We were so (literally) moved by writer Nancy Matsumoto’s recent story about chefs who have ditched their delivery trucks for two and three-wheeled clean-energy modes of transport, that we asked videographer Elizabeth Leitzell to go along for the ride.
While most restaurants get deliveries by truck, and even Greenmarket-minded chefs typically hail cabs at Union Square or schlep by van, a few instead transport their farmy bounty using not fossil fuels but their own blood, sweat and quads.
Sure, these are short distance: Back Forty West (née Savoy) is a mere mile from Union Square, so skipping that cab saves very little gas. But that’s the final trip this produce takes, and pedaling that mile is in completely in keeping with why Peter Hoffman shops at the Greenmarket in the first place, rather than just order produce from distant time zones. For him and those like him, getting food from market to restaurant without gas is just the final link in a low-carbon food chain.
“We have the ability to make better choices,” says chef Hoffman. “Let’s solve the problem in a different way. That’s what this bike is for.” As a sticker on his custom tricycle reads: “the revolution will not be motorized.”
(Editor’s aside: I freaking love the beginning when the sign in the background reads “LIVE YOUR LIFE.” If you know Peter Hoffman, you’ll find that sentiment entirely appropriate.)
Hit play above to see and hear more. And don’t forget your bike helmet.
