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THE LOCAL FOODS MOVEMENT: CLEAN, GREEN AND SUPREME FOOD
A Discussion With Liz Neumark ’77, Alexandra Guarnaschelli ’91, and James Subudhi
09.19.08
left to right: James Subudhi, Liz Neumark '77,
Alex Guarnaschelli '91
Partaking of the local bounty
New York, NY —As food costs continue to rise in the face of the global energy crisis, and concern about the environment mounts, a collaborative movement to build more self-reliant local-food economies is emerging. In light of the fact that nearly 20 percent of all energy in the United States goes into the food system – from production to processing and packaging to distribution – advocates of the local food movement, or locavores, as they have come to be called, are sounding the call to integrate our system of food production, distribution and consumption.
On Wednesday, Barnard College hosted a panel discussion and conversation about the local food movement. Barnard student and EcoRep Alison Powell ’09 introduced the panelists: Liz Neumark '77, chief executive officer of catering company Great Performances and proprietor of Katchkie Farm, an organic farm in Kinderhook, New York; Alexandra Guarnaschelli '91, host of Food Network’s The Cooking Loft and executive chef at Butter, one of New York’s most popular and eco-friendly restaurants; and James Subudhi, sustainability coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a community-based organization dedicated to improving environmental health in communities of color. They discussed how the movement not only benefits the economy and the environment, but also makes for better, healthier eating.
A crowd of students, alumnae, and food-lovers from the community gathered to learn more about eating locally in New York, and to partake in the spread of local treats prepared from some of Neumark’s and Guarnaschelli’s favorite recipes, including tomato, onion and swiss cheese quiche and an exceptionally moist carrot bread. Rachel Ferman ’12 enjoyed some local cherry tomatoes while waiting for the discussion to begin. “Local food just tastes better – and it’s healthy,” she said. Marissa Tremblay ’12 was equally excited about the event. “As an environmental policy major,” she said, “I’m really into locally grown foods and am curious to learn more about what local options are available in New York.”
“In 1977, there weren’t a lot of food service grads coming out of Barnard,” noted Neumark in her opening comment. “But I think the best politics nowadays are urban food politics. It’s really something you can sink your teeth into!” Neumark described the epiphany that led her to begin growing food for her catering company: “As our company grew and we were suddenly feeding thousands of people a week, it seemed as though food became something of a commodity. We decided to take a giant step back and think about what was really at the heart of what we were doing, which is food – and farming.”
Guarnaschelli had a similar revelation while shopping for beets to pickle at the Union Square Greenmarket, where she found a dazzling array of unusual varieties. “It took me awhile to come to this point where I connect the taste of food with not only where it was grown, but with who grew it,” she said. She described her heightened respect for ingredients grown by specific farmers she knows, loves, and has come to rely on. “We must rethink our view of beauty,” said Guarnaschelli in response to a question about how Americans can overcome their fixation with perfect-looking produce to embrace pock-marked local apples, for example. “And to rethink this idea that what looks good is good. What tastes good is good. I feel like I’ve converted to a new religion,” she said.
Subudhi talked about “empowering people to fight environmental prejudice,” giving the example of residents in lower income neighborhoods not having ready access to healthy foods. Such residents, he elaborated, should ask local shopkeepers to stock local produce or even write to their governmental representatives demanding healthier retailers.
The three panelists reflected on the important role that education plays in spreading passion for locally grown food. Neumark described her work at the Sylvia Center, an organization whose mission is to improve the lives of at-risk children by connecting them with nature, health, and nutrition at Katchkie Farm, and highlighted the farm’s decision to sell at the farmers market at P.S. 180 in Harlem. Guarnaschelli noted that her preferred method of education might be described as seduction, as she aims to make the locally grown food that she serves at Butter taste amazingly delicious, to awaken diners to the allure of local bounty. Subudhi highlighted the importance of asking questions about the conditions under which local food is produced, distributed and consumed.
At the end of the evening, Erin Axelrod ’09, who worked on a farm this past summer and intends to write her senior thesis on something related to local foods, asked the panelists if they thought community gardens could play an even larger role in the local foods movement. “I think what Barnard should do is start growing stuff out here,” said Neumark, gesturing to the lawn. “It’s amazing how much you can grow on just an acre of land,” she said.
-- Johanna Smith
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