who is nina?

NINA PLANCK is a food writer, an advocate for traditional foods, an entrepreneur, and the leading American expert on farmers' markets and local food. A champion of small farmers, she grew up on an ecological vegetable farm in Virginia and sold the family vegetables at farmers' markets from age nine.  After leaving the farm, Nina was a congressional staffer, a reporter for TIME, and a speechwriter for President Clinton's ambassador to the UK.
 

BOOKS & other media

Real Food: What to Eat and Why (now in paperback) explains why beef, butter, eggs, and other traditional foods are good for you, and corn oil and skim milk, among other modern foods, are not. (Read reviews.) Nina is working on a new book, Real Food for Mother and Baby, which covers fertility, pregnancy, and baby's first foods.  In England, Nina wrote The Farmers' Market Cookbook, a guide to what the farmer knows about produce and the cook should. (Alas, it's out of print.)

Nina is a regular guest columnist on the The New York Times editorial pages and a frequent guest on WNYC, the NPR affiliate in NYC.  In 2008, she wrote two articles for Bon Appetit (on butter and raw milk cheese) and for PARADE, on superfoods, includnig grass-fed beef and coconut oil.  In 2001, she hosted a 13-part series on farmers' markets for British television.

MARKETS

In New York City, Nina was Director of the famous Greenmarket, the largest network of farmers' markets in the US.  In 1999, Nina created the first farmers' markets in London, England. Her company, London Farmers' Markets, runs 14 weekly farmers' markets year-round, serving 175 farmers and food producers whose market income is about $8 million per year.  Nina's US company, Local Food, runs the Mount Pleasant Farmers' Market in Washington, DC. 

Nina writes, speaks, and consults on best practice in farmers' market management. Many US markets need professional managment, better rules, and more farmer recruitment. Even more interesting, perhaps, is how to develop the market for local and traditional food beyond farmers' markets. In this field, Nina is an innovator.

She is an owner of Farm to Chef Express, which delivers local food to top New York City chefs.  In 2006, Nina opened two test markets in New York City: Real Food Markets for farmers and purveyors of regional and traditional foods. Nina explored whether farmers, food purveyors, and eaters were ready for more options in the market for local foods. They certainly are. These unique markets - a blend of a proper farmers' market and a European food hall - would thrive in many American cities.

in other news

Nina was born at home in 1971 and raised on raw milk from Mabel, a somewhat crabby Jersey cow.  She still drinks raw milk as often as she can get it.  Nina lives in New York City with Rob Kaufelt - a cheesemonger by trade - and their son Julian. They all eat raw milk cheese.

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