Last Word with Zac Posen

I have great empathy for farmers. People don’t understand how hard it is, from a business standpoint, to predict results.

I wanted to be a butcher and hoped to learn the trade at an old-school Italian meat market in Manhattan. Instead, I landed an internship with Nicole Miller. Obviously, that worked out for me, but I still believe food is the more communicative medium. Everybody eats. Not everybody wears haute couture.

Gardening is both an empowering and a humbling experience. On the one hand, you grow what you need to survive. On the other, you control nothing. There are so many variables: soil science, water sources, weather patterns.

I have great empathy for farmers, whether small or large, organic or conventional. People don’t understand how hard it is, from a business standpoint, to predict results. Global warming is real and raises the difficulty level.

I’m consumed by plant-buying desire. I’ll spend hours and hours online late at night, sourcing interesting heirloom seeds, seedlings, and bulbs. Right now, my parents and I are growing 13 different tomato varieties, every kind of herb from chervil to lemongrass, plus bok choy, carrots, spinach, and more.

Food justice matters to me. I’m upset by the high price of organic produce. Shouldn’t we all have access to fresh, healthy, locally grown ingredients? I would love to see that change in my lifetime.