There was a time when poets were the voice of society, and a voice to be reckoned with. Although that time has passed by, renowned poet Wendell Berry has solidified himself as a voice of utmost importance in today’s fight against global industrialized food.

“I argue that industrial agriculture and the assumptions on which it rests are wrong, root and branch,” Berry said in the afterward of one of his non-fiction works. “But if the publication of “The Unsettling of America” and subsequent events have shown me that throwing a rock into a frozen river does not make a ripple, they have also shown that beneath the ice the waters are strongly flowing and stirred up and full of nutrients.”

Craig Page, executive director of PLACE, has cracked the ice and reached down into the current below. Although not as nationally acclaimed as Berry, the name Craig Page carries weight in Athens. Three years ago, his passions aligned with those of Berry and other local food proponents during a Rhetoric and Social Movements class at the University.

“We looked at the local food movement as a global social movement. I was inspired and found my calling,” Page said. “After spending time teaching myself about non-profit organizations, PLACE incorporated as a non-profit in May 2007 and has been going strong ever since.”

PLACE (Promoting Local Agriculture & Cultural Experience) was built on hopes to make local food accessible to the people of Athens and based on the belief that local food rebuilds community. When the founders joined together they realized fighting local food’s most formidable opponent, globalization, was a daunting task to say the least. Starting small seemed the only reasonable way to become effective, so they focused their efforts on Athens.

“As the general public begins to understand the importance of building this local food culture, PLACE is moving to ensure that this local food culture is accessible to all residents of Athens, especially low income and minority populations,” Page said. “Although, we do see that we are developing a good model of engaging students and citizens in developing a local food culture. Hopefully, students who find inspiration in Athens’ local food scene will take their passion to whatever community they end up in.”

For the next two weeks PLACE hopes to inspire Athenians through its second annual Taste Your Place, a festival centered around the idea that people can taste the difference “in quality and freshness of locally grown food.” It will include various events aimed at increasing public participation, such as cooking classes, pie contests and the 2009 Athens Local Food Awards.

Page believes the event’s most successful outreach, however, will be the 15 restaurants that have agreed to offer local food options for the next two weeks. In addition to restaurants such as Farm 255 that always prepare locally grown food, the list includes such Athens favorites as Mama’s Boy, Last Resort Grill and Five Star Day.

“I know the power of skillfully prepared food to capture the attention of eaters, especially locally grown food,” Page said. “Working through the restaurants also gives PLACE a much wider audience to extol the benefits of local food. Just consider the number of people that will be eating out in the 15 participating restaurants from July 11th through July 25th.”

Whether Athenians seek out locally grown food during the next two weeks or merely stumble upon it at a restaurant downtown, Page hopes the entire Athens community settles upon the same conclusion at the end of Taste Your Place – “Local food is something that we as consumers can ask for from our restaurants and grocery stores.”