of infrastructure before [Farm to Restaurant] builds,” cautions Roy. “We need to have a certain amount of demand [for product] before investing in infrastructure.” New this year is the cold storage aggregation space at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design; a long-term goal is having various aggregation points, from Taos to La Cienega, so that farmers don't have to drive long distances to a sole in-town collection point. Also challenging this year has been a substantially smaller budget than in the government-funded two-year pilot stage of the delivery project. “The program is happening,” says Yozell-Epstein, “it's just taking a lot more creativity and shuffling.” Although Farm to Restaurant charges a “middleman mark-up” fee, the delivery numbers are not yet large enough for the program to pay for itself without outside funding. That's why partnering with other entities in the community, as well as the enthusiastic response of chefs, is so important. “If there's one thing we learned through [our previous experience with] Farm to School,” says Pam Roy, “It's that you can market and network all you want, but until you engage the end buyers—the schools, the restaurants—a program will have difficulty succeeding over time.” For Yozell-Epstein, having the Farm to Restaurant delivery and marketing program within Farm to Table's framework is a great fit. “Everyone here has vast experience in farming and non-profit work. All of my colleagues are incredible mentors, and their love for this work is so apparent.” Their work is such fun, she says, that most of the time “we just share in the delight of being around fresh, bountiful produce!” Beverly M. Post has been involved with grassroots non-profits as staff, board member, and volunteer for over 20 years. Most recently she worked as Membership and Development Director for the Santa Fe Alliance.
Farm to Table promotes locally based agriculture through education, community outreach and networking; enhances marketing opportunities for farmers; encourages family farming, farmers’ markets and the preservation of agricultural traditions; influences public policy; and furthers understanding of the links between farming, food, health and local economies. 505.473.1004 · farmtotablenm.org
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Nina 39Yozell-Epstein
edible Santa Fe · Summer 2012