Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracey Medeiros.
Tracey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Massachusetts, graduating from Northeastern University in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree. Food has always been my passion, my true center of interest, which led me to Johnson and Wales University where I earned a diploma in Culinary Arts, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
After graduation, I quickly took an interest in the Sustainability Movement and the changing face of American agriculture. I loved shopping at Farmers’ Markets and exploring roadside produce stands. Talking to the hardworking farmers, food producers, and chefs who labor long and hard to grow, produce, and serve our food gave me a new awareness of the extraordinary happenings in Vermont’s food community.
Visits to both small and large bookstores soon showed me that cookbooks dedicated to Vermont and its farms, farmers, food producers, products, and chefs were a rare commodity – and soon an idea was born. I asked myself, “Why not write a cookbook that would showcase the state of Vermont and all of the wonders of its food community?” Nothing happens overnight. I began to research the premise of sustainable agriculture with its deep continuous respect for nature. I went to farms and talked to farmers about their desire to use the land in the most productive way possible, not by mass production, but through preservation for the generations to come. I traveled all over the state talking to people in the food industry and brought home their stories, dreams and favorite recipes, some of which had been in their families for generations.
My first cookbook, Dishing Up Vermont, highlights the practice of sustainability. Each of the farmers, farms, and chefs featured in this book are devoted followers of sustainability and a member of The Vermont Fresh Network.
My second cookbook, The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook, is a culinary tribute to Vermont’s farmers, farms, food producers and chefs. The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook promotes the farm to table movement and the value of buying local. It emphasizes the fact that by spending local dollars, for local products, we help to ensure the economic health of our agricultural community thereby, sustaining local businesses, farmers, and the environment.
My third cookbook, The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook, introduces the reader to Connecticut’s flourishing food scene with its own farm to table and sustainability movements.
In the fall of 2017, my fourth cookbook, The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook was released. The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook honors the state’s mission to connect with its local organic farmlands and the farmers who nurture and care for them. It also serves as a guide for eating organically and non-GMO in Vermont. The book celebrates the region’s esteemed organic food producers, farmers, cheesemakers, dairy farmers, and the chefs who partner with them to create delicious, innovative, organic, and non-GMO recipes. The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook is a 2018 Readable Feast Cookbook Awards Finalist.
Along the way, I have met many wonderful people, our lives have touched if only briefly, but I am oh, so much richer for the experience. My books are a culinary tribute to all of them.
Lastly, I write The Farmhouse Kitchen: A Guide to Eating Local column for Edible Green Mountains Magazine. I am also a freelance food writer, food stylist, and recipe developer and tester. I am often seen on various television cooking segments preparing one of my favorite recipes while sharing helpful culinary tips with the viewing audience. I travel regionally as a guest speaker and cooking instructor, emphasizing my commitment to the sustainable food movement by using locally produced fresh ingredients to create dishes that are healthy and delicious.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the most challenging aspects of writing cookbooks is trying to fit all of these wonderful recipes and contributors into my books is no easy task. I always have so much to share with my readers and want to have the books clear, concise and easy to understand. I want the cookbooks to be beautiful in appearance – something that readers will refer to again and again.
Please tell us about Tracey Medeiros.
One of the best parts of being a food writer and author is that it offers me an opportunity to spread the word throughout New England about the amazing work that folks are doing to help promote community wellness through food. Having the ability to showcase all the great things that are happening in the agricultural and food communities gives me a great sense of satisfaction and is the driving force behind my writing. Meeting so many of the wonderful folks in our food community was such a joy. Going behind the scenes to see how everything works, so to speak, is truly an eye opener. I wanted the reader to learn about how the book’s participants work to effect positive change not only for today, but for generations to come.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have always loved everything that is food related, even as a child I liked to cook. My dream was to one day study the art of food and its preparation. To this end, I enrolled at Johnson and Wales University where, after graduation, I quickly became interested in the sustainability movement.
Pricing:
- The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook (Skyhorse Publishing) Price: $29.99
- The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook (Countryman Press) Price: $19.95
- The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook (Countryman Press) Price: $22.95
- Dishing Up Vermont (Storey Publishing) Price: $19.95
Contact Info:
- Website: www.traceymedeiros.com
- Email: traceymedeiros@comcast.net
- Facebook: vermontfarmtablecookbook
- Twitter: tmedeirosvt
Image Credit:
Oliver Parini
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