"The Town That Food Saved" by Ben Hewitt is a book spun-off of an article Hewitt wrote for the late "Gourmet" magazine. It takes a close look at the recent local food/agrepreneural industry that is building steam in the town (and surrounding area) of Hardwick, Vermont. You can tell that Hewitt feels passionately toward this issue, and I found that I ended the book look at the food industry in a different way. I think it does raise a lot of questions about how well our country will be able to sustain ourselves under the current food industrial model; and while it does convince me that the local food movement should play a big role in the answer (particularly in small towns suited to agriculture) it did not convince me that it is the total answer. I have to say that I agree with many of the commenters here that the title is a bit of a misnomer. From what I gathered from what is written 1)Hardwick did not seem to be on the verge of collapse before the recent agrepreneuers arrived and 2)The local food movement wasn't really new to the area. I really liked how Goodreads reviewer Dan Polley put it, "food seemed to be a common thread that led to the community being revitalized".Overall I found it an interesting read. This is the second book I have read that deals with the local food movement - the first being "Alice Waters and Chez Panisse" by Thomas McNamee. I read this book for a discussion group at my local library. This book discusses the rise of local food-related businesses in and around the small town of Hardwick, Vermont. While the topic may seem dull, the author skillfully focuses on the people involved in these enterprises. I learned quite a bit about seed production, composting, animal slaughter, and farming in my reading. If you enjoy non-fiction about food, I strongly recommend this book.
What do You think about Town That Food Saved (2008)?
Reflective, interesting, and thoughtful. The kind of book that expands the more you think on it.
—1Debze1
Interesting, but not nearly as compelling as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle or Omnivore's Dilemma.
—cuxybabe
Loved this book and was excited to meet Ben last year - he is just a real as you would think!
—Xopuff
