Kevin Richberg is brilliant. It’s not a euphemism, or a way of saying he’s a pretty smart dude. He is actually brilliant. He has earned master's degrees in chemistry and molecular biology from safety schools like CalTech and MIT. Then, he took that knowledge and brilliance around the world, literally. And as mentioned already, to the far depths of the Pacific.
After a sterling career in academia and oceanic study, Kevin made a career and life as a photographer and travel writer for more than a decade. He traveled to 122 countries and saw sites, people and landscapes many of us can only dream about. Despite all of those accomplishments, accolades and miles, Kevin still felt adrift.
Eventually, he began to build a plan to come home to the Syracuse, NY area and build an edible forest, and also a home. In the early fervor of the pandemic, Kevin and his partner Zach moved into what is now Slate Hill Edible Farm in Marcellus, NY. It is a 27 acre fruit orchard, biodiversity collection, and experimental farm focused on adaptation to a changing climate. It’s an idyllic spot on the rolling hills of central New York.
While I could talk to Kevin for hours on any number of subjects, I mostly wanted to talk about travel. It was the perfect place for us to begin. We talked about how travel makes us better people, more forgiving and open people. Kevin even has a wonderful theory about how international travel is a surefire way to make America a better place to live and be.
My favorite moment in our chat is when we both realize we shared a moment with our fathers in Rome. I lost my Dad nearly three years ago and that memory is still a cherished piece of him for me. Kevin lost his Dad very suddenly just this year. It was nice to share a quiet moment of gratitude with someone on the same wavelength of grief.
Kevin tips us to what he tells Europeans who want to get the true American exceptionalism when they travel to the States. We talk about chasing the dragon of exotic experiences and how much better it is to see the world, when you can share it with someone and see it through their eyes. Finally, we discuss how and when he learned when it was time to come home.
As I was putting the finishing touches on this, I began to realize that in some small way, I am carrying on the work of the legendary Studs Terkel. I make no attempt to place myself in that elite league.
Yet, as I record, contextualize, and compile these conversations I realize that I am helping to tell many of the same stories that Studs was able to capture from everyday Americans about the depression, World War Two or the act of working. It would be easy to say that Studs collected the stories of “average” Americans. So far, I have found my subjects to be far from ordinary or average.
In having the privilege to spend an hour with Kevin Richberg, it feels as though I am able to expose a piece of goodness and purpose into the world. He’s a brilliant and funny person who is building a life and a legacy.
That is anything but average.
In the same way that Studs Terkel saw how his talents could tell the stories of fascinating folks history would have otherwise forgotten, these conversations are a way for me to show you some of the extraordinary people that the universe has allowed me to intersect with.
I won’t waste my time, or yours trying to figure out why I am built to do this work. I’ll just keep talking to people, recording it and sharing it with you.
Let’s go around the world and back home again with the brilliant Kevin Richberg.
Cheers,
Matty C
Learn more about Kevin and the farm at slatehilledibleforest.com
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