Food Gypsies Of Lovejoy

About the Book

Pull up a seat at the Common Table and enjoy a humorously heart-warming walk down the seemingly pristine and orderly streets of the small rural town of Lovejoy, precariously tucked between progress and pride. When the beloved money-angel to the town, Harlan Garfi eld Newsom, suddenly dies from the sheer exhaustion of caring for the needs of the townspeople, the entire town is sent into panic. In order to protect the town from fi nancial collapse Harlan has left an unconventional Last Will requiring seven “unique” members— comprised of Mennonites, business owners, and town offi cials—to launch The Ample Harvest Project which can make Lovejoy a destination attraction rather than a casualty of progress. If they succeed they are promised $125,000. If they fail, they lose the investment and success of their town. This novel is sure to tickle your funny bone and tug at your heart-strings as you accompany the townspeople and witness a cavalcade of dirt swept under everyone’s carpets, and uncover more skeletons than cobwebs in their closets. Food Gypsies of Lovejoy is an unorthodox view of the fi eld-to-fork food movement told through the juicy and the just gossip-mills which binds the townspeople of Lovejoy. Unlike most novels within the genre, it is a touching yet poignant journey witnessed through the eyes of the motley collection of producers and growers within the market tent rather than those on the more civil consumer side of the counter.

About the Author

After a lifetime of cosmopolitan living, the jaunt from veteran educator to accomplished writer came serendipitously for Sarah L. Roussos when she and her family moved to a rural town in Loudoun County, Virginia and purchased a ten-acre farm. With the move came the culture shock of realizing that groceries and malls were far removed and it would become paramount to learn to become a good farmer or become very accomplished at seeking out exceptional growers and providers. Almost immediately, she became known as the “Herb Lady” growing enough to launch her company Green Alchemy Herb & Mercantile Company which piqued her interest in selling her teas and herbal products through regional Farmer Markets. Eventually, Ms. Roussos saw great potential in creating stronger viable links between regional producers, national groceries and high-profi le restaurants. In time, Ms. Roussos and her husband, Peter, established Agro-Depot Farmer-Direct Markets assisting farmers and producers in selling their goods at traditional Agro-Depot farmer markets, to chefs, and through a seasonal ordering catalog, year-round. The Agro-Depot Markets were showcased by Discovery Communications, Dow Lowens Corporation, and Les Dames de Escoffi er. Ms. Roussos has also had the privilege of participating as a writer for the national publication, Tea Room Magazine, offering a regular stream of articles pertaining to the humor and honesty associated with celebrities, food, and the business conducted while sipping tea. She has had the unique privilege of interviewing struggling farmers, enthusiastic foodies, and a slew of celebrity chefs and notables, all with delightful stories about their personal experiences with food. Food Gypsies of Lovejoy is the fi rst in a series of novels chronicling the “agri-preneurial” journey of food from the fi eld to the fork in small-town America.