The organic movement in the U.S. finds an unlikely hero in Prince Charles

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: For U.S. Food Elite, an Unlikely (Crowned) Hero
By KIM SEVERSON
Published: April 25, 2007
Tetbury, England


(Photographs by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)
His line of foods, Duchy Originals, including ginger biscuits stamped with the crest of the Duchy of Cornwall, top, and jams, are sold in some specialty stores in the United States.

....At home, the royal perspective has been criticized as conservative, stodgy and elitist. But to some of the generals of the American food revolution, the prince qualifies as downright progressive.

Alice Waters, who drove the organic movement in the United States, is smitten. “He is, in private, really one of the most forward-thinking, radical humanitarians I have ever talked to,” she said.

The left-leaning food elite of the United States has prince fever, and it has nothing to do with an underlying fascination with the monarchy, Diana and Helen Mirren notwithstanding. To Ms. Waters and her troops, no one else of the prince’s stature has spoken out on the issues they hold dear: responsible stewardship of the land, preservation of rural life and the need for good food grown without chemicals or worker exploitation.

“Can you think of any American political figure who has spoken eloquently or bravely about these issues?” asked Eric Schlosser, the author of “Fast Food Nation,” who has become a friend of the prince.

Ms. Waters agreed. “Al Gore doesn’t even talk about food,” she said.

(That’s not to say Mr. Gore doesn’t have prince fever, too. He has visited Highgrove to discuss the environment with the prince, and the two happily trade shout-outs to each other in speeches.)

Eleanor Bertino, Ms. Waters’s former college roommate at Berkeley in the 1960s and a food and restaurant publicist, is so impressed that she recently took on the job of promoting Duchy Originals, the prince’s line of organic food and beauty products, as it makes a new push this spring into the United States.

Like the prince, Nell Newman, the actor Paul Newman’s daughter, runs an organic food company whose profits go to charity. She said she is aching to visit his farm. The prince was even a hit among the farmers in Marin County, the hub of the nation’s organic movement, when he visited two years ago.

“The prince was treated like a hero when he showed up in Marin,” Mr. Schlosser said. “Think about how unlikely that is.”...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/dining/25prin.html

[maddezmom]

1. I buy some of this product line

very good quality, etc...I had no idea it was the work of Prince Charles :hide:

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Me, too -- excellent. DeepModem Dad is an Anglophile...

and keeps up with all things British, so I knew the products were Charles's, and profits went to charity.

[maddezmom]

3. we're going to be moving home soon, so I hope I'll still be able to

get them. My son is a big fan of the jams and both my kids love the sausage. :) I'm not a big fan of sausage in general unless it's from the butcher, but have to admit I like them, too.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Oh, you're "over there"!

We lived there, too, for a while -- a great experience -- and DeepModem Dad, in his mind, I think, never really left! You can get Duchy products in some stores here, though not nearly as readily available as in Britain.