Food Finds America's Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them

Allison Engel’s Food Finds serves as a comprehensive directory for American consumers seeking direct access to local food producers. This paperback volume catalogs more than four hundred specialty food businesses across the United States. Each entry provides detailed descriptions of the artisans behind the products, explaining how items are made and highlighting the ethnic idiosyncrasies that define regional cuisines. The text is supported by one hundred fifty photographs that illustrate the people and processes involved in small-scale production. The book functions as a practical guide for ordering, offering both mail and online contact information for each listed producer. It draws on exhaustively researched data to present a snapshot of America’s local food industry at the turn of the millennium. The content reflects carefully preserved traditions and the unique characteristics of regional fare. Readers will find colorful anecdotes that humanize the business owners and provide context for their craft. This resource suits those interested in the business side of direct-to-consumer food sales, culinary travel, and reference materials for American regional cooking. It is less suitable for readers seeking modern recipes or contemporary food science theories. The work stands as a specific record of early twenty-first-century local producers rather than a general history of American agriculture.