Hi Everyone,

Wow! Yesterday I had a great interview and conversation with Francesco Mastalia, about his connection to the farmers and chefs in the Hudson Valley. When I asked him about his inspiration for the book, he shared a lovely story about his childhood memory of shopping with his grandmother in Italy, and how he loved the social aspect of going from specialty shop to specialty shop, and ending at the Farmers Markets. Since moving to the Hudson Valley 10 years ago, he has found that he can re-create that memory by going from farmers market to farmers market, meeting the local producers and chefs, and sourcing quality food that he could never find in a supermarket. In his book, Organic; Farmers and Chefs of the Hudson Valley, accompanying each amazing photograph, (he uses a wet-collodion process to give it a special historical quality) is a story of the farmer or chef, and their philosophy of being stewards of the earth, and the responsibility they feel to produce the best product they can. It is about the sustainable food movement that is burgeoning in the Hudson Valley, and the people behind it! I highly recommend this beautiful, photographic journal,!

If you missed our interview, you can listen to it below!