My husband Alex and I were two of the extremely fortunate participants in both Terra Madre events.  There really hasn’t been a separation in the two events for us happily it has been a continuation.  So, I have to start talking about Terra Madre 2004 in order to tell our story of Terra Madre 2006.

Terra Madre 2004. 
We spent our first day in Torino at the Palazzo di Lavoro watching as people from around the world poured through the doors.  They came by the bus load: groups from Mongolia and Brazil, the Congo and Sweden.  As the day wore on we became increasingly aware that this was going to be an experience like no other.  We were in a room, a giant room, with farmers literally from every corner of the world.  Just being in that room, was an incredibly powerful experience for me.  We were all just “thereâ€? in a proverbial sea of humanity.  As confusing and chaotic as it seemed at times that day I think it was the perfect way to begin. We were all reminded just how much communication can take place simply by looking another person in the eye and wanting to understand.  At one moment I stood face to face with a farmer from Afghanistan. We looked each other in the eye, we understood each other, we touched hands. I will remember the moment forever.

After a day in that incredible swirl of humanity we were loaded onto a bus and delivered to our host families.  Waiting that first night in the dark were Katy and Michele Piovano, their then 14 year-old son, Lorenzo and Michele’s uncle, Oscar Novara.  At this point in time, neither Alex nor I spoke or understood a word of Italian. Katy and Michele don’t speak English. The elegant, gentle Oscar speaks some English but not often.  It wasn’t an effortless dialog but it was wonderful.

Michele and Katy are producers of the renowned Piemontese vitelli.  The production of Piemontese vitelli the way Michele and Katy do it is an absolute art.  They control they entire process; from sowing the seed for the grains the animals eat in the field to hanging the salamis…Michele and Katy maintain exact records of every animal from embryo transfer through sale in their macelleria.  You can taste the constant attention to detail and
refinement in every bite.  They take pride in every aspect of their work and the artistry is clearly visible, the meat is incredible. 

I think that you can taste the richness of their history and that place in the meat. 
For generations the entire family has gathered here at this farm to share the work, tell the stories, laugh, cry and of course… eat. 

Their farm and macelleria is just outside of Torino, the town consists mostly of farms and other buildings that were built to support the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi. The Palazzina and its surrounding fields and forests are owned by the Regione Piemonte and are protected and maintained in the Parco naturale di Stupinigi.  They are recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site because of their outstanding cultural and natural importance.

However, the farm buildings, shops, and restaurants of Stupinigi are owned by the Ordine Mauriziano and do not have the same protection.  The Ordine is does not have the financial resources to maintain the buildings and is going to sell its interests in Stupinigi. The fates of the Piovano family and their neighbors have yet to be decided.  The idea that this unique and intact resource could be divided seems a terrible waste to me.

Terra Madre 2006
When we got word that Terra Madre 2006 was going to include a delegation of chefs we were ecstatic.  Alex and I have had the privilege of working with and learning from Ben and Karen Barker for more than 20 years.  Both Ben and Karen have deep culinary roots.  Ben is a native North Carolinian, whose family still lives in the area.  Karen a New Yorker by birth has naturalized well without loosing any of the familial culinary wealth, which is vast.  Ben and Karen are the chef –owners of Magnolia Grill in Durham, North Carolina.  They are both the kind of chefs that make you want to produce a better vegetable, even after 25 years of farming.

We didn’t know how it would all work out but I knew that we needed to experience this with our longtime friends, colleagues and customers.  Alex and I wanted to travel in Italy and see, touch and certainly taste the food with the Barkers.  We wanted to explore the basic elements of food, to talk about ingredients and where they lead a chef.  We want to collaborate better. 

At Terra Madre 2006 all the stars aligned and there we were with the Piovanos and the Barkers in the same room.  The opportunity was not wasted.  It is great fun to watch two sets of great artists work together.  Together we spent the entire day in the Macelleria Piovano.  With the assistance of his beautifully bilingual cousin Diego Novara, Michele showed us the farm, the macelleria, he talked about how the animals are raised, hanging the meat, how it was cut, and how he made salami, everything with the typical family generosity.

Michele’s mother, Mariuccia patiently explained (via Diego) as she prepared her special green sauce.  Mirella, who works in the shop, demonstrated her specialties.  The quick morning tour lasted past 4:00 in the afternoon.  We probably spent as much time talking about the cultural and regional elements of the food as much as the food itself. 
As we learned we ate…everything, and certainly more than our share of their incredible carne cruda.  Carne cruda which can only be made with that beautiful meat.  Oh, and yes we did punctuate the day with a lunch that took Katy, Mirella, Mariuccia, and Ben quite some time to prepare.

Our situation is completely different from Katy and Michele’s.  For us, there was no family farm. We don’t have that beautiful long, strong tie to “placeâ€?.  Our families had been “off the farmâ€? for generations. Like many “first generation farmersâ€? we concentrated on the business of farming, we had to in order to survive. We had always thought about what we do in terms of “organicâ€?, “specialty foodsâ€? and “niche marketingâ€?.  Hardly a thought about the history, heritage or of the regional culture that surrounds us. 

I had been raised in a family where my immigrant grandparents had worked from the first day they put their feet on North American soil until the day each one of them died, to loose all traces of their country of origin. They were quite successful; after a few years no one would ever have known where they were born without looking at their documents. Now, it seems crazy to try and erase your culture but that was the popular thinking then.

At Terra Madre the strength and beauty of the world’s cultural differences was very apparent.  I came back from Terra Madre changed. After Terra Madre, and my international tutoring session, I realized that if you don’t know or don’t remember the traditions and culture you only get half the flavor. The experience taught me to think about what I do and what I produce in a different way. I am lucky enough to live in a place where there is still a strong regional identity.  I have neighbors and friends whose families have lived here for generations.  Their roots are deep and they are happy to share. It is not the culture I was born into, but it is one I can learn, preserve and enjoy. 

We are delighted that Terra Madre will continue.  It is an incredible gift.  Thank you all for all the work and most importantly…thank you for having the vision.  In a world of more than 6,573,651,157 people we are each only one, but somehow you all got up in morning and said “let’s do thisâ€?.  It is incredible to me that you all took on such a huge project.  .
It is very difficult for me to find the right words…everything sounds so trite. Through peace, respect and gentleness Terra Madre provides us all with an opportunity to work together to make this world better.  That is no small accomplishment.  Thank you.

Food community:  Sustainable Meat Producers of Central North Carolina

Alex and Betsy Hitt
Peregrine Farm
9418 Perry Road
Graham, North Carolina
U.S.A. 27253