Comments on: A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches-Part 2

By: A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches-Part 3

A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches-Part 3 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:45:15 +0000

[...] life is about? See Related: A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches- Part 1; A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches- Part 2 Next week, TwoJunes take a break from writing about issues and share our saga, we could even call [...]

By: Brady's Beef

Brady's Beef — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:30:45 +0000

Sounds like a great place to work. Few companies do so much to make their workplace enjoyable anymore that it’s refreshing to see a company making life easier and more healthy for employees.

By: Lisa Bell (akaJune@)

Lisa Bell (akaJune@) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:22:28 +0000

Hey, Chef Bud!
Thanks for the note…I grew up in Arkansas near Bentonville, stronghold of WalMart. I find it encouraging that even there Farmer’s Markets are making a comeback and, of course, out in the hills, some small farmers have kept going for the love of the land and the work itself. Preservation of local foodways is actually quite strong in the Ozarks. Still, when I went to the supermarket last visit home (in the winter) and loaded up on veggies, my checker honestly did not know what many of them were…like a parsnip or a leek or a turnip. Interestingly, due to the huge number of chicken procesing plants in Arkansas, there is a large Hispanic population of workers…in the small markets that cater to them, you can get some really great deals on produce and meat and see folks filling thier carts w/whole foods. Ditto for the small Asian markets that sprang up after an influx of Vietnamese during the “boat people” days. Sustainable/organic really isn’t too available though unless you go to the market or grow/raise your own. My folks were only a generation removed from the farm, so growing up we usually had family beef in the freezer from the old farm homeplace, but that isn’t very common these days. My dad also hunted and fished, so we also had those foods…again that’s some pretty speicalized knowledge to butcher/fillet and cook it up nice. And we had a massive vegetable garden and went berry picking and orchard picking every year. So, it’s this catch22, with land or access to land, knowledge and time, you can eat well as can those with sufficient disposable income and access to gourmet markets. It’s the folks in between that get hosed.

By: ChefBud

ChefBud — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:35:26 +0000

Sounds like we are on a similar crusade, to spread the word of quality not quantity. I have been working on creative ways to stretch my family’s food dollars. Granted I have a slight advantage over some, because I have been cooking (as a career) for many years. It seems people are becoming more aware every day about the advantages of eating and preparing foods from raw whole ingredients. I am pleased that food shows and markets like your local http://www.newseasonsmarket.com/ are getting people excited and making it more available. I live in a small ski town so local is tough, but we (the locals hear in Telluride, CO.) try to do our best. If you ever hear someone say they can’t afford to feed their kids quality food have the read the forward to, “Cook with Jamie” by Jamie Oliver. It is awesome.