Albert Yee
Philip Horst-Landis of Sweet Stem Farm in Lititz, Pa.
As an employee of the Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal Market since 2008, Albert Yee's long been in an optimal spot to document the growth of the local food movement and its relevance to our everyday eating. With his new exhibition, "Hands That Feed Us: A Peek into Our Foodshed," the freelance photographer and food blogger (Picky of messyandpicky.com) aims to literally frame the real people behind Philly's real food.
"Hands That Feed Us," which opens Friday at Fishtown's Gravy Studio & Gallery (there'll be local food and drink?, of course), comprises more than a dozen shots Yee's taken at farms, markets and dairies within a 150-mile radius of Philly, all of which provide products to the Farmstand and other locally focused shops in town. "I want to bring the hands that feed us — our farmers — to the forefront," says Yee. "I want people to have a face to go along with the lettuce in their salad, the eggs they had for breakfast and the steak they grilled over the weekend."
Albert Yee
Birchrun Hills Farm in Chester Springs, Pa.
Photos in the show come from small-operation farmsteads like Lititz's Sweet Stem, where Yee captured an incredible shot of a beaming hog getting hosed off on a hot day by farmer Dee Horst-Landis (below). "To see that smiling pig in front of me was amazing," says Yee. "CAFO [concentrated animal feeding operation] pigs don't smile." He also captured kissing calves at Chester Springs' Birchrun Hills Farm (above), famous for its cheeses, and a curious goat posing proudly on his hind legs at the lush Yellow Springs Farm, also in Chester Springs.
Yee feels that while Philly eaters have become more interested in seeking out local foods, we've still got a ways to go, particularly where money is concerned. Though orgs like The Food Trust and Fair Food have instituted price-focused programming, the fare provided by the people Yee's highlighting in his show often ends up costing more than your average supermarket item — whether hampered by financial or philosophical hang-ups, not everyone can reconcile the price gap between, say, eggs from Acme and ones from a local chicken farmer.
Albert Yee
Sweet Stem Farm in Lititz, Pa.
"People understand that a $250,000 Ferrari is different from a $12,000 Smart car, but most people don't see the value in different kinds of food," says Yee. That's part of why he intends to pursue a larger exhibition and educational campaign focused on the local foodshed, with this photographic collection serving as the kickoff.
"Hands That Feed Us: A Peek Into Our Foodshed" opens Fri., July 1, 6:30-10 p.m., exhibit through July 31, Gravy Studio & Gallery, 2212 Sepviva St., Loading Dock 1, gravystudio.blogspot.com.
