westchester food photographer

Spare Food Photography

December 08, 2023 in Food Photographer, Food Photography, Photo, Photographer

Stone Barns Spring Feast

June 05, 2023 in Food Photographer, Event Photographer, Food Photography, Photo, Photographer

The Stone Barns Spring Feast is an annual culinary event held at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, located in Pocantico Hills, New York. Stone Barns Center is a nonprofit farm and education center that focuses on sustainable agriculture and food systems.

The Spring Feast is a celebration of the spring season and the abundance of fresh, locally grown food. It brings together renowned chefs, farmers, and food enthusiasts to showcase the flavors and techniques that highlight the farm-to-table movement. The event typically features a multi-course dinner prepared by guest chefs using ingredients sourced directly from the farm and the surrounding Hudson Valley region.

Guests at the Spring Feast can expect an exquisite dining experience that emphasizes seasonal and sustainable cuisine. The menu often includes a variety of dishes that showcase the best produce, meats, and dairy products available during the springtime. The chefs work closely with the farmers and artisans associated with Stone Barns Center to create a menu that highlights the flavors of the season and supports the principles of sustainable agriculture.

In addition to the meal, the Spring Feast may also include educational components such as farm tours, workshops, and presentations that explore the importance of sustainable food systems and the work being done at Stone Barns Center.

Attending the Stone Barns Spring Feast offers a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for good food, sustainable agriculture, and environmental stewardship. It's a chance to support the mission of Stone Barns Center while enjoying a memorable dining experience in a beautiful farm setting.

Spare Food Co at The Parlor

February 22, 2022

The guys at Spare Food were kind enough to ask me to document their lunch at The Parlor. It was Chef Adam that recommended this incredible Westcheser Pizza joint back when I used to work with Stone Barns.

If you want to try some Spare Food Tonic, give these flavors a try at Decicco or Fresh Direct - Lemon & Ginger. Cucumber & Lime. Blueberry & Ginger. Peach & Turmeric.

Westchester Food Photographer - Edo

January 25, 2022 in Food Photographer, Food Photography

Always nice to work as a photographer for new restaurants, especially ones local to where I live in Westchester, New York. Everything here shot with a Sony A1 and a couple of Light and Motion LED’s.

Edo Port Chester, Westchester, New York - Food Photography by Ben Hider

Crafting the Future of Beer at Stone Barns

March 02, 2018 in Food Photographer, Event Photographer

Crafting the Future of Beer at Stone Barns

Photographs by Ben Hider

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture Sheep Shearing Festival

April 30, 2017 in Food Photographer

Stone Barns annual sheep shearing festival is one of my favorite events every year to photograph. It marks the beginning of spring and summer with better weather and more outdoor food events.

Food Photographer Ben Hider

Stone Barns Photographer

January 02, 2017

It's always great to see photographs used, especially when they're emailed out to everyone from such an incredible place as Stone Barns.

Food Photographer - Ben Hider

Lincoln at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture on June 30, 2016 in Tarrytown, New York. (Photo By Ben Hider)

Lincoln Car Event at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

July 01, 2016 in Photo

Food Photographer - Ben Hider

Young Farmers Conference at Stone Barns

December 05, 2015 in Photo

The Young Farmers Conference, at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, is convening some 250 young and beginning farmers for intensive workshops, demonstrations, business courses, conversations and dancing. Part of the Center's Growing Farmers Initiative, the conference is unique in scope and reach, bringing together thought leaders, creative practitioners and business experts in the sustainable agriculture movement with farmers eager for ideas, information and connection.

Young and beginning farmers attend to talk about improvements they want to make to their farms and, for most, dream about the type of farm they hope to have one day. They gather to share ideas, business models, tools and experiences that can help them meet the challenges of small-scale farming.

A study conducted in 2011 by the National Young Farmers Coalition not only quantifies those challenges but gives voice to the frustrations and fears of the farmers dealing with them. Lindsey Lusher Shute started the coalition in 2011 to help define the issues confronting this generation of young farmers and bring about the policy changes needed to give them a leg up. In a nationwide survey of 1,000 farmers, Lindsey found that some of the top barriers impeding them are lack of capital, credit and land.

The annual Young Farmers Conference, together with Stone Barns Center’s Growing Farmers Initiative, is designed to give beginning farmers the resources and information they need to overcome these hurdles, as well as be a vital forum for education and training.

Problem: Lack of Capital and Access to Credit. Finding the money to start a farming operation can be daunting. Inputs are expensive and the margins are slim. Of the farmers surveyed by the National Young Farmers Coalition, 78% ranked “lack of capital” as their top challenge. Yes, there are loans available from the USDA Farm Service Agency, but current rules are too restrictive, small loans are hard to secure and loans can take a long time to process. Financial straits frequently force beginning farmers to work second jobs: 73% report they rely on off-farm income to make ends meet. This year, the Young Farmers Conference is offering a Business Planning Track—a five-workshop series focused on establishing systems to promote efficiency and help farmers find their market niche.

Problem: Access to Land. According to the survey, approximately 78% of beginning farmers did not grow up on a farm. Without inheriting farmland, the prospect of buying land, and at affordable prices, can be unattainable for many, especially for those in areas with high real estate prices. Several conference workshops will explore the access to land issue from different angles, from urban farming to farm ownership.

Problem: the Need for Education and Training. All beginning farmers need hands-on training—both technical and practical. They need to learn techniques and ideas from experienced farmers and have an opportunity to put them to work. The survey cited farm apprenticeships as one of the things that currently is working—and arguably one of the things that Stone Barns Center does best for young farmers, with its dozens of apprenticeships offered annually. As the only national annual conference of its size and scope, Stone Barns Center’s Young Farmers Conference is leading the way in educating and convening young farmers. And it offered up education and practical courses in spades: backyard beekeeping, the basics of soil science, pasture-raised laying hens, greenhouse management, sheep-handling skills, poultry-processing, crop rotation, whole-animal butchering—just to name a few.

To learn more about the Young Farmers Conference visit virtualgrange.org!