A note from Steve
A Note from Steve
It's been just over a year since Fox and I started building Tarrytown Local. Our many projected openings have whizzed by with unpredictable construction. Everyone tells you construction is hard, but I thought I was slick, that my legal background could cut through permitting, that I would get things done fast, on schedule. It's been a painful drop back to reality.
But we’re building a beautiful store and restaurant. We’re hiring unbelievably talented, enthusiastic people. Everything’s coming to life - not on my schedule, but on its own time, as the best things often do.
And the time and work we put into Tarrytown Local will have an impact. Our work will be simple - to sell and serve good food, grown close to home - but I think that’s enough to make a difference.
Liz Carlisle is a really fantastic writer and academic, she wrote Lentil Underground and Grain by Grain with Bob Quinn, amongst other things. Both are great quick reads, she really gets across an inherent community and interconnectivity that comes with growing food well, how the unique challenges give way to unique opportunities and relationships when you stick to your principles amidst difficulty.
In 2024, Carlisle did a talk with fellow agroecologist Bruce Maxwell about healing our food systems, and ended with Q and A. One of the interactions really hit home for us:
Q: “I’m so inspired to be sitting here listening to people that are thinking about this on such a macro level, that have dedicated their careers . . . to agroecology. I’m wondering for those of us that are not in that world and who are sort of the small homesteaders that feel really passionate about this, what do we need to be doing in our backyard, literally and figuratively?”
Bruce responds in short: “Eat local.”
More and more we’re realizing that's our only goal. We’re always talking about how intertwined our three pronged mission is - that although we started with distinct searches for personal, planetary and community health, what is good for you tends to be good for your neighbor and for the world. We often find we’re just looking for one thing: good, local food.
Food economies are complex and politicized; of dire consequence, yet fringe public interest. We have the power to cut through these complexities and frustrating dynamics. Eating good local food can radiate through a community, a region, a country. It can make a real difference.
Which rocks. The right blueberry scone can help someone make a living wage, the right trout dip can contribute to cleaner water. It’s funny how profound good food can be. And it’s exciting how impactful good food can be.
We can’t wait to get started.