Last Saturday’s Brooklyn Food Conference, I’m happy to report, was well attended (3,000 people!), well-received and earned positive coverage by bloggers and traditional media alike.
I moderated a panel in the first session of workshops, so in the months leading up to the conference, I got a virtual view of the backstage and to be honest, I got a little worried a few times. That old adage about “too many cooks” comes to mind — I’ve heard that as many as 600 people volunteered — and having spent my career thus far organizing within the relatively well-organized nonprofit sector, this truly grassroots effort, at times, seemed unwieldy and I worried that the organizers’ plans had grown too ambitious (case in point: an incredibly crowded schedule packed with amazing panels, some 20 at a time, with a mere 15 minutes scheduled between sessions), like an incredibly beautiful but stuffed-to-the gills organic garden, tended by many enthusiastic hands.
I suspect that lead organizer Nancy Romner shared my concerns. While introducing the closing key note, the amazing Anna Lappe, Nancy excitedly breathed a sigh of relief that it had all worked out, and confessed to being ready for a glass of wine. Having been quite nervous about my own presentation that morning, I was ready for a cocktail of my own, but I think everyone was in the mood to celebrate, because the inspiration the event inspired seemed sure to touched all the attendees, and the momentum gathered by it seems sure to gather force.
And if the schedule was packed, it was merely evidence of the enthusiasm driving this project, which was infectious. I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say that something special happened in Brooklyn this weekend. I think it was the fact that unlike most nationally- (or internationally-) oriented conferences, this one was location-specific, epitomizing that old saying, “think globally, act locally.”
And there was a heartening mixture of education on the problems associated with our current food system, evidence of the potential for a better one and a real feeling of movement toward those improvements. On the political front, in addition to Borough President Marty Markowitz and City Council member Letitia James, four state representatives attended the conference.
And it’s not over. In the coming weeks, neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn will host meetings to identify needs and define the next steps for these neighborhoods. Keep an eye on the Brooklyn Food Conference website for more info and hopefully, more coverage of the workshops and speakers.
As our good friend Megan of Brooklyn Farmhouse tweeted from the conference on Saturday, “It’s becoming clear that Brooklyn is an important epicenter of real food.” As a former Brooklynite, I’ll drink (and eat) to that.
For those of you who missed it, check out some of the press that the conference has gotten so far:
The New York Times Diner’s Journal
The New York Observer on our “digital organizing” panel
The New York Observer on Dan Barber
And catch up via the #BFC hashtag on Twitter.
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