Wednesday, November 18, 2009

SFA Symposium Highlights 2009 Music and Food

Music and Food
Exploring Interdependent Cultural Expression
12th Annual SFA Symposium

The lectures started with a welcome from Ted Ownby, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, followed by a wonderful lecture by Bob O'Meally, the Zora Neal Hurston Professor of English at Columbia University, is the author among other books, Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday. O'Meally talk about Food in Work Songs. He claims that, "Everything we do as a community is about music and/or cuisine." He goes on to talk about examples of work songs that incorporate food...such as James Brown - "Make it Funky" & Bessie Smith - "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" & Billie Holiday - "Gimmie a Pig Foot" and many others....Most of these songs use food to show emotion and do not so signs of wanting food. He talks about many songs with street vendors crying, which I found interesting. Such as Oscar Brown Jr., Willis James and Louis Armstrong. He played a well-known song called "Watermelon Man" by Oscar Brown Jr.

(Photo by Larry Lucas)

Another lecture titled "Meet Buster Holmes" by Tom Sancton, a clarinetist and former Paris bureau chief for Time, talked about growing up in New Orleans in the 1960's with a passion of jazz music. He had the desire to learn the true New Orleans jazz music and traditions during the segregation era as a young boy. I really enjoyed this talk. I could see Tom Sancton's love for food and music and how it greatly impacted his life. He talk about growing up in New Orleans during a time where blacks and whites started to come together.

His talk centered around Buster Holmes - the king of red beans and rice who traveled the world to cook for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Buster's was a restaurant/jazz venue in New Orleans where people of all race and class came together. Buster made the best Red Beans and Rice in town and sold it for 27 cents (60 cents with sausage). It was the place where musicians hung out...Brass Bands would start and end their marches there..and would play all through the night. He remembers improtu jazz session...the sound of the trumpet..and everyone's happy spirits. "It was not just a place to eat," Sancton said. "It is an experience of itself."

"Buster was someone that welcomed everyone," Sancton said. "He brought together people of all walks of life...through music and food."


Marshall Chapman gave a talk titled "On the Road," which was great humor and entertaining. Look out for the Podcast on the SFA website soon. She talked about being on the road with a tour band..and how food influenced the places she played and traveled to along the road. Food brought together members of her band and great memories. She remembers the best meal she ever had at an Italian Restaurant in NYC...and eating crabs with her guys. Through her stories she brings to life food and what it feels like to live on the road. This was one of my favorite talks...(I barley took notes I was so deep in thought while she spoke). I could relate to living on the road with OITF and the memories I made due to food and chefs. Just like Champman I was excited to travel to the south (back home) and the coastal cities. Certain dishes reminded me of home and gave me comfort. Food brought me closer to members of OITF and made the memories everlasting and exciting. Cheers Marshall Chapman..I enjoyed your lecture!

Another lecture was given by Jett Williams titled, "Mother's Best Flour: Hank Signs for His Supper." Jett Williams talked about her father Hank Williams and his Radio Show in 1951 - 1952 where Mother's Best Flour sponsored it. "Best Biscuit you ever hmmm a tone in." Jett talked about her battle to prove Hank Williams was her father..and later a battle to the rights of Hanks Music/the discovery of the largest known body of unreleased Hank Williams material.

Part 2 lectures To Come......


Pig in a Bottle (tree) Dinner - Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium 2009

Featuring Dan Latham of Jim 'N Nick's
Hosted by Cynthia Gerlach of Bottletree Bakery
October 29, 2009

Dan Latham (Thursday Night Dinner at Bottle Tree)

Dan Latham prepared a wonderful meal to kick off the Halloween weekend of the 2009 SFA Symposium. Dan Latham, also known for former L&M Kitchen and Salumeria in Oxford Mississippi, is now now raising and curing pastured pigs for Jim ‘N Nick’s. This wonderful dinner was served family style with lots of old favorites from L&M. Ashley Hall with Kermit Lynch picked some great wines for the evening. Including a Chateau Saint Martin Garrigue 2008 (Coteaux Du Languedoc) and a Cuvee Floreto 2007 (Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras).

The porchetta was a smaller pig that was deboned and stuffed with cubed pork shoulder and seasoned with fennel, rosemary, sage and garlic. It was to die for! The meal ended with Bottletree's famous Humble Apple Pies. Brought me right back to Oxford...and great food memories of college.

What a perfect way to start the weekend!


Menu:
Olives
Farinata with Rosemary
Chicken Liver Toast

Rigatoni with Ricotta
Late Summer Veggies and Jalapeno

Greens with Pecans, Pears, Grana, and Aged Balsamic
Kale and Local Beans
Local Grits with Smoked Ham

Assorted Pizzas :
L&M's Italian Sausages, Peperonata and Fresh Mozzarella
L&M's Bacon, Onions and Thyme

Porchetta Sammies

Bottletree Goes Balogna Desserts

Georgia Flooded Farm Relief Effort

Georgia Farmers still need everyone help this holiday season due to recent flood damages. Please keep them on your mind. The Jim N Nicks/Peachtree Road Farmers Market was a huge success a few weeks ago...as well as all of the other events held by restaurants throughout the area.


Letter From Slow Food: Concerned Atlantans (and citizens from all around) really rose to the occasion in October. When the call went out to help our local farmers who experienced severe flood damage to their farms, local businesses and residents came through in a big way.

Slow Food Atlanta would like to thank all of the generous businesses that have helped raised funds for our flooded farmers, including Woodfire Grill, Rosebud, Muss & Turners, Jim N Nicks, Mellow Mushroom and Farm 255.

We also want to give a special thank you to Whole Foods, whose total donation will be about $29,000!

There continue to be a bevy of interesting and fun events to help educate and connect you to your local good, clean and fair food community. Scroll down for more details.

And we hope you all have a delicious Thanksgiving!

See you at the Table,
Slow Food Atlanta


Slow Food Atlanta is calling for all willing supporters to join our volunteer brigade. We are constantly being asked to left a hand at worthwhile events. We would love to assemble an email list of friends who would be willing to be called on. Here are a few opportunities coming up soon:

Georgia Flooded Farm Relief Effort

Join the flooded farm rejuvenation team by volunteering for one of these upcoming workdays. Volunteers need to be in good physical condition and have appropriate footwear. Additional details about the farm activities will be provided in a confirmation email for each farm's workday. Thank you for joining the remediation team and helping to rejuvenate these local farms!

More workdays will be announced soon; you can join the volunteer corps by emailing suzanne@abraxis.com.

Davis Farms, Roberta

Large volunteer team is needed for two projects on Sunday, November 15. The first project is to dismantle the flood-damaged greenhouse, erect a new hoop house, and tuck seedlings into their new secure abode. The second project is to pick up and distribute straw to start building the organic matter in a flood-damaged and water logged field. Davis Farms is located in Roberta, 2.5 hours south of Atlanta.

Shifts Available:

SUN 11/15 10:00am-4:00pm


Jamo's Organics, Lawrenceville

Teams of three people on each day will help to rebuild beds by digging a dry creek bed, transferring soil to replace what washed away, and seeding a winter cover crop. Work days are flexible; if you can make it at some other time, let us know. Jamo's Organics is located in the metro Atlanta area.

Shifts Available:

SAT 11/21 10am-4pm

MON 11/30 10am-4pm

Garmon Family Farm, Whitesburg

Team of four people needed to remove topsoil from the fence at the bottom of the pasture so that it can be moved back up to the growing beds. Possibility for fence repair and transplant work as well. Garmon Family Farm is located one hour southwest of Atlanta.

Shifts Available:

SAT 11/14 8am-noon, or 1:00-5:00pm

SAT 11/21 8am-noon, or 1:00-5:00pm

Love is Love Farm, Douglasville

Weekly workdays will be held on Tuesdays for one month, starting November 17, with Wednesdays as an alternate possible workday. Love is Love Farm is 30 minutes west of downtown Atlanta.

Shifts Available:

TUES Nov 24, 9:00am-2:00pm

TUES Dec 8, 9:00am-2:00pm

TaylOrganic Farm, LLC, dba Split Cedar Farm, Ellenwood

A team of three volunteers are needed to replant transplants, aerate the soil, and other preparatory activities. TaylOrganic Farm is 40 minutes southeast of Atlanta.

Shifts Available:

SAT Nov 21 9:00am- 2:00pm

Hope's Garden, Atlanta

Two teams of up to six volunteers each are needed to get the greenhouse back in shape and transfer topsoil back in. Hope's Garden is located in metro Atlanta.

Shifts Available:

Flexible dates starting the week of Nov 23. Shifts can be 4-6 hours on two different days.

Slow Food Atlanta

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

SFA Symposium - It is that Time of the Year Again!

Link
Tomorrow I am heading to Oxford for the 12th annual Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium. This is my favorite time of the year! Last year the theme was The Liquid South, from Well Water to Sparkling Muscadine. I learned about Buttermilk, Mexican Cokes, and Bootlegging. I even tasted my first Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon! I enjoyed Junior Johnson talk about his moonshine (botlegging days) and his later days in NASCAR racing.

This is a weekend where academics, writers, cooks, and intellectually curious eaters to come to a better understanding of Southern culture and Southern cookery. It is a great way to spend a weekend learning about southern food, meeting new people and eating. It is also a weekend where the whiskey flows all night, catfish is fried and people enjoy each other's love for food and culture. To listen to old podcasts click here.

I am so excited to get back to Mississippi and see my old friends and enjoy the weekend with some foodies.

This year the theme is Music and Food: Exploring Interdependent Cultural Expressions.

"Over the course of four days of lectures and performances, as well as breakfasts, dinners, and suppers, we will unlock the key to what Memphis Minnie really meant when she sang, “I’m selling my pork chops/But I’m giving my gravy away.”
New Orleans will get its due, by way of red beans and rice and jazz. So will Texas blues. And Tennessee country. And hip hop from the ATL.
We’ll stage a ballet and a goat roast. We’ll feed on deep-fried catish and slow-simmered greens. We’ll take you down to the crossroads where food and music meet, and we’ll sketch the ways in which these cultural expressions are complementary."

I will be twittering all weekend! Follow me! I'll post pictures and a blog after the event. It is going to be so much fun!

I took the photos at the past two symposiums. John T. Edge wanted a bacon forest two years ago when the theme was about Hogs - due to the year of the Pig. The top picture is a dish I still dream about - Atlanta Chef Anne Quatrano's Pickled Shrimp. It is amazing! So full of flavor and spice. (Now you can get it at Abattoir).


Friday, October 16, 2009

Bar-B-Q For A Good Cause...


Peachtree Road Farmers Market & Jim 'N Nicks Bar-B-Q
Saturday, October 17

Come out to the Market to eat some lip-smacking BBQ for a good cause! Jim n' Nicks Bar-B-Q will be at the Market on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 am-1 pm to help raise... funds for local farms battered by Georgia's recent floods. Bring your family and friends out for some Market shopping, live music, BBQ, and lemonade. Sandwiches are just $10 with 100% of the profits going to the Peachtree Road Farmers Fund, a source of financial support for the farmers of the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Rain or shine.


www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
www.jimnnicks.com

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

More Sad News! Via Elisa closing its doors...


Elisa Gambino with Via Elisa is closing her shop in Atlanta after 7 years due to the economy. She is discontinuing her line of handmade pasta and will close her westside Italian food shop on October 17th; however, she will continue to sell her jarred pasta sauces through Whole Foods Markets. Hurry up and buy some today! It freezes well!

Here is her Announcement:

Dear Fellow Pasta and Pasta Sauce Enthusiasts,

Via Elisa’s store – but not our sauces — will end what has been a glorious seven-year run in Atlanta at the close of business on Saturday, October 17, the latest victim of an unforgiving economy.

Though that will mark the last day we will make our award-winning pasta and the last day our store will be open, I want you to know that we will continue to make our sauces, whose sales have grown despite the economic climate.

Since the line of Via Elisa sauces sold at Whole Foods Markets throughout six states in the South does very well, I will focus on developing Via Elisa as a sauce company. All three of our sauces -Passionately Perfect Tomato,
Diavoletta and Sofia’s Sicilian Caper – are available in 16-oz. and 32-oz. jars.

Between the flooding and the economy, there has been much sad news here in Atlanta, and when I think of the loss that so many people have suffered, this bit of news seems trivial in comparison. I am thankful to all of you
who have supported Via Elisa since we opened our doors in 2002. I have been overwhelmed by your kindness and dedication to the success of Via Elisa and I hope you will continue to support the sauces as I streamline our business. I have always enjoyed delivering pasta to the people in the neighborhoods, markets and our store. I am confident I will enjoy promoting and selling our sauces as well.

A supply of Via Elisa pasta and ravioli is available at Whole Foods Markets here in Atlanta (as we have just shipped out a fresh batch). You know where to find it! We will also continue to accept your orders until October 16 and I hope you will stock up. Everything we make freezes well.

On a closing note I want to thank the incredible and dedicated staff of professionals who work here at Via Elisa. Without Dave, Tina, Bess, Noe, Maryland, Darnell and Dahlia, Via Elisa would not have been possible. Their dedication to Via Elisa has inspired me daily and has kept me going over the years. Their contribution to the business has been immeasurable. Please thank them when you come to the shop.

And please do come by, say hello and pick up your pasta, ravioli, sauces, meats, cheeses, vinegars and oils at least one last time. The store will be open and we will be here making pasta through Saturday, October 17 and we would love to see you.

As I have always said, a two-pasta day is a good day! And if you are looking for sauce, all of our 16 ounce sizes are still on sale at Whole Foods Markets in the South for only $3.49 until October 13th.

A Presto,
Elisa

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A New Chapter In My Culinary Adventure....Cheers to the Last OITF Dinner

“Frank Stitt's lively mind, unerring palate, and easy grace have combined to make him the culinary king of Alabama."
—Gourmet

I had my last dinner with OITF in Birmingham last week. The dinner was held at Jones Valley Urban Farm a three acre farm on a formerly vacant downtown property, that grows produce and healthy communities through urban farming and youth education. What a great way to end the season! I got to spend time with my favorite chef Frank Stitt. I have been looking forward to this dinner all season. He is a well-respected chef in the south and a huge supporter of the Southern Foodways Alliance.
Known for his Provençal-influenced southern food, Stitt always uses fresh and local ingredients in his cooking.

What I also enjoy about Frank Stitt's cookbook- is that he uses food to tell stories of the south that relate to food. In many ways food has impacted his life and he tells his adventures through his recipes.
Here is a really great article- Frank Stitt, John T. Edge and Marvin Woods come together to talk about food. Frank Stitt tells of mixing the culinary traditions of both black and white in his restaurant.

“I began to take greater pride in our southern ingredients,’ he says as he weaves the black traditional food of his restaurant family with his own small Alabama farm food. “And sometimes with me, I’m blending a little bit of Provence, the south of France, with the south of the United States.” Claiming that there is something special about southern soil, Stitt
continues, “Our southern ingredients hadn’t really been celebrated like the French had been doing for generations.”

One of the best parts about working for OITF I was able to
connect with amazing chefs like Frank Stitt. I hope their cooking and love to their culture inspire me to write about the importance of food and see the unique stories in each person, dish and recipe.

I loved hearing Frank Stitt talk about his Porchetta fro
m Sequatchie Cove Farms. He proudly carried it to the table to share with the farmer and guests. Most chefs hide behind the kitchen - but he was so eager to put the farmer (Bill Keener) in the spot light. His respect for the farmer was so wonderful and his love for the meal was priceless.

I can't wait to start cooking again now that I am no longer on the road. I will definitely be pulling out his cookbook. Cheers to a wonderful diner!


MENU:
McEwen & Sons deviled eggs.
JVUF sweet & spicy peppers, roasted eggplant, cracklin' cornbread & Snow's Bend snap peas.
Lady Pea Pilau with Snow's Bend butternut squash, Soul's Food Organic's cherry tomatoes, okra & basil.

Porchetta (Sequatchie Cove Farms Pork) with stone ground grits & JVUF collard greens & turnips.
Petals from the Past apple cake with rum creme angalise.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Goodbye Gourmet


NYT reported that Conde Nast just announced that it is folding three magazines including Gourmet.Gourmet Magazine has been around since 1940. This truly is a sad day for the Food Industry. I have learned so much about food and I have cooked some amazing recipes from this magazine. I am sad to see it fold.

My favorite issue, which sits on my desk all the time is the Southern Cooking Issue with essays from Edna Lewis. The essay, in which Lewis shares a lifetime’s worth of experience, was the inspiration for this entire special issue and its exploration of southern cuisine. A granddaughter of freed slaves, the late Edna Lewis left home when she was just 16 years old and went on to become a renowned chef at Manhattan’s star-studded Café Nicholson. With her four cookbooks, she was a pioneer for regional American food, spread the gospel of genuine southern cuisine, and inspired a generation of home cooks. Through her essays she explores what it means to be southern. It is beautifully written where she writes about southern food, weather, people and day-to-day life. Being from the south- it make me smile and think about things that I do or my mother does that is southern. Essays like this in Gourmet makes the magazine so unique and something I will miss. It is not just a recipe or food critic writing about a meal. The magazine talks about food and politics, food and race, food and culture....Something I think is important when you write about food.


"Southern is a mint julep. A goblet of crushed ice with a sprig of mint tucked in the side of the glass, plain sugar syrup the consistency of kerosene poured over the ice, then a jigger of bourbon. Stir and bruise the mint with a silver spoon. Sip and enjoy. Southern is a hot summer day that brings on a violent thunderstorm, cooling the air and bringing up smells of the earth..."

"Southern is a seafood gumbo of crab, okra, tomatoes, scallions, onions, green pepper, bacon, garlic, and herbs. Southern is fresh-made corn fritters, light and crisp enough to fly away. Southern is an okra pancake in a cornmeal batter. Southern is a platter of deviled crabs prepared with soaked slices of white bread torn and mixed with chopped onion, fine-cut scallions, melted butter, fresh-ground pepper, cayenne, eggs, and the best crabmeat. Baked in the oven, served hot, a morsel to die over. Southern is a pitcher of lemonade, filled with slices of lemon and a big piece of ice from the icehouse and served with buttermilk cookies. Southern is a delicious chicken salad at a bride's luncheon."

She ends her essay by saying, "The world has changed. We are now faced with picking up the pieces and trying to put them into shape, document them so the present-day young generation can see what southern food was like. The foundation on which it rested was pure ingredients, open-pollinated seed-planted and replanted for generations- natural fertilizers. We grew the seeds of what we ate, we worked with love and care."

Click here to read whole article!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Missing Outstanding In The Field



Jim sent me over some pictures of us from OITF tonight and I started to think about my time with OITF. I am really going to miss this group. Working for Outstanding In The Field is a job I will never forget. What an incredible opportunity! It was hard at time...but we stuck together like family.

I can now say I traveled across the United States with a group of 8 in an 1960's Bus and put on farm dinners across the country. I learned a lot about living with other people and about myself on tour. It truly was a life changing experience. After five months I have great new friends and memories across the country. I was able to learn so much about food and farming and I hope to use my new knowledge in my future career.

Good luck with the last few dinners! Hope to see you soon! Cheers!!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Struggles of Small Farms

Judith with Love is Love Farm at the Market

Farmers struggle to survive even with current trends to support local farmers and the movement to eat organic foods. I look up to the farmers that work hard so that we can have healthy, clean and fair food on our table everyday. It is hard enough for the farmers to produce the food, sell it at markets and connect with chefs in the areas, but they also encounter fires, bugs, animals and weather every year that sets them back.

Along the road with OITF I have seen farmers across the country have the same love and passion to their farm and crops. They have long hours and a certain kind of dedication it takes to keep their farms going. It always saddens me to see their struggles and hardships.

For example in Madison, WI at West Star Farm we witnessed a fire destroy a field of crops. In a matter of seconds we watched a whole field go up in flames due to a brush fire.

Due to recent weather in Georgia - Love is Love Farm has been severely damaged by the recent flooding. The GA area received 21 inches of rain from Sunday to Monday, which flooded the farm and many other area of town. Two-thirds of their land was submerged and most of their crops were lost. According to the NYT article his chickens were dry, but the lettuce, beets and cabbage from his fall harvest were deep under mucky brown water.

I love to see that the community is coming together on this. It is great to support local farmers and buy their product; however, it is another thing to help support them through these hard times. Julie Shaffer, Slow Food SE Regional Governor reaches out to the community to come together to help Love is Love and other farms hurt in the flooding. As the week goes on I am full of joy to hear all of the wonderful things people are doing to help. At the Farmers Market in 2 weeks Jim N Nicks and the Southern Foodways Alliance are selling plate lunches with all proceeds going to Love is Love. (Details To Come).

I also learned through a blog - that Woodfire Grill (Kevin Gillespie) will host a fundraising dinner for Love is Love on October 11th at 6PM. $100, 4 courses with wine pairings, with all proceeds going to Love is Love.

Please help in any way you can to support Love is Love Farm. Judith and Joe do so much for our community- it is time to give them a helping hand.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Kevin Gillespie Cooks for OITF Atlanta



Outstanding In The Field came to Atlanta this past weekend. It was great to experience a dinner in my hometown with friends and family. The event was held at Love is Love Farm with guest Chef Kevin Gillespie from Woodfire Grill. Kevin Gillespie is a huge supporter of eating locally and uses the highest quality sustainable crops and meats in his restaurant.

Love is Love Farm is newly operated on the Glover’s family farm that has been around since 1823. Joe Reynolds and Judith Winfrey are young farmers that named their farm afte
r the title of Lungfish’s album Love is Love. With a love for music and each other, they both also share the same passion for farming and shaping the way American views food. Judith is also a good friend- so it was great to see her and come together over a good meal and eat the wonderful vegetables she grew.

Check out the article I wrote on the event in the summer issue of edible Metro and Mountains.

This was by far the soggiest dinner yet! It poured all morning (and the whole week before). There is usually no rain in September in GA. Farmer Laurie Moore put it in good words, "Super-weird weather for September, usually we are doing rain dances this time of year!!" The rain didn't stop us! We were able to divide the table into two barns on the property. John rigged an area for Kevin to cook by using a tarp left over from last years rain dinner in NYC. The tarp has been sitting under our bus all season- it was the perfect time to pull it out.

Kevin cooked a wonderful dinner. (See menu below). The okra was to die for! He
seasoned it with garlic and calabrian chile that he roasted over an outdoor wood fire oven. The Pork Loin was perfectly cooked with great flavor. I enjoyed the Cinnamon Poached Apples that he paired with a 2003 Paul Anheuser Riesling, Kreauznacher Monchberg, Qualitastswain Mosel, Germany. It was so wonderful to sit down with my family and eat a meal. If you are in the GA area please support these local farmers. Love is Love Farm, Moore Farms & Friends, and Crystal Organics. Also support Kevin and Woodfire Grill. The menu changes regularly and always has fresh and in season items to choose from. We went last week. I had the most amazing duck and quail.

MENU:

Chilled Cucumber & Almond Soup
Deviled Farm Egg, Bacon Jam and Fried Onion

Berkshire Pork Terrine with Mixed Pickles and House Mustard

Crystal Organics Arugula, Sungolds, Field Peasm Cornbread and Basil Dressing

Coal Roasted Pork Loin with Stuffed Small Squashes, Creamed Farro & Sweet Potato Greens

Roasted Okra with Garlic & Calabrian Chile

Cinnamon Poached Apples with Skip's Honey Mousse and Spiced Pistachios

Ayrshire Farm

We had three dinners at Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, VA a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful horse farm with over 900 acres. The original plantation house of Ayrshire was built circa 1821. The dinners were a huge success. It was tiring having three back-to-back dinners, but we had an amazing staff that helped us through it each dinner. We put one location on a hill that over looked the Blue Ridge Mountains and the other location was within the elegant horse stables on the property. The farm is known for breeding Shire horses, which are instantly recognizable for the long white hair draping down to their hooves.

Besides breeding horses the farm is also a certified organic farm that specializes in rare and endangered breeds of livestock and heirloom fruits and vegetables.

Taste The East Coast - OITF

Here are some pictures from the East Coast Outstanding In The Field Dinners. All of the dinners have been unique and full of flavor. On the East Coast tomatoes became in season and we ate a lot of great seafood.

Vermont - Steve and Lara Atkins, Kitchen Table Bistro, Richmond, VT
(Half Pint Farm)


Maine - Sam Hayward, Fore Street, Portland
(Four Season Farm)



Cape Cod - Liam Luttrell-Rowland and Doug Ramler, Cape Sea Grille
(Cedar Spring Herb Farm)


Rhode Island - Matthew Jennings, Farmstead, Providence
(Aquidneck Farms)


East Hampton - Gerry Hayden, The North Fork Table & Inn, Southold
(East End Community Organic Farm)



New York (Queens) - Ryan Skeen, Allen & Delancey, New York City
(Queens Farm)


New York City - Jason Weiner, Almond Restaurant, New York City
(La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden)


New York City - Josh Eden, Shorty's 32, New York City
(La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden)