Revitalizing a Town Through Local Food: How One Community Found New Life

Kindle Customer: Bought to support the author in his projects. Kept on reading because of the messagr and the storyline. Some parts were a little dry and/or needed re-reading to fully comprehence, but that was a very small portion; overall, very good book!

Canada on Feb 03, 2018

Sandra Johnson: This is an excellent book for those of us who look down the tunnel and see a train coming. As an investigative reporter he brought an inquiring mind to his project - as person familiar and connected to the town of Hardwick he connected the dots and shared with us how it can be done -- how food can save a town - and the rest of us as well.

Canada on Mar 04, 2014

BeeGee: I live only 14 miles from the town of Hardwick and have witnessed its amazing transformation - in a good way. I love how the author shows both sides of this transformation because it's so apparent that the citizens of the surrounding (as well as the citizens of Hardwick) area have been so supportive of all that's going on there--both in purchasing the local products as well as supporting the new businesses, in word and deed. I wanted to read this book because I've noticed how things have changed in Hardwick and am delighted it is so. Onward and upward Ben Hewitt...am loving your books! Thank you for your keen sense of observation and the gift of knowing the right questions to ask. But best of all, you know you don't have all the answers, but by putting this type of work out there, I believe the right answers will unfold all by themselves.

United States on Oct 02, 2013

liberty man: Kind of slow.
Showing that niche food markets and overpriced restaurants will not be a solution to industrial agriculture.No effective local alternative exists.The vast majority of Americans cant-wont adopt such a system.
The dregs of an older system are still locally practiced to some extent.
Unless some other mass system comes forward, a few hippies with overpriced products wont fill the gap.
At least some relevance to actual cost is addressed.It is a major hurdle.k

United States on Jul 04, 2013

Erik D. Curren: Hewitt starts by questioning the hype implicit in his title. Did local food really save the town, given that most of its residents, largely working class, still eat mostly industrial food from outside the area? Sure, an impressive array of food businesses for such a small town provide dozens of local jobs. But they sell mostly to yuppies and foodies, some local, but most in big cities far away. Hewitt wrestles with this issue throughout the book, which makes it more honest than many tomes on the locavore trend. Hewitt doesn't come up with definitive answers, but he frames the questions in the context of what food has done for the economy of this town so far along with ideas for what it could do in the future. Accompanied by anecdotes of local ag-entrepreneurs and colorful down home Vermont characters, the book is also more entertaining and readable than most other food titles.

United States on Apr 30, 2013

M. K. Vanags: Note: This review also includes a review of "The Great Reset" by Richard Florida.

One of my favorite quotes comes from an old curmudgeon I once knew. I was sitting with him and an assortment of fellows at a coffee shop in a town where I once worked. We were talking about the changing landscape of the community and the world. This guy was usually very talkative, just like the other guys that were part of this coffee klatch. But, today he sat a little bit removed from the tables we had pulled together to enjoy our dirty jokes and teasing of each other. At age 40, I was by far the youngest of the group, with the oldest well into his seventies. I can't remember his name, so let's call him Ralph. As the the conversation went on, we started arguing about some local political activity until, finally, Ralph threw up both hands, slammed one down on the table in front of him causing a seismic stir among the coffee cups, water glasses and spoons on the table and declared in his loud sonorous voice, "I want progress, it's change I don't like." Whaaaat???

Needless to say, we were taken by surprise and shocked into a very momentary silence until one of the guys broke out in big...

United States on Jul 07, 2010

Dirk Anderson: Locally raised and produced food is a hot topic, but much of what has been written about it is either hopelessly theoretical and preachy, or too personalized to be of much use (i.e., "I grew an amazing tomato and connected with the soul of my dead grandmother"). Mr. Hewitt starts from the premise that local food is better food, and some might fault him for that. But if you are in general agreement, then this book is a welcome examination of whether food can be raised, processed, and marketed locally in a way that benefits the entire community. The author thinks it can, and he makes his case through the stories of the individuals in an unlikely rural town who somehow came together to start a small, yet significant, revolution of sorts. Will it last? Can it be replicated elsewhere? These questions are, as yet, unanswered. Nonetheless, the success of Hardwick to date makes a fascinating case study, and a very engaging read. An additional bonus: Mr. Hewitt writes with a real wit and economy of style.

United States on Mar 17, 2010