Tough Conversations that Make Local Food Work
What does it actually take to make local food work — not just in theory, but in real life?
In this episode of One Bite is Everything, host Dana DiPrima speaks with Jeanne Blasberg, a former Boston-based author who made a dramatic life pivot: purchasing a 500-acre farm outside Madison, Wisconsin and working to build a regenerative agricultural system connected directly to a fast-casual restaurant chain, Forage Kitchen.
What began as a personal search for purpose quickly evolved into a hands-on exploration of one of the most important questions in our food system:
If consumers say they want local food, why is it still so hard to deliver?
Together, Dana and Jeanne explore the hidden friction between farms and restaurants — from menu consistency and pricing pressures to logistics, seasonality, and infrastructure gaps that make local sourcing more difficult than most people realize.
This conversation goes beyond the romantic idea of “farm to table” and into the operational reality of what it takes to produce nutrient-dense food, build viable farm businesses, and create supply chains that work for both farmers and foodservice operators.
Along the way, they discuss:
• Why local food often struggles to compete with large-scale distributors
• What restaurants actually need from farmers in order to source locally
• The role of regenerative agriculture in building resilient food systems
• How vertically integrated farm–restaurant partnerships can shift power dynamics
• Why small farms capture only a fraction of each food dollar
• The challenge of balancing environmental values with financial sustainability
• How technology may help bridge gaps between farms and buyers
• Why rebuilding regional food systems requires collaboration across the entire value chain
Jeanne’s story also reflects a broader movement: professionals leaving traditional careers in search of work aligned with their values, and discovering just how complex building a better food system can be.
This episode is a window into the future of food — and a reminder that change often happens not through grand gestures, but through relationships, iteration, and persistence.
Because food is not just food. It's infrastructure, health, and community. And it is a system we are all part of shaping.
About the Guest
Jeanne Blasberg is a novelist, regenerative farmer, and co-founder of a diversified farm outside Madison, Wisconsin. Her work focuses on soil health, nutrient density, local supply chains, and innovative partnerships between farms and food businesses. She is working to develop replicable models that help small and mid-sized farms remain economically viable while improving environmental outcomes.
Find Flynn Creek Farm here.
About the Host
Dana DiPrima is the founder of the For Farmers Movement and host of One Bite is Everything, the podcast that connects the food on our plates to the broader systems that shape health, environment, community, and economy.
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