late August, the videos are available for streaming. Mae Suramek, the founder and owner of Noodle Nirvana, in Berea, KY, a former MACED board member, delivered one of those inspiring talks, titled “Noodles can change the world.”
Noodle Nirvana is a socially-conscious restaurant with an innovative business model where in all tips and a portion of profits are donated to a different local nonprofit every year. The business is also committed to providing living wages, supporting local food providers, and significantly impacting the most pressing needs of the community. From 2016-2017, its first year of business, Noodle Nirvana sold more than 37,000 noodle bowls, grew from three employees to 14 (all starting at $10/hour), and raised more than $30,000 for the New Opportunity School for Women. From 2017-2018, they raised $44,190 for God’s Outreach Madison County Food Bank. From 2018-2019, they raised $41,000 for Hope’s Wings Domestic Violence Program. This year, they are raising money for Hospice Care Plus.
Suramek’s talk is shared below. Others like Eastern Kentucky farmer Melissa Bond’s “What being a goat farmer taught me about shame” and student Xiao-Yin Chen’s “Discovering—and rediscovering—my identity” can be found here.
Thank you to all the speakers for sharing their stories, and to the organizers for helping showcase Appalachian voices. Another story-telling event is coming up when The Moth will be in Whitesburg on Friday, September 13, 2019.
