Local, Inc.

Now that we've elected a new president, I can take a deep breath and update this site with my latest antics.

In the food politics issue of the New York Times Magazine (Oct. 12), nestled into the second page of Michael Pollan's eloquent letter to the next president ("Farmer In Chief") was this blurb I wrote on Sysco [click forward until you get to Local, Inc, or see below], the $37 billion food distribution company that's earning accolades from chefs (such as Dan Barber of Blue Hill) and local food activists for its initiatives with regional farmers.

The Sysco story, in 200 words or less:

LOCAL INC.:

Now that “local” has replaced “organic” as the conscientious eater's buzzword, even the gargantuan food distributor Sysco — a $37 billion company that supplies food to restaurants, hospitals and colleges across North America — has begun shifting its stance under the leadership of the chief executive, Rick Schnieders.

Responding to customers' demands for fresher, more specialized products, Schnieders has partnered with small farms, appointed a vice president of agricultural sustainability and started programs to help farmers market their products regionally. “A lot of people fear the big company, but that shouldn't be the case here,” said David Yandow, the executive vice president of sales at Fowler FreshPoint, a Connecticut produce subsidiary of Sysco. Yandow works with 140 New England farmers to supply regional businesses with the seasonal (and often specialty) produce they're requesting.

“The climate has changed for us,” he says. “There's the opportunity for everybody to do the right thing.” — HANNAH WALLACE

I also have a story (Download Momofuku.pdf) about the trio of NYC restaurants that comprise David Chang's Momofuku empire in the latest issue of Italian food magazine F+B Business.   If you haven't yet tried Chang's steamed chicken buns, you haven't lived. (I know this is sacrilegious but I do think they're better than the pork ones.)

Stay tuned for upcoming articles about coffee, holistic vets, and mercury (& why you should limit your consumption of tuna, halibut, sea bass, and other predatory fish).

Comments

[Lewis]

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