The Local Yolk

The "good food movement" is swiftly sweeping across the nation, and locally sourced foods are increasingly finding their way into more markets and onto more plates-and with the demand, so, too, comes a demand for something else.

This movement is creating unavoidable cracks in local food markets' pavement, cracks that are waiting to be filled by a maverick, industry-leading business spirit.

Huge gaps exist between corporate- and community-supported food sources, between industry- and nonprofit-backed farming enterprises, and within individual farmers' markets. It is in these gaps that there exists the greatest potential for new business, investment, and entrepreneurship.

In 2010, having worked in investment and corporate finance for twenty-five years, John Emrich took a leap of faith and left the corporate world to go after the potential in these gaps, and his leap proved incredibly rewarding. Trading his white collar for a T-shirt, he achieved financial success and helped numerous urban homesteaders thrive with his business, Backyard Chicken Run, and realized an emotional fulfillment he could never have achieved in any corporate office.

John shares his story and the stories of others in this truly inspiring collection.