a video about New Amsterdam Market
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Running time: 07:16.
New Amsterdam Market is an organization in New York City proposing the creation of a permanent, indoor market devoted to regional and sustainable food. Its mission is to create a market of purveyors (grocers, butchers, mongers, etc.) who would source and sell locally produced foods. Currently, the organization is staging recurring one-day market events in New York City's seaport district, an historic site of public markets in the City. The market will continue to grow and evolve, and will hopefully become regular, permanent, and housed in a covered or indoor location.
I attended a New Amsterdam Market event in December of 2007 and I was enormously inspired. I became very enthusiastic about documenting the market's future efforts. When the next market was staged in June of 2008, I was ready to film it.
Again, I was excited by the spirit and energy of the market experience. I began to think more deeply about what such a market means to the regionalization of our food system. I visited and interviewed many of the vendors who had participated, as well as other supporters of the project. I asked them why they think this would be a valuable endeavor — both for New York City and its surrounding region. This is the video that resulted.
CREDITS:
Producer, Director, Writer: Sara Grady
Editor: Liza Cardinale
Camera Operators: Sara Grady, Andrew Freiband, Jason Spingarn-Koff, Stephanie Wang-Breal
Photographs: Barbara Mensch, William Coupon, Robin Riley, Cecily Upton
INTERVIEWEES:
Robert LaValva — Director, New Amsterdam Market
Joan Dye Gussow — Professor Emeritus, Columbia University
Allison Bennett — Distribution & Marketing Consultant, Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship
Jim Lahey — Executive Baker, Sullivan Street Bakery
Sam Simon — President, Hudson Valley Fresh
Caroline Fidanza — Executive Chef, Marlow & Sons
Anne Saxelby — Proprietor, Saxelby Cheesemongers
Gabrielle Carbone —Proprietor, The Bent Spoon
Benoit Breal — Proprietor, Saxelby Cheesemongers