November Featured Artist - Margherita Lamanno

Margherita is a Sheffield native and the mother of two daughters, who loves to capture moments with her camera. She is also a licensed esthetician, breastfeeding advocative and seeker of adventure and joy. She embraced photography as a young girl and pursued her love of the camera while in her teens by working with mentors Steve and Tony from the Snap Shop. During her employment there, she was encouraged to learn about all aspects of photography.

In 2014, she joined the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project to support mothers and babies and to advocate for normalizing breastfeeding, along with 70 other photographers worldwide, through their photographic images.

Margherita describes herself as a lifestyle photographer who specializes in portraits, children, families, pets, pregnancy, breastfeeding, events and nature.  This show is dedicated to her loving mother, Barbara, who died in 2107. She is grateful for the encouragement her mother gave her to always follow her interests.

Inquiries may be made by contacting Margherita at earthmama10@yahoo.com

You can follow Margherita on Faceboook.

Interested in showing your work in our cafe gallery? Apply here!

Q&A with Brian Murphy!

Brian developed a love of food and cooking at a young age. The pursuit of knowledge of all things meat eventually led him to Great Barrington, where he took a job at Jacuterie as a butcher and charcutier, specializing in the production of salami, sau- sage, and whole-muscle cured products. Brian started working for the Berkshire Food Co-op in May 2019. He lives in Hudson, with his partner Tess and two cats. He enjoys cooking, live music, longboarding and great craft beer.

What are you passionate about?

Two things that drive me are great food and helping people. The Co-op has been a great environment to combine these passions. My dream would be to own a small counter- serve spot with awesome local food at affordable prices.

What was the best concert you ever attended?

It’s very hard to pick one, but probably Phish at Chula Vista a few summers ago. It was at an amphitheatre surrounded by desert dunes, with a crystal clear view of the stars and rolling sand spotted with cacti all around.

How did you get into the meat business?

After finishing a BA in psychology and economics at Boston College, I decided to pursue a passion for food and cooking and venture into the restaurant world. After a short and unenjoyable month, I decided to shift gears to retail food service. I got my start at the meat department at Whole Foods in Hadley, MA. My passion for local, sustainable food led me to leave Whole Foods and take an apprenticeship and then full time job at Sutter Meats in Northampton, MA. This proved to be an invaluable experience, where I learned the ins and outs of whole- animal butchery.

How do you recharge?

I really enjoy cooking, and will often spend my days off making a simple, yet elaborate meal. Usually tacos, some sort of noodle dish, or pizza. They’re all generally simple dishes, but all involve technical elements that take a while. Slow-cooked meats, long-simmered broths, and cold fermented dough. The time intensive and technical processes provide a sort of meditation, and the reward is always great.

David Kelly at Simon's Rock!

After a screening of the short doc "El Cacao" by Michelle E. Aguilar, our own David Kelly spoke about his trip to Peru in 2018. Through Equal Exchange, a fair trade co-op, he lived and worked with cacao and coffee farmers in the Peruvian Amazon and experienced first-hand the impact organizations like Equal Exchange have on small family farmers.

To see David’s pictures and read more about his trip, read this blog post!