FashionWeekDaily spoke with Jake at the Fall Harvest Dinner to discuss veggies, farmers and besties.
It’s a pleasure meeting you. You’re one of our favorite actors in the world.
That’s very nice of you!
Tell us about your involvement with the Edible Schoolyard.
I’ve been involved with them for a couple of years. I’m titled by Alice Waters, the ambassador of the school yard. I got involved because the dinner table was always a place, since I was a young child, where we got to get together, and I actually got to know my family there more than any other place in the world. I grew up growing my own food in our family garden. One of my best friends is a farmer. It’s been a primary focus of my life.
We love food!
I didn’t realize that I grew up in the slow food movement. I see children who didn’t know any of these things—that they can grow their own food and learn about vegetables when they are at a primary level. It was everything to me, so I wanted to be involved. Since knowing about this organization, I’ve done everything I can.
What’s your favorite vegetable?
I’d say right now, after an extensive search over the years and living the wonderful life that I’ve had so far, and after tasting many, many vegetables…cavolo nero. It’s like a really soft kale. You can eat it any form: cooked, raw…
We trust anything you say. Let’s backtrack…How do you know a farmer?
I was raised in Los Angeles, but I spent my summers, since I was born, in Martha’s Vineyard. My best friend, since we were little kids, lives there, and he’s a farmer. His whole family farms. I know it might seem odd, but it’s what I love more than anything. Being in gardens have been some of the most wonderful times of my life. Washing lettuce and watching things grow…you feel connected to the world. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything that connects you to the universe in the same way that planting a seed does.
That’s so sweet! And now you’ve got a beard like a real farmer.
Seeds of growth!
