Hear Experts Dish about Local Foods
Join science journalist Andrew Revkin, local food expert Robert LaValva, and more, for panel discussions and tastings.
Published April 17, 2012
By Diana Friedman
Where our food comes from can have wide-ranging ecological and economic ramifications and eating local offers important benefits-such is the crux of the locavore movement. Learn about local foods (by listening, participating, and tasting) at The New York Academy of Sciences’ event series, The Locavore’s Dilemma.
The series kicks off on April 26 with Can Oysters Save New York Harbor?, presented in partnership with The Harbor School and Pace University. The panel event, moderated by award-winning science journalist Andrew Revkin, will examine efforts to restore oysters to New York Habor—previously a bustling and productive estuary—followed by a tasting of local oysters.
“There’s plenty of evidence that work with species we enjoy in more than one way-oysters being a prime example-can help keep the harbor moving in the right direction. I look forward to exploring how oysters are playing a role in reviving our waters,” says Revkin.
The Science of Wine, Chocolate, and Local Foods
Keep your taste buds, and your brain, excited about local foods by joining the Academy on June 5 for The Science Behind the Hype: Resveratrol in Wine & Chocolate to learn about this chemical component present in two delicious indulgences with the University of Pennsylvania’s Joseph Baur, PhD, and Nick Venditti of New York City’s Frankly Wines shop. Dark chocolates from Brooklyn’s own NuNu Chocoaltes, as well as local red wine from New York will be served.
While many of us love knowing where our food comes from, does science back up the idea that local food is more nutritious? Can it improve our environment? Does the food taste better? For answers, join the Academy on June 26 for a panel discussion on The Science of Local Foods at the South Street Seaport Museum, moderated by New Amsterdam Market’s Founder and President, Robert LaValva. The panel will also include a prominent chef, a local farmer, and a specialist on the impact of local foods on economics and sustainability. A tasting of local foods will follow.
