Eating Close to Home: A Discussion of the Place of Local Farms, Foods, and Communities in a Shrinking World

Buy local, eat local, localvores, locally made. just what does all of this mean when I like grapefruit juice and live in Vermont? Join us for a distinguished panel of authors for a lively conversation about the values, practices, challenges, and contradictions of eating locally in a shrinking world. How does food in America reflect social values; do we understand the economic, environmental, and moral connections and implications each time we make a food choice; does it make any difference if we choose to buy food that comes "from away" rather than local? The panelists' experience spans the globe from farming to cooking to Slow Food - their unique perspectives are certain to spark stimulating discussion. Moderated by Jeffrey Roberts.

Jeffrey Roberts is a co-founder and principal consultant to the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese at the University of Vermont. Jeff is active in Slow Food USA as a director and treasurer of the national board and a Northeast Regional Governor. Jeff is a frequent speaker on artisan cheese, sustainable agriculture, and the working landscape. His new book, Atlas of American Artisan Cheeses, was published in June by Chelsea Green Press of Vermont.

Panelists include:

Marian Burros is a food columnist for the New York Times. She has over 30 years experience as a writer, editor, and reporter covering food and consumer issues. She has authored 13 books on food and cooking, among them Cooking for Comfort, The New Elegant but Easy Cookbook, 20 Minute Menus, and Pure and Simple. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an Emmy.

Deborah Madison is the author and co-author of more than a dozen books, including The Greens Cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, The Savory Way, and Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets. She has cooked in several of America’s finest restaurants, including Chez Panisse and Greens. She is the recipient of many awards, including two James Beard awards and the M. F. K. Fisher Mid-Career Award.

Keith Stewart is the author of It’s a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (Not So) Simple Life. He has been the proprietor of Keith’s Farm, in Orange County, New York, since 1986 and is one of the longest-standing purveyors at New York City’s Union Square Greenmarket. Stewart lives on his farm with his wife, artist Flavia Bacarella, who provided the illustrations for Stewart’s book.