NY Chef and newly arrived farm families work together

Last December, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation hosted the “Taste of the New American Farm.”  The event took place at the W Hotel, in New York City, and highlighted an innovative agriculture initiative: efforts around the country to assist new immigrant farmers who supply restaurants, hotels and institutions in their regions with fresh, locally and sustainably grown food.

The event highlights included a dinner prepared by Michel Nischan, executive chef of the W Hotel New York Heartbeat Restaurant. Nischan, a co-founder of the New American Farmer Initiative (NAFI), purchases many of these foods every Friday from Cambodian and Chinese farmers in Western Massachusetts.

Attendees included representatives of government agencies, nonprofit organizations and land-grant universities. Media representatives from national publications such as Good Housekeeping, Country Living Gardener and the National Journal also attended.

To view a video explaining the New American Farmer Initiative, please click here.