Food Culture

EP 007 - Mary Berry of The Berry Center

EP 007 - Mary Berry of The Berry Center

Interview and Photos by Zach Kaiser

Our guest today, Mary Berry, is continuing the work and stewardship that her father exclaimed in that book over forty years ago. Working at the Berry Center, located in her hometown of New Castle, in Henry County Kentucky, Mary is spending her time farming, advocating for farmers, building more resilient communities, and creating economies for the farming population living there. I sat down with her in the Spring of 2017, while traveling west through the rolling hills of Kentucky. Join us at the table, this is Mary Berry, of The Berry Center in New Castle, Kentucky.

EP 006 - Chad Rosen of Victory Hemp Foods

EP 006 - Chad Rosen of Victory Hemp Foods

Photos and Interview by Zach Kaiser

Over the last couple years, some farmers have recognized the need to bring biodiversity back to our agricultural system. New crops, like the versatile Hemp plant, not only bring biodiversity back to the environment, but help make farms more sustainable, adaptive, and economically viable in highly-variable marketplaces and climates. Known by many as the hemp guy around town, Chad is working to create the largest hemp processing facility in the country that could help catapult the hemp industry into full gear. Chad has his head on a swivel, working with politicians, farmers, retailers, and manufacturers to create the ideal environment for the industry to have a sustainable future.

EP 005 - Jack Algiere of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

EP 005 - Jack Algiere of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

Photos and Interview by Zach Kaiser

The act of sustainable agriculture and organic farming is still considered by many as practice on the fringes. Farming is hitting a critical pressure point. Jack Algiere is working hard at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to help build resourceful, passionate, and thoughtful farmers. Jack fell in love with farming in the early 90s and never looked back.

EP 004 - Taylor Cocalis Suarez of Good Food Jobs & Suarez Family Brewery

EP 004 - Taylor Cocalis Suarez of Good Food Jobs & Suarez Family Brewery

Photos and interview by Zach Kaiser

Taylor is a powerful energetic figure that captures the energy around her and shares that with others in the form of enthusiasm. Today, Taylor runs the business side of the Suarez Family Brewery located in Livingston, New York, but is also one of the founders of Good Food Jobs, a platform that provides job listings focused on genuine food related opportunities. Her journey as a food citizen can teach us a lot about ourselves, and her enthusiasm for understanding how people embrace food in their lives is inspiring.