It’s all happening — peace, love, music and fresh, local produce.

In Woodstock, New York, the new town center (at least on Wednesdays) is the
Woodstock Farm Festival. Although this year will be only its third year, this
farmers’market feels like it’s always been here. The great fresh food, however,
is not the only draw.

Two seemingly divergent areas of interest combine for a truly special atmosphere.
Of course, the rows of vendors with their ultimate-in-freshness wares are the first
thing one sees here, but a closer look reveals more — a music stage. And if there
is anything one can depend on in Woodstock, it’s a good crop of local musicians.
So, along with great tasting food from local restaurants, educational things for
kids to do, world-class farmers and producers from the region, and all types of
music,there is the Mower’s Flea Market, a Woodstock institution. To drift from flea
market to farm market and back again, listening to great music and enjoying freshly
prepared foods is a wonderful way to spend a summer’s evening.

The Woodstock Farm Festival- another Woodstock original.

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Zakary Pelaccio has four restaurants in New York City and Brooklyn, but the
flavors and textures come from 9,399 miles away.

At his Fatty Crab restaurants, Malaysian-inspired food is king. They use spices,
fermented condiments, chiles, and tons of coconut milk to build their unbelievable
flavors. And while the cuisine stays true to the Malaysian palate, the Fatty uses
ideas from other Southwest Asian cultures as well as western techniques to
accomplish some really amazing food. Along the way they support as many local
farmers and producers as possible. No small feat when cooking tropical cuisine
in a temperate climate.

Zak gives all the credit to his people.

A tight-knit core group of young, knowledgeable, energetic people is the crew
that makes these joints jump. And jump they do. A great mix of music, refined
cocktails, a wine list to match the food’s robust flavors all combine for an exhila-
rating time at the table.

But Zak’s not a one-trick pony. His interest in all things Malay is spilling over into
an Asian-inspired barbecue joint called Fatty ‘Cue. Opening in early 2010, this
outpost in Williamsburg, Brooklyn will surely become a ‘must go’ destination.

But, wait–that’s not all!

In Spanish, Cabrito means ‘kid goat’. In the West Village find the magenta goat
above the door and you’ll be moments away from the tastiest tacos around. Zak’s
partner in crime here is David Shuttenberg. David and his crew are masters of
marinated, spicy flavorful meats. Pork belly, al carbon, goat belly, al pastor, even
braised tongue fill house-made tortillas with run-down-your-arm goodness. (If this
sounds like a plug it’s because we can’t get enough of these little packets of joy.)

Good food. Good people. Good vibes. It is truly the Fatty Way.

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You could call Patrick Martins a mover and a shaker and you would be right.

After working in Italy to help launch Slow Food USA, he moved back to helm
its national office. Mr. Martins was everywhere — founding the magazine for
Slow Food, writing the Slow Food Guide to New York Restaurants, Markets
and Bars, and still finds time to be the series’ editor for both Chicago and
Northern California Slow Food Guides. Patrick currently sits on the advisory
board for Slow Food USA with the title of Founder.

Taking slow food a step further, Patrick founded Heritage Foods USA with his
business partner, Todd Wickstrom. Their goal is to help farmers market their
artisan foods and to provide an alternative to industrial agriculture.

They are doing a great job.

The Heritage Turkey Project, which helped double the population of heritage
turkeys in the United States and upgraded the Bourbon Red turkey from “rare”
to “watch” status on conservation lists, was Heritage Foods USA’s first foray
into saving American food traditions.

In 2004 it became an independent company (from Slow Food) dedicated to
saving not only turkeys but also Native American foods, pigs, sheep, bison,
cows, reef-net salmon, goats and all breeds of food livestock.

And, if that wasn’t enough, Patrick started the Heritage Radio Network.

The studio is in a recycled shipping container in Bushwick, Brooklyn behind
Roberta’s. (this restaurant is quickly moving to the head of the “best pizza”
line — you have to check them out) On the radio one can hear people like
Zak Pelaccio, (Fatty Crab) and Anne Saxelby (Saxelby Cheesemongers)
talk about their current food obsessions.

Patrick is all about fighting the good fight, and it looks like he’s winning.

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Joseph Wrede is as farm-centric as they come. If it’s grown (the right way) in
the ground, on pasture, or pulled from the water, he wants it in his restaurant
and on his plates.

Since the early days (when his restaurant was only slightly less well-known)
and located down the road in Ranchos de Taos, Joseph has turned out com-
pletely original, yet somehow classic plates. Now located on the historic Taos
Plaza, inside the Hotel la Fonda de Taos, Joseph’s Table has become what
The New York Times described as, “unmissable”.

Joseph has worked with the notion that to use anything other than the very
best ingredients was not an option. Forging an alliance with his local sources,
he gets vegetables from up the road at  Morning Star Farm of Taos, wild things
(like chanterelles) foraged by a few of the area’s in-the-know folks, lamb from
over the mountain, impeccably fresh fish and beef from pastured cows.

Joseph is doing more than cooking. His devotion to ‘local’ extends to helping
to build Taos (and its local farmers) into a stronger, better community.

Special thanks to Putnam Murdock for the brilliant music you hear.

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In Chimayo, New Mexico the chile represents deep, fundamental family values.
Here, Chimayo chiles are grown like they have been for approximately four
hundred years. They’re planted (usually with seeds passed down through the
family), weeded and harvested by hand — on small plots, where more than likely
the ditch irrigation system was dug by the farmers’ grandparents or great-grand-
parents. This means there are profound connections to the past and to the earth.

When chiles and seeds are sold in Chimayo it’s not simply an exchange of
money; it’s “a communal act” as author Deborah Madison wrote in Saveur
magazine. There are rituals and niceties surrounding the culture of the chile.

Working with local farmers, The Native Hispanic Institute is helping to preserve
local family traditions by replenishing native seed stock. In recent years, the
number of farmers growing the Chimayo had dwindled. Institute founder,
Marie Campos, took up the challenge and with a generous donation of seed
from Victoria and Jose Martinez, she has worked to enlist more farmers to grow
the legendary chile.

Local food culture is alive and well in Chimayo, New Mexico thanks to the hard
work of a dedicated group of farmers growing the Capsicum annuum “Chimayo”
chile. Quoting from Ms. Madison’s article once again, “They’re not just a spice;
they’re part of an old culture, an ancient way of life.

We wish to express our most sincere thanks to Victoria and Jose from Chimayo
for sharing their family’s story with us and to Juan Lucero and Los Primos from
Santa Fe for their fabulosa música.

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Ghost Ranch. Georgia O’Keeffe. Arroyos. Northern New Mexico. Near Abiquiu,
about an hour north of Santa Fe, Richard Belanger and his ever-changing band
of assistants, associates and helpers grow some of the tastiest produce this
side of the Rio Chama. Or is it the other side?

Whatever side of the river you’re on, Harmony Farm is yet another story of how
people with drive, a little piece of land and a whole lot of hard work make good
food from soil, air, water and seeds.

The farm might feel isolated, but Harmony Farm is very much a member of the
local food community. Their familiar blue bus makes its presence known every
Saturday morning at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Richard told us that nearly
eighty per cent of their sales happen at the market in five hours. We saw first
hand how they conducted business on a couple of hectic Saturdays. People
can’t wait for the blue bus to arrive. And why not? The good food Harmony is
selling on Saturday’s market day, was picked the day before (and sometimes
even the morning of).

It’s fitting then, that you’ll see this quote from the first President of the Czech
Republic, Vaclav Havel, on their website:

“I am in favor of things that have authenticity, roots, originality, verve, balance,
taste, communications, challenge, relevance to their time — in short, things
that make sense.”

Like Harmony Farm.

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David Falkowski is getting a reputation. . . as the Mushroom Man. He’s busy
building his business, Open Minded Organics into one of those “must visit” tables
at the Sag Harbor Farmers’ Market. A legion of fans flock to his pop-up tent to
purchase his succulent fungi before they’re gone. And if you happen to dine at
a top-flight East End restaurant, chances are you’re eating Open Minded.

They state what they’re doing right on their home page: “We are passionate about
growing organic mushrooms, as well as being advocates and supporters of local
sustainable agriculture.”

Mr. Falkowski (and his partner, Ashley Tomkiel) are literally hand-crafting each
small batch of mushrooms. They grow their own spawn and harvest by hand at the
last possible minute to ensure their mushrooms arrive at their peak of freshness.

Lots of younger people are finding agriculture as a way to do something positive
for the earth, for their customers and for themselves. David’s motivation is the
same thing, only he took a few twists and turns and entered through the mycelium.
And the mushroom eaters that get to taste his wares are better for it.

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Art Ludlow could not be happier. He and his family made a decision a few years
ago to stop farming potatoes, with the intention of starting a dairy operation. The
idea was that a few pastured cows would give premium milk and he would start
producing delicious, hand made, farmstead cheeses. Fortunately for the cheese
eating public, his plan worked.

Located near Bridgehampton, on Long Island, New York, his farm, Mecox Bay
Dairy, produces a fabulous variety of raw milk cheese that continues to gain
momentum among those who appreciate “milk’s leap toward immortality”, as
author Clifton Fadiman so eloquently wrote.

Anne Saxelby, from Saxelby Cheesemongers says Art’s cheeses “have a complex
and earthy flavor” and she compares his Atlantic Mist to a French Camembert.

That gave Art Ludlow, cheese maker, yet another reason to smile.

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Mary Woltz is not shy about about expressing her opinions. Ask her about bees
(she calls them ‘the girls’) and she’ll launch into a detailed explanation of why
she thinks bees are the hardest working members of the food chain.

She should know, Mary is a bee-ologist. OK, that’s not a real word, but it’s an
apt description of this bee keeper from Sag Harbor, New York. Her knowledge
and understanding of bees makes her honey some of the most sought after on
the entire eastern seaboard.

She named her business Bee’s Needs because that’s exactly her attitude when
it comes to her girls. She places the needs of the bees before anything else.
She’ll allow things like sleep and eating slide if maintenance is required on her
one hundred plus hives.

Ms. Woltz has taken the idea of a CSA (community supported agriculture) and
twisted it slightly to present one of the first (if not the first) CSA featuring honey.
Her version of a CSA is community supported apiculture. Email her at
mgwoltz@optonline to find out about her program.

“I’m unconventional in many respects,” said Woltz. “I was taught that if you care
about the bees, they will look out for you. The bees’ needs come first.”

And she means it.

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Andy Little has a dream job. No, his salary is not equal to or greater than the
captains of industry of whom we’ve been reading. He has no private jet on call.

Not yet.

What he does have is a food community in his home town of Hanover, PA
that would be the envy of a lot of chefs from New York to San Francisco.

The Restaurant at the Sheppard Mansion is where Andy is executive chef and
chief procurer of all things local. Perfect local produce? Check. Absolutely
delicious pork, beef and chicken? Check. He gets it all from local, small-scale,
growers and producers that just happen to also be his very good friends.

“When the tomato lady comes in for dinner, she’s treated like a rock star,”
says Mr. Little. “Our servers tell our guests, ‘that lady grew the tomatoes you’re
eating tonight’ and they get very excited’. There’s an identity, a story behind
their food and people are more and more appreciating that.”

If you’re ever in and around the southern Pennsylvania, Northern Maryland
area, The Restaurant at the Sheppard Mansion is well worth a detour.

You might even see the Tomato Lady.

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