DJ Donpasta, also known as Daniele De Michele, is an Italian performance artist and food advocate whose studies in economics drove him to food justice and activism. He performed at ASU as part of a multi-day visit co-sponsored by the Food Systems Transformation Initiative, the School of International Letters and Cultures, the School of Sustainability, the Herberger Institute Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Programs, and Aramark.
For his performance during the "Food Systems & Beyond: Food Reconnection" celebration, Donpasta prepared plant-based Italian recipes on the patio of Engrained while mixing vinyl and chatting with ASU students, staff, and faculty about issues affecting global food systems.
“When you start to work with food you start to understand the more important thing is that food is political,” De Michele said. “Food is production in the field, food is the work of the people, food is the health of the child and you can’t think about food if you can’t think of the quality of life of the people.”