HEAG's Corner: Getting some Local Flavor

by Rebecca Ross '14
HEAG MEMBER

“I like to eat as close to nature as I can,” Tom Bell told me, taking pause from planting petunias in the window boxes of Tom’s Natural Foods. Nearly neighboring Tex Mex, Tom’s Natural Foods is a light blue punctuation mark in Clinton’s downtown–and has been since 1972.  Bell’s graying hair, pulled back into a ponytail, wisps framing his face, catches the sun as we talk outside of Tom’s, taking advantage of Central New York’s first true spring day.

Bonnie Wood, who has been with Tom’s since the 1980s, nods along as Bell tells their story. It began as a result of his inspired sister looking to start a small business. “So we rented a spot, called distributors, and filled it with food,” Tom said when describing the business’s genesis–and full it remains.
Inside, islands of cupboards and bins filled with flours, oats, nuts and granola make corridors through the shop. Opposing walls are lined with loose-leaf teas, local honeys and yogurts, veggie burgers and tofu scramble.

For Hamilton College students, Tom’s is best known for its Ziploc baggies bulging with chocolate-covered blueberries or trail mix, the smoothie bar in the back the plate of cheese samples waiting at the cash register. The space is small, but efficient – there isn’t much in the way of natural products that you can’t find at Tom’s.

“Pure and unadulterated” food is what Tom’s seeks to supply the Clinton area with, and though much of their packaged food comes from distributors in neighboring states, it aims to keep as local as possible. The meat and dairy products offered are all from small family farms and factories, like Old Path Farm in Sauquoit and Berry Hill Farm in Deansboro. In the summer, they even sell veggies from their own garden.

Tom’s is one of the many local vendors that will be selling goods at HEAG’s biannual Farmer’s Market, which will take place on Wednesday, April 20 as a part of Green Week. Tom Bell and Bonnie Wood’s commitment to natural, local foods coincides seamlessly with the goals of Green Week as it emphasizes the impact and agency of individuals when it comes to how our decisions affect the environment. “The market will get students interacting with locals in two important ways: by supporting local economies while sustaining a relationship with the community we live in,” remarked HEAG member Adi Fracchia ’14.

In this day and age, it seems to resonate that in a smaller world our negative impact isn’t as large. Businesses like Tom’s help cinch the world a little closer together, and provide a community that’s missing in the aisles of chain grocery stores, where the food you buy has traversed the world to get there and has the list of artificial ingredients and shelf life to prove it.

It is HEAG’s hope that the events of Green Week will encourage students to be more conscious of the impact their actions make on the environment, and to consider better alternatives. Monday’s Pledge To Go Veg event raises awareness of the environmental effects of the meat industry, while Tuesday’s Lights Out, Green In speaker will discuss turning to natural light from 11 am to 1 pm, an easy way to reduce energy usage. On Thursday, Professor Todd Rayne will lead a discussion after a screening of the movie “FLOW (For the Love of Water),”  about the bottled water industry and issues of water security.

Friday’s Spring Cleaning “is a ‘revamping’ of the annual Glen cleanup,” said HEAG’s President Katherine Costa. “[This year,] we will be focusing on other areas of the campus where trash accumulates.” Saturday, in honor of Green Week, there will be more natural options at track and lacrosse concession stands. “Proceeds will go to buy carbon offsets for the miles traveled by athletic teams to meets, games, etc. Basically we want to neutralize the carbon emissions from athletic teams’ travel!” said Costa.

Although Bell remembers my name when I come back to buy flour, the sense of community present at Tom’s is about more than being on a first name basis with the owners, it’s about treading a little lighter on the environment and the events of Green Week are meant to make students realize that. “We introduced this food to a lot of people,” Bell said, but now natural products are becoming more mainstream. He is pleased that people now pay more attention to what is in their food, but as the movement gains momentum, so, businesses like Tom’s are increasingly threatened. Bell notes that now that Hannaford’s has a natural foods section, Tom’s has been forced to stop carrying certain products. Tom’s was truly a pioneer in this area for the last 20 plus years, so support of this store and the owner’s expertise seems like a “natural” conclusion. You can support him and his business Wednesday on Martin’s Way.