Signs of Sustainability: John Novi
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| Photo by Ilene Cutler. |
The Signs of
Sustainability Project is a citizen lead initiative created to show gratitude
to our friends and neighbors in the Rondout Valley who demonstrate sustainable
practices. Sustainability is
defined by this project as stewardship and care of the present and future
vitality of our wild, agricultural and human resources. Since it began in October 2012, the
Signs of Sustainability Project has recognized 24 local individuals and
organizations by documenting what they have done. Each year the past recipients of the award are invited to
join in the selection process.
John Novi – High Falls
For over 3 decades
Chef John Novi has cooked and served local food at The Dupuy Canal House. In this beautiful, historic stone
building you can eat one of the finest meals in the Hudson Valley - a region
known for fine meals. Before the local food movement was a celebrity chef’s
tagline and before menus fanatically described the local sources of ingredients,
John was doing what he loves to do – drive around our region and find good
ingredients and then cook something fantastic with them.
He told me the story
of his first big local find – yellow tomatoes from Davenport Farm. Falling in love with these local gems,
he requested that Davenport’s and Gill’s Farms bring him each 1 case a week
during the season and he preserved them to use later for purees and sauces.
From that point he was addicted to striking out and discovering local food
sources.
New York Times
Restaurant critic, Craig Claiborne, sat down to a meal at The Dupuy Canal House
and rewarded John Novi with 4 stars for the quality and boldness displayed in a
local, fresh caught fish served
head on, a la Jaques Pepin.
“The sky opened up!” said Novi, and the restaurant became a destination
and helped to define the Hudson Valley as a place where Food is made.
John Novi’s deep love
for the Hudson Valley, where he grew up in a family of restaurant owners, lead
him to start a visionary coalition that discussed far out stuff like collaborations between local businesses
and the importance of open space
. He later became one of the
founding members of the Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy, which has permanently
preserved over 3,000 acres of forest and farmland in the Rondout and Esopus
Valleys. Three decades ago he
displayed a commitment to sourcing clean local food , to protecting our natural resources, and to the relationships between people in small communities.
John Novi continues to
act as a steward of our local
resources and so he was among the first group of community members to receive a
Signs of Sustainability Award in 2012.
Thank you John!
Posted by Chris Hewitt
on 1:00 AM.
Filed under
buy local,
Food & Restaurant,
locavore,
People in Your Neighborhood,
Signs of Sustainability
.
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