On a cool June morning, Liz Neumark is stirring up a summer soup for some very demanding s. As cofounder and CEO of Great Performances, one of New York City’s most successful catering companies, Neumark has spent decades dealing with people who know what they like.
But her work site today is unusual: She’s standing in a field on her organic farm in upstate New York, chopping vegetables that were harvested only a few feet away. And her running commentary isn’t exactly standard either. "We have to respect food," she tells her guests as they carefully cut up carrots and onions. "We have to think about all the people who don’t have what we have here, and treat the food nicely." Finally ready, the soup is ladled into bowls and lifted to half a dozen mouths simultaneously.
"How does it taste" Neumark asks. A little boy takes a tentative sip, then runs into the field and spits it out. "Like poison!" he calls, delighted with himself. Everyone cracks up, including Neumark.
The boy arrived at Neumark’s Katchkie Farm this morning with his classmates and teachers from PS 180 in Harlem. They’ve already collected eggs from the chickens, repotted seedling (秧苗) tomatoes, and picked vegetables, all as part of a program called the Sylvia Center, which Neumark created to show city kids where real food comes from and what it can taste like.
Most of these kids have brought lunches from home that are heavy with processed food, soda, and sweets, plus snacks with brand names and bar codes. Just getting them to think about food that comes from nature rather than a supermarket shelf will require some prodding from a woman who loves cooking, eating, gardening, and, above all, kids. Luckily, Neumark is perfect for the job.
Of course, simply being told that certain foods are good for you is not going to convince children to change their eating habits. But Neumark has seen that when kids plant and weed, harvest and cook their own food, the lesson takes root.
Will the boy who was nearly "poisoned" by the freshest of all vegetable soups be similarly converted There’s no way of knowing, but at the very least, he now has an idea of what vegetable soup is supposed to taste like. Maybe, one day, he’ll be willing to give it another try. Maybe he’ll actually like what he tastes, and that will be one more kid connected to the planet and to the wonders of fresh food and his own body.
"I wanted to inspire, create and hear the laughter of children," Neumark says. When she’s on her farm, listening to birds, feeling life happening all around her, she says, she feels comfort and some measure of peace.
The boy who was nearly "poisoned" by the fresh vegetable soup ______.