"Farmers can live well and eat well without chefs, but the reverse is not true. Too much has been said about chefs and not enough about farmers. In Connecticut Farmer and Feast, Emily Brooks connects you with these passionate artisans from all over Connecticut. Your kitchen will never be the same again." —Jacques Pépin"Skillfully mixing equal parts affection and admiration, Emily Brooks elegantly stirs our souls with poetic tales of the history, passions, and struggles of dozens of Connecticut farmers. In so doing, she reminds all of us who cook and eat that our farmers are not only our neighbors, but also our nurturers. Readers will undoubtedly want to keep one copy in their kitchens to reference when cooking the enticing recipes that conclude each chapter, and another in their cars or backpacks to accompany them on journeys through the pastoral Connecticut countryside." —Kate Adamick, one of America's leading advocates for school food reform; member of Chef's Collaborative, Slow Food, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs"Connecticut Farmer & Feast is a terrific read! I commend the author for highlighting great Connecticut farms whose products we strive to use in our schools and on our menus. Farming and education go hand in hand. It is important to start students on the 'ground' and work our way up. In New Haven we feel the need to educate the children about not only good food and nutrition but where the food comes from. To be able to offer corn that was grown eight miles up the road at Cecarelli Farm to 20,000+ school children is a magnificent achievement. The smile of delight on a child's face when he takes a bite out of Nelson's corn is priceless. Emily Brooks has captured each farm in its own right, and reading the recipes makes my mouth water." —Chef Timothy Cipriano, Executive Director of New Haven Public School District Food Service "Connecticut Farmer & Feast is inspired and inspiring. Each farm vignette is a revelation and delight, as are the accompanying recipes, which transcend the book's defining geography and would be a welcome addition to any kitchen. Emily Brooks's enthusiasm for her subject radiates from each page. She clearly had a ball exploring Connecticut's small farms and made many good friends along the way." —Magda Krance, avid farmers-marketeer, amateur chef, and media relations manager for Lyric Opera of Chicago