In this book talk, Elisa Spungen Bildner and Robert Bildner tell the story of family-run agriculture through the language of food in the second edition of The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook. The conversation is moderated by journalist Jennifer Huberdeau.

This stunning but approachable book offers more than 125 recipes to bring the magic of the Berkshires into your kitchen. Sweet Corn Pancakes, Confetti Vegetable and Goat Cheese Lasagna, Chicken Pot Pie, Cranberry Cobbler, and more celebrate the lush landscape of this western New England region. Complete with charming farm profiles and vibrant photographs, The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook paints a vivid portrait of the relationship between the earth and what we eat. 

As board members of the Berkshire Food Project, sourcing locally has always been a priority for campus restaurant Casita. Following the talk, it will be hosting a one-of-a-kind dinner using ingredients from the farmers who live and work in the region. Join Casita founders Mariah and Justin Forstmann, the authors, and several of the farmers profiled in the book at 6:30 for this one-night-only menu. Reserve your seat here.

About the Speakers:
Elisa Spungen Bildner and Robert Bildner are both former lawyers with experience in the local food industry who have lived in the Berkshires for more than 40 years. Elisa also worked as a journalist and professionally trained chef (School of Natural Cookery, Boulder, CO). Robert shot the farm and chef photographs for The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook. The Bildners are prolific advocacy leaders in the non-profit, philanthropic world with a focus on the Jewish community. 

Jennifer Huberdeau is an arts and culture journalist and critic based in Massachusetts. She is the art critic and features editor of The Berkshire Eagle, where she oversees the food page and weekend section, Berkshire Landscapes and writes a cookbook review column, Fork & Folio. A member of the International Association of Art Critics and a recipient of the 2021 Rabkin Prize for visual arts criticism, she resides in Adams.