My own interest in organics started with my restaurant in Sonoma County in Sonoma County in the Northern California wine country in the late 1970's. I was greatly influenced by the messages of Alice Waters and other cooks about the importance of organically grown foods. As I worked more with organic farmers, however, I began to see the importance of organic agriculture beyond simply superior taste. This approach to agriculture brings us inevitably to an understanding that what we eat and how those things we eat are grown affects all of the planet in a profound way. The destruction of one cell creates losses in the whole system.
Every act has an effect on every other part of the system.
In this system then, we vote for and affect the health of the planet every day by the food choices we make. Our continuing reliance on chemicals to farm our food has some especially worrisome aspects. On the other hand, the use of less-toxic methods is an important affirmation that organic farming can be mainstream and profitable . I would add to that one cannot dine well unless one has chosen their food responsibly and in a way that recognizes that we are stewards of the earth and all that lives on it. This is the importance of organic agriculture .