I became aware of the word “locavore” within the last two years, mostly because I was accused of being one. It is not surprising that I hadn’t heard the term, considering that the word was coined only seven years ago. According to the website locavores.com, “A locavore is a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market. The locavore movement in the United States and elsewhere was spawned as interest in sustainability and eco-consciousness became more prevalent.” Though the movement started in the fertile valleys of California, the Hudson Valley was not far behind. The evolution or development of this awareness happened rather quickly. The landscape of food in the Hudson Valley has changed greatly in the 14+ years that I have been a chef in the area. In 1998, when I opened the original Terrapin in West Hurley, the idea of buying locally for a restaurant was non-existent. Meat was generally purchased from a distributor who would source his product from the giant meatpackers of the Midwest. Restaurants used produce distributors that would get their product from the giant market in the Bronx that sold mostly vegetables from Florida, California and from foreign countries. Now there are many options for restaurant buyers, as well as for regular consumers, to get local meats and produce. Restaurants and markets are touting their local products as a huge selling point. What changed? Why is there now so much interest in local food amongst chefs and consumers? And what makes the Hudson Valley such a good place to be a locavore?
To answer these questions, I think we need to go back and look at the culinary development of American cuisine. Many people may still scoff at the concept of American cuisine, because until recently hamburgers were the apex of it. But that is no longer the case. Today, American (or New American as it is referred) cuisine is a vibrant developing culinary tradition. New American cuisine utilizes the melting pot culture that our country is based on to draw influences from across the globe. Using ingredients from around the world with classic French techniques, American chefs have greatly expanded the palate of fine dining and the definition of good food. In the seventies and eighties, America started to come out of its culinary dark ages and with this came new attention to the building blocks of cuisine: ingredients. There is no other individual more responsible for this new focus on ingredients than Alice Waters. Alice started Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California in 1971. She had seen the markets of France and how local restaurants would purchase local food and create their menus from it. Alice fell in love with this concept and wanted to try it back in the US. Her restaurant was based on establishing relationships with local farmers and creating food from the best possible local ingredients. The local food movement developed slowly over the next 30 years. Some chefs cared if the ingredients were local, while many others didn’t. Meanwhile, farmer’s markets and CSAs started becoming more prevalent, as consumers also became more aware. Ten years ago there was certainly a foundation for the local movement, but very little focus was being given to it by chefs and consumers. 
There have recently been some ground breaking books exposing the food industry in the United States. In 1906, Upton Sinclair published, The Jungle, a scathing exposé of the meatpacking industry. The public uproar from the book caused many changes in the industry, including the creation of the FDA. I consider Michael Pollan’s 2006 Omnivore’s Dilemma, and spin-off documentary, Robert Kenner’s 2008 Food, Inc. similarly important. In the book, Pollan describes, objectively, where the food we eat in this country comes from; it’s not a pretty picture. Anyone reading the book or watching the documentary would be horrified to learn how the animals we eat are treated in their short miserable lives. The government subsidized system of shipping corn and soybeans all over the country and the terrible exploits of the biochemical giant Monsanto were also exposed. Combined with the influence of similar books, documentaries and websites over the last ten years, this has caused consumers in greater and greater numbers to ask the question: How do we know what we’re eating? The answer of course is: eat local food.
The Hudson Valley has become an epicenter for the local food movement for a few reasons. Its proximity to the largest urban center in the country and its fertile land and the rural character of the valley, make it an obvious local food producing center. The rise in demand in New York City for local products such as meats and produce creates an economic condition for farms to thrive in the Hudson Valley. Because so many of the best restaurants in the city are using the Hudson Valley brand on their menus, a rise in prestige for Hudson Valley products has been created. The largest culinary school in the country, The Culinary Institute of America, is located in Hyde Park and its president, Dr. Tim Ryan, has focused a lot of attention on local food. These factors have created a huge demand amongst Valley chefs to utilize local products. This, combined with consumer pressure, has seen many more local products available at local restaurants and markets.Today I am glad to be called a locavore and I hope that this concept continues to spread. By bucking the trend of globalization and instead thinking of localization, we can change our world little by little and at the same time eat healthier better food. As I read recently on a bumper sticker, “Eat Local Organic Food, Or As Our Grandparents Called It: Food!”
A few websites you should check out if you're interested for more information:
www.themeatrix.com - a humorous look at the factory meat industry
www.eatwellguide.org - a great listing of restaurants, markets and CSA's in our area
www.hudsonvalleybounty.com - a terrific guide to being a locavore in the Hudson Valley
Enjoy this great recipe: Hudson Valley Farmers' Market Pasta
Chef Josh Kroner has been a driving force behind the farm to table movement in the Hudson Valley since he opened his first restaurant in 1998. As executive Chef/Owner of Terrapin Restaurant, voted Best Restaurant in Dutchess County, in 2010 & 2011, he continues to please Hudson Valley diners with his New American cooking, blending aspects of French, Southwestern and Asian cuisines, and local, organic ingredients. He also currently serves as a board member for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week and is a 2012 Victoria A. Simons Locavore Award Nominee.
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