| Bikeloc's duo of Robert DuBois and Aaron Zueck's two wheeled journey across America paused last weekend for a potluck dinner at Marty & Kris Travis' Spence Farm in Fairbury, Illinois. Spokes-men (literally) for the local food movement, the pair have embarked on a cross-country bicycle tour to meet farmers, advocates, and everyday people calling for a more sustainable food system in this country. They've chosen potluck dinners as their vehicle to share food and stories with the people that they meet in the communities they visit. Starting out in April in Hardwick, Vermont, Robert, of Washington, DC and Aaron, from Brooklyn, NY will end their adventure in September in San Francisco, California. |
| I first learned of Bikeloc's planned trip in February by a post they made on Twitter. Bikeloc stands for bike + local and is their Twitter handle: @bikeloc. At the time they were seeking a grant of $5000 to fund their trip from the Pepsi/Refresh project on the web. Individuals and groups can post their projects and then must get their fans to vote for them daily. Voting lasts a month, and the top ten projects in each category get funded. Being an avid cyclist and passionate advocate for local and sustainable food systems, I embraced their idea and began daily tweets in March to help them get votes.
It was a perfect late Spring evening, the air was still and warm with a clear sky. Our group arrived early and we greeted Robert and Aaron who were getting ready for an interview with a film crew from the Pepsi/Refresh project. I had never before met the pair, only an e-mail or two and a few tweets as they made their way from Vermont to Illinois. My wife, Lori, and I then renewed acquaintances with Marty whom we had first met when we came down to visit in late March.
At about the same time that I learned of Bikeloc, I had contacted Marty Travis looking for additional local food resources for my personal chef business in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. After my e-mail inquiry, Marty phoned me to learn about my business and invited me to visit his farm. About two hours straight south of Chicago, Spence Farm was the first farm settled in Livingston County in the 1830s. His eagerness to connect with another chef impressed me. The farm supplies many of the top restaurants in Chicago including Rick Bayless' Topolobambo and Frontera Grill.
What impressed me more was his vision for the farm and the local community as a whole. At a time when many farmers, small and large are struggling, Marty and Kris are tirelessly working to promote not only their farm, but also those of their neighbors who have embraced sustainable agriculture. The Travises helped found the local group called The Stewards of the Land who sell their produce and meat to the same network of restaurants. They also created a foundation called the Spence Farm Foundation to educate young people about life on a small farm.
When, during the farm tour in March, I asked Marty if he would consider hosting a potluck when Robert and Aaron rolled into town, he agreed without much deliberation. A potluck is much more casual than ten chefs cooking for the benefit they hold annually for the foundation.
Nearly 40 people showed up for the potluck; neighbors and farmers, some old friends of Robert and Aaron, another chef, a food writer and a newspaper reporter. Because of my profession, I don't get invited to many potlucks, so I was thrilled to only have to provide one dish. This gave me the opportunity to mingle and to get to know Robert and Aaron. They were thrilled with the turnout and to meet and learn about the Travises and the Stewards of the Land. This was an interesting gathering like some that they've had already and are sure to find as they continue their journey to stimulate and promote a national conversation about our food system. They're on their way to and through Chicago now, you can follow them on their blog:
http://bikeloc.org/blog, on facebook, and on Twitter @bikeloc. Stay tuned. |
