Barbers farm-based restaurant teaches eaters what theyre eating.

Question: What inspired this project?

Dan Barber: Well you know it wasn’t me. I mean it was a group of people, right? I mean it was the . . . It was the . . . You know it was some people who worked with Mr. Rockefeller who were intent on seeing this return back to agriculture. I mean Mr. Rockefeller used to milk cows in the middle of the . . . what is now the dining room. So there’s a real history there, and to return that seemed, you know, an intoxicating possibility, especially at this time in our . . . in our world where food . . . the consciousness about food is becoming more realized for people across the Board. And so to have this asset, this place that’s right outside New York City where it’s completely accessible – it’s really a public use facility – is a good opportunity to talk about these issues, and to display them in real life. So you know there was a group of people who were interested in seeing that come to fruition, and luckily it did.

Recorded on: 2/11/08