The Mast Journal
Connecting community in conversation.
Enjoy conversations with inspirational folks throughout the food industry and beyond. Get to know your favorite organic farmers, entrepreneurs, chefs, ceramicists, food media leaders, woodworkers, poets, and more. Subscribe and you can receive the latest conversation right to your inbox.
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Suzie and Peter Jones didn’t set out to become cheesemakers. In 2004, the couple moved their family to Upstate New York and began raising goats for meat. Though they were able to sell some of it, c...
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On the surface, the three men behind River Valley Community Grains are millers, but the business that Lenny Bussanich, Mike Hozer, and Larry Mahmarian have built is about much more than making flou...
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First, John moved back to his childhood home in Pound Ridge, New York, where he quickly filled his backyard with about 400 chickens, ducks, turkeys, and Guinea hens. Then, he began searching for fa...
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For the past 14 years, Bedford 2030 has been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the earth’s natural resources in Westchester County and beyond. The nonprofit is dedicated to add...
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In 2005, Alex officially launched Taza Chocolate with his wife Kathleen Fulton. The duo has been crafting stone-ground chocolate in their Somerville, Massachusetts factory ever since. “We make choc...
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For over 35 years, Beth’s Farm Kitchen has been crafting artisan jams, jellies, and chutneys using local Hudson Valley produce. The company was originally founded in 1981 by Beth Linskey in her Stu...
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In 1996, David Elwell and Steve Leven opened a coffee shop in Gramercy Park with the goal of creating a warm, friendly gathering place for all types of people. They sought to be the opposite of the...
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In conversation with artisan woodturner and founder of Vermont Rolling Pins, Ken Freeman. Here, he shares how he fell into woodturning and why his rolling pins are so special.
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In conversation with Prince Swaray of the vertical farming company, Bowery. He explains what vertical farming is, shares the company’s mission and gives us a taste of the current leafy offerings.
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For Homa Dashtaki, the founder of small-batch yogurt brand The White Moustache, yogurt is so much more than a dairy product. It's her family tradition, it’s her Iranian heritage, and, most importan...
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In 2016, Nina and David made their career switch official with the launch of Alder New York, a line of clean, vegan skincare and haircare essentials that meets their own high standards. Here, the d...
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Ryan Hanson shares why he started Surely, how he makes compelling non-alcoholic wine, and what he envisions for the future of the brand.
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To create the collaboration candle, Apotheke experimented with sustainable materials that meet our high standards, like all-natural apricot wax and essential oil-based fragrances. Here, Carli talks...
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Bien Cuit founder and baker Zachary Golper shares how he honed his craft, why he settled in New York City, and what he loves most about his job now.
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Our beautiful and beloved space in Mt. Kisco was destroyed by a fire last month. It is difficult to put into words what this experience is like so we’ve turned to some images we took inside the bui...
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Mark Scherzer of Turkana Farms shares more about the advantages of heritage breed turkeys, why he loves his quiet farm life, and how he celebrates Thanksgiving.
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In conversation with Sey Coffee’s Jaime Hodgkin. Jaime shares Sey’s origin story, its guiding principles, and what he loves about working in coffee.
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In conversation with Austin Jones of Blooming Hill Farm. Austin shares more about the evolution of Blooming Hill Farm, as well as his hopes for the future of the family business.
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In conversation with Aishwarya Iyer, founder of Brightland. She shares her thoughtful, delicious, and beautiful approach to creating a next generation food company.
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Kate Jordan shares how she first became a photographer, what she loves most about her job, and how her support system lifts her up every single day.
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In conversation with Chef Dan Giusti, founder of Brigaid. The former head chef of Noma shares his impressive career path and how he is rethinking institutional food service.
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