Over 200 farmers, chefs, restaurant-owners, students and local food enthusiasts gathered Tuesday in Andrews Dining Hall for the third annual R.I. Local Food Forum to build a stronger network of relationships between farmers and food distributors.
Noah Fulmer '05, executive director of Farm Fresh R.I., welcomed guests to "this delicious revolution."
"We can see the world we want to live in, and it's not so far off ... and it's all around us in this room. These are the faces of a healthier, tastier food system," Fulmer said.
Rhode Island has 900 active farms cultivating 61,000 acres of land, said keynote speaker Saul Kaplan, executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.
"The thing I'm most impressed about is just how creative and innovative our farmers are," Kaplan said. "Our farmers don't wait for the market to come to them. They go to the market."
Kaplan emphasized Rhode Island's need for more "horizontal collaboration ... our biggest advantage is our (small) size." Moving forward, said Kaplan, it will be essential to maintain Rhode Island's "quality of place," business climate and innovation.
Six representatives from local Whole Foods Markets also attended the forum. A Whole Foods location in Providence is considering reserving an entire aisle for local products, according to one of the representatives.
Nina Hewitt, marketing specialist at the Whole Foods on Waterman Street, said it was helpful to hear the concerns of the farmers and inspiring to see attendees brainstorming "creative ways to fill in the gap" between the fields and the dinner table.
There was "really good conversation between lots of different parties with the same goal," said Karen Franczyk, store team leader at the Whole Foods on Waterman Street. "It's amazing. I never knew until a couple years ago that you could grow peaches in Rhode Island ... I always thought it was Georgia."
Though most Whole Foods stores are enthusiastic about buying local products, attendees said, many local farmers are hesitant about selling their produce to retailers because they often can make more money by selling directly to customers at farmers' markets.
Currently, Whole Foods stores in the Providence area carry vegetables from Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton, R.I.
Skip Paul, owner of Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton, was the first to stand after Kaplan's speech and call for a central farmers market to be created in the green space that the rerouting of Interstate 195 may soon free up in the Jewelry District and Downcity. There is so much energy for action in Rhode Island, but somehow it always "hits a glass ceiling," Paul said.
A panel of speakers shared their innovative achievements and best farming and restaurant practices, moderated by Peter Rossi and Steve Henderson, the associate director and food service supervisor, respectively, of Brown Dining Services.
Will Sheridan, the first speaker, owns the five-acre, certified-organic East West Farm in Charlestown, which he calls a "one-man operation both by necessity and preference."
Sheridan advised other farmers to look "for marketing channels that require the least effort and maximize the return."
Terrence Maul, a chef at the Up River Cafe in Westerly, has long-standing relationships with several local organic farms, including East West, that also practice sustainable farming. For Maul, the local food issue is a matter of ethics. "If I'm going to do the right thing, I might as well go the whole way," he said.
Maul said he has eliminated canola and hydrogenated oils from the Up River Cafe's menu and strives to work with whatever food is available locally. Even if customers are unfamiliar with the produce, Maul said, "If I pair it with something people are comfortable with, I can teach people what great, fresh vegetables taste like."
John Sousa of Buntz Farm advised fellow farmers to create a visible identity for their product. "Brand recognition is very important," he said, as he unveiled his "Buntz Garlic" logo to the guests.
Catherine Mardosa and Matt Tracy, the owners of Red Planet Vegetables, taught guests about the importance of using local compost - from neighbors and even the University's dining halls - to build up soil fertility.
Alex Payson '03.5 of Blue State Coffee, soon to open at 300 Thayer St., said their goal is to "source everything locally."
Farm Fresh R.I. Outreach Director Jessica Gordon said the forum was a success. The number of guests at the forum increased three-fold since last year's forum, when about 60 people attended, she said.
