“I was lucky enough in my career to work for a well know chef in San Francisco. He would send us north of the Golden Gate bridge a few times a week to find unique mushrooms, lettuces, heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, and exotic fruits. One day I asked why this was so important. He explained that it was not always about the great produce, but supporting the farmers that feed this country. From that point forward, I made it a point to learn as much as I could about agriculture, giving back to the earth, and not taking food for granted. The Markon Chef summit allows us to remain influential and see firsthand, all of the hard work and challenges that our farmers face. Dwight Eisenhower once said, “Farming looks easy when your plow is a pencil and you live 1000 miles from the corn fields.” Every time you eat, you have the opportunity to change your life in some way. Harvesting from the land does that for me.”
