5 Courses with Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture Scott Soares

"I love public service!" says Scott Soares. Maybe so, but "The Commish" isn't your father's idea of some buttoned-up Beacon Hill type. He sports a shiny black ponytail and a necktie speckled with tiny carrots and tomatoes. He has a Twitter account (@AgCommishSoares), and he knows how to make a killer bluefish pâté. And right now, he's stomping from one end of the state to the other trying to get the Boston Public Market open next year. Slated to open directly next to the Haymarket T stop, it will be a year-round, world-class, indoor marketplace for food grown and harvested in Massachusetts: fresh vegetables, seafood, dairy, meats, and specialty foods brought directly from the producer to the consumer. "The state won't run the market. A developer and operator will," elaborates Soares. "But the market is part of the state's commitment to provide a market opportunity for family farms - and get the consumer closer to the producer." We talked to him about the ambitious and important project.

The state has allocated $4 million for the Boston Public Market, but in this tight budget time, do we really need it? Think about this: Massachusetts has only 500,000 acres of arable land and currently produces less than five percent of our food demand. We've got to do something to incentivize local producers to stay in the food business.

When can we expect the market to open? The pieces are in alignment for opening next summer. It's a very ambitious schedule. The governor signed the bill on a Friday in late August. The commissioners were appointed the same day, and we held our first of six public meetings on the following Wednesday. When I first heard the schedule, it took my breath away.

Isn't there some controversy about the market? From the Haymarket pushcart people and the North End neighbors? This is Massachusetts. There's always some pushback when anything new is proposed. The market has to work for everybody, including the Haymarket community. And it will. It is critical for the commission members to hear all the viewpoints and take them all into consideration. But at the end of the day, the market is going to get built.

How did you get here? Were you a farm guy? I'm really more of an aquaculture guy - grew up in South Dartmouth and always fished. But I came from a family that believed in public service. My dad is still a police officer in Vermont. I really saw the impact of the loss of farmlands to real-estate development. We've got to do something to turn that process around. That's why I'm a farm guy now.

Other than buying local and keeping our fingers crossed for the Boston Public Market, what can we do to support local agriculture? The cranberry harvest is underway. And we have lots of locally grown winter squash. . . . Why not start to plan now for a completely local Thanksgiving dinner? Do all you can to support local agriculture by keeping your eyes and ears open for agriculture issues and not hesitating to voice your interest and concerns regarding support of locally based food systems.

Louisa Kasdon can be reached at louisa@louisakasdon.com.