2015-09-08 Columbia County Fair

Columbia Fair News

2015-09-08

2 businesses, foundation collect $1,000 awards

Winners all from Columbia County this year

The sixth annual Victoria A. Simons Locavore Awards were presented Monday afternoon at the 175th annual Columbia County Fair.

Receiving $1,000 checks and engraved awards were Beth Linskey of Beth’s Farm Kitchen in Stuyvesant; David Wurth of CrossRoads Food Shoppe in Hillsdale; and Tessa Edick of FarmOn! Foundation, which recently put down roots in Copake, acquiring the former Empire Farm.

All three had been nominated in previous years as well as this year.

Founded in 1981, Beth’s Farm Kitchen uses thousands of pounds of local produce annually in providing a product line of more than 130 items. Spokesperson Lael Locke, announcing the award, said “In addition to serving an ever-growing number of consumers, Beth Linskey's creative and delicious jams, jellies and sauces have also helped support the local farmers from whom she buys her produce." 

David Wurth’s CrossRoads Food Shop was celebrated as a local food hub for the Hillsdale area, using local ingredients in creative ways to support local farm businesses and satisfy a wide array of local palates.

Tessa Edick’s FarmOn! Foundation has made a mission the past 5 years of celebrating the importance of family farming and local food with a special focus on kids and how to inspire their connections to continuing agricultural enterprise.

The awards and checks were presented by Dick Alford, president of the Columbia County Agricultural Society, which puts on the Columbia County Fair.

The winners were drawn from a pool of 11 nominees, including additionally Kinderhook Farm of Ghent; Don Lewis of Wild Hive Farm in Clinton Corners; Gunther Fishgold of Valatie; Samascott Orchards and Garden Market in Kinderhook; Farm at Miller’s Crossing in Claverack; Michelle Coleman-Pelkey of Local 111 Restaurant in Philmont; Talbott & Arding Cheese and Provisions in Hudson; and Jack Fox, a ramps forager from Rhinebeck.

All nominees received laser-engraved display pieces commemorating their status.

The word Locavore was coined in San Francisco at the 2005 World Environment Day to describe and promote the practice of eating a diet consisting of food harvested within a 100-mile area. The Locavore movement encourages people to grow their own food; buy from farmer’s markets, CSAs, and other local food programs; and to patronize restaurants, caterers and other food preparers that feature local ingredients.

Vicki Simons, for whom the award is named, was long-time editor of The Independent Newspaper, executive director of Columbia County Bounty, and sparkplug for many causes targeting community improvement. She was a strong proponent of Locavore activities as part of a commitment to encourage greater use of locally produced food and to keep agriculture an integral part of the community experience.

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