Good Guys Winning

[Devotay]

We are having an effect, all of us, on the food system. Here they say it's Whole Foods leading the way, and that's fine. We are only interested in the victory, not the glory.

Whole Foods and the Celebrity Farmer

As Wal-Mart and other supermarket chains follow the high-end grocer's lead and promote local produce, farmers are becoming the new American idols

by Pallavi Gogoi

BW Exclusives

The Ricker family of Maine makes for unlikely celebrities. Photographs of the farming family—with 70-year-old patriarch Don Ricker, his three sons, four grandchildren, an infant great-grandson, and the family's mutt—adorn local supermarkets, from Wal-Mart (WMT) to the local Hannaford chain, proclaiming that the juicy red McIntosh apples come from the local Ricker Hill Farm, which was established in 1803 in Turner, Me., by the newly arrived émigré from Poland, Albion Ricker.

After being pushed out of the spotlight for years, the local farmer is emerging as a new celebrity. From the foothills of Maine, through North Carolina in the South, the plains of Idaho, and the lush green valleys of California, a movement to celebrate the local farmer is sweeping the country. At the forefront of the movement has been supermarket Whole Foods (WFMI), which for years has put up photos of local farmers in its stores promoting their produce.

Read the whole story in Business Week

[moosnsqrl]

Amen to that. You know what they say . . . to the victors go the spoils, and that's what I want. Glory doesn't taste all that great.

At a Heritage Foods dinner at the local Lidia's, Sra. Bastianich had the various farmers stand as she introduced them to thunderous applause. It was, well, cute is the only word I can really think of Those guys are clearly not accustomed to being treated like rock stars and Frank Reese's face was as red as one of his turkey's wattles!

[docsconz]

I think this is a wonderful thing. Top quality farmers should get the recognition they deserve. This can only encourage others to continue what they are doing. It was great to see a farmer, Jenn Small of Upstate New York's Flying Pigs Farm on a discussion panel on sustainability with a number of well known chefs at the International Chefs Congress in New York City.

[Devotay]

I agree with you both, and have some similar experiences, both in my restaurant and in others. And you should have seen the overwhelming respect given the producers at Terra Madre!

The fact that many stores are acknowledging the quality and know-how of local products and the people who raise them is a huge step in the right direction.

[JasonZ]

Whether we grow it, cook it, or eat it (or any combination of those), we're all part of the food chain ... and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Not valuing the contribution of the farmer is not just a failure of appreciation; it demonstrates ignorance of how much we owe them ...

I'm reminded of that every time I read Devotay's signature block, quoting Harry Truman ...