Brinkley acted as chair and headliner of the lunch, which was sponsored by the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Following the meal, the afternoon got down to business with a panel discussion that focused on the message: “Organic Food, From Farm to Family.” The session was moderated by sustainable agriculture expert Kathy Lawrence, with panelists Peter Hoffman, chef-owner of New York’s Savoy restaurant; Anna Lappé, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute; Scott Chaskey, the very bearded poet, farmer and educator; and Woodson Merrell, M.D., S.C.D., chairman of Integrative Medicine at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing, in New York.

It would be safe to say that most of the women in attendance spend more time at Bergdorf’s than they do growing organic beets or pondering the perils of GMOs, but that certainly didn’t detract from their clear belief in the benefits of buying non-processed, organic food—particularly produce that has been locally grown within close range of Fifth Avenue or alternately, the Hamptons.

For more on the lunch, visit NewYorkInsider.TV