Hudson Valley Bounty and Bard College to Host Free Screening of The Big Table on Saturday, February 11

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—On Saturday, February 11, Hudson Valley Bounty, a program of the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation (HVADC), will present a free screening of The Big Table at Bard College. The Big Table is a six-part documentary series about food, family, and a way of life. It won the audience award at the 2011 New York City Food Film Festival. This original documentary series is an intimate and compelling look at the lives of food producers. The screening at Bard will feature the pilot episode, “MILK,” which features the Osofsky family, owners of Ronnybrook Farm and Hudson Valley Bounty member. The Osofsky family has been milking in the Hudson Valley since the 1940s. The episode offers a unique insight into the rewards, as well as the physical and emotional toll, of life on a dairy farm that is struggling to survive in an industry that has been overtaken by giant corporations. The screening is sponsored by Hudson Valley Bounty with the Bard Center for Civic Engagement, Bard Office of Sustainability, Bard Trustee Leader Scholars Program, Office of Alumni/ae Affairs, and Chartwells Dining Services at Bard College. It is free and open to the public and takes place at 6:30 p.m. in Olin Hall.

After the screening, there will be a panel discussion and Q&A, featuring The Big Table production team of Ben Niles, Molly Knight Raskin, and Megan Wetherall, as well as Ronnybrook owners Ronny and Rick Osofsky; Jennifer Phillips, Bard Center for Environmental Policy; Chas Cerulli, director of dining services at Bard College; Noah Shetz, Chefs Consortium; and Eric Steinman, editor of Edible Hudson Valley. Todd Erling, executive director of HVADC, will moderate the panel and lead a discussion on how the simple, or not so simple, choice to eat a product that is locally produced affects many facets of daily life, from personal health to the economic stability of the farm.

“We are very excited to be teaming with Bard College on this event,” says Kristin Roca, program director of Hudson Valley Bounty. “Bard’s faculty are focused on local sustainability and teaching this to their students. They are making them aware of the issues facing the community through these fantastic programs.”

Mark Lytle, coordinator of the Environmental and Urban Studies Program at Bard, says that the film “dovetails with increased student interest at Bard and nationwide in the sources of food, the conditions under which it is produced, local farming, and nutrition. We are enhancing our own curriculum in those areas and so are delighted to have the screening on campus.”

Hudson Valley Bounty is a project of the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation (HVADC). Its mission is to promote and support networking connections between local agricultural producers and culinary businesses, while educating the community about the preservation of local farms and the use of local and regional sustainable food products. Covering Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties, the Bounty’s website includes 229 farms, 251 restaurants, and 29 markets. Visit www.hudsonvalleybounty.com for additional information.

The Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation (HVADC) is the region’s sole economic development agency with a specific focus on the viability of the agricultural economy in the Hudson Valley. It assists both new and existing agri-businesses such as farms, food businesses, and food distributors, by providing technical and business consultation and resources. The non-profit promotes balanced, market-based solutions that lead to enhanced agricultural entrepreneurship, rural economic growth, and community enhancement. Visit www.hvadc.org for additional information. 

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(01/24/12)

This event was last updated on 02-01-2012

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