Grabbin’ some 'grub' at this year’s Atlanta Science Festival
ATLANTA - This year’s Atlanta Science Festival features more than a hundred events spread out over two weeks, all dedicated to various aspects of science. And one coming up this weekend combines agriculture, nutritional science, and entomology into a unique look at how insects might play a key role in feeding future generations!
Atlanta-based WUNDERgrubs is hosting "Bugs & Bytes: Exploring Insect Farming as Food of the Future!" on Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at their Grub-ah-Dub Shack along the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail. The WUNDERgrubs team says the event will introduce guests to the Darkling Beetle, highlighting the insect’s life cycle (during their larval stage, they’re known as mealworms). And if you’re interested in what the insects look like — how about giving them a taste? Yes, that will happen at the event, too.
WUNDERgrubs was founded by Akissi Stokes and Karim Nelson with a mission of introducing people to insect-based protein. The company produces and sells products including cookies, protein powder, and baking mixes using grub powder, which it farms and harvests. The founders say using grub powder in cooking is a sustainable and affordable way to feed people — and that because the insects feed on organic waste and food scraps, it’s also a way to cut down on food waste.
Again, "Bugs & Bytes" is just one of more than a hundred events associated with this year’s Atlanta Science Festival, which continues through Saturday, March 26. For a full list of events, click here.
Of course, we could wait to visit the Grub-ah-Dub Shack (at 1016 Monroe Drive Northeast, near Park Tavern at Piedmont Park) and do a little taste-testing ahead of Saturday’s special event, so we jumped at the chance to spend the morning there learning more about "entomophagy" — or, the practice of eating insects. Click the video player to check out our morning with the WUNDERgrubs team!