Food has always been at the heart of life at Gould Farm. From the time of our founding on Thanksgiving Day in 1913, when simple meals were shared around the Main House table, to today’s rhythms of baking bread, milking cows, tending the fields, and gathering in the dining room, food has been a thread that binds the community together. It has always been more than nourishment—it is a way of fostering belonging to the land and one another, it provides structure in the ways animals and plants demand our care, and our three meals a day, shared together, engenders a greater sense of purpose.
But how do we put words to this reality, that is largely an oral tradition and is lived rather than written down or directly described? How do we describe the role of food in the work that happens here without reducing it to a set of guidelines or a procedural manual or without sounding lofty and disconnected? These are some of the questions at the center of our current effort to define a “food philosophy”.
A legacy of nourishment
Even in its earliest days, Gould Farm understood that food was fundamental to relationships—with one another, with the land, and with oneself. Those relationships have always been the conduit of transformation for those who come to Gould Farm for help. The meals, however simple, were a source of comfort and stability. During lean years, resourceful cooks like Miss Caroline Goodyear, Miss Henrietta Tuttle, and Aunt Julia Colt stretched ingredients to create nourishing meals.
"Even when the Farm had very little money for buying food, some of the older women created savory dishes through unlikely combinations. 'Wallops' was what Miss Caroline called her baked leftovers, always with seven variable ingredients 'walloped together,' she said" (McKee, A Life of Sharing).
Dining was not just about sustenance—it was about gathering, ritual, and connection. Meals were structured, communal, and tied directly to the rhythms of life at the Farm. "At dinner, served at noon, Mrs. Gould and Miss Caroline sat at the center table serving the food and striking the bell for second helpings and for announcements. People passed the heavy blue-willow-pattern plates for seconds when the bell dinged, sending requests along with them, like 'Potatoes but no greens'" (McKee, A Life of Sharing).
While modern times have brought changes, such as a letting-go of family style meals and a welcoming of buffet-style service, the essence remains. "We didn’t eat. We dined," one former community member nostalgically recalled (McKee, A Life of Sharing). The experience of eating together is still a cornerstone of life at Gould Farm—an opportunity to not only slow down and connect at the table over good food, but also to chat with friends, to watch the children of the Farm run around, or to linger long after the meal is cleared away, dishes have begun, and someone is practicing piano in Rhinelander.
Over the years, this philosophy of food and wellness has grown more intentional. In response to the evolving needs of our guests, we developed the REACH for Wellness program, a holistic initiative designed to support mind, body, and spirit. It seamlessly integrates into the life at the Farm, taking place every Tuesday and Thursday morning.
REACH stands for:
Recover using a holistic approach to well-being and happiness
Eat better and exercise regularly
Appreciate the land, its bounty, and its healing qualities
Care for ourselves and one another to foster healthy relationships
Heal our bodies to support healthy minds and productive work
Through REACH, guests explore mindful activities, participate in educational groups, and move their bodies both in the gym and outdoors. In recent years, we have also expanded our approach to wellness beyond twice-weekly REACH sessions, ensuring that guests have structured opportunities to care for their bodies and minds. Some of these efforts include:
Yoga and Tai Chi classes regularly appearing on the activities board
Healthy snack options, such as vegetables and hummus for afternoon tea
Regular trips to the Community Center gym in Great Barrington
A full gym incorporated into the new Price Community Center
A revision of our wellness assessment, ensuring it reflects the evolving needs of guests
Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options at every meal
A salad bar available at lunch and dinner
Wrestling with the language of food and healing
This year, our Food Philosophy Committee reconvened to take the next step in articulating a philosophy that aligns with Gould Farm’s values and mission. This effort is in response to our 2023-2026 strategic plan and comes at a particularly exciting time in the field of nutritional psychiatry, as research continues to highlight the critical role that nutrition plays in mental health. For over a century, Gould Farm has operated under the principle that food is medicine (and love, and connection, and nourishment!), long before it became a talking point in the clinical community. What is now recognized as an essential component of recovery has always been an inherent, and unarticulated, part of life here.
Gould Farm’s 700 acres of forests, fields, pastures, wetlands, and rivers provide not just food, but a landscape to connect with deeply. The land gives to us, and we, in turn, care for it. "Will Gould’s vegetable garden was huge, the rows absolutely even and not a weed to be seen. His fingers worked like a magician’s, with such speed and accuracy that it seemed as if he never made a false move" (McKee, A Life of Sharing). That attentiveness to the land, and the deep respect for its cycles, remains a vital part of our food philosophy today and is reflected in our care for one another.
The work in progress
Developing this Food Philosophy has been an organic, iterative process—more like shaping clay than following a blueprint. Over the past year, the Food Philosophy Committee has worked to distill common themes, engaging in deep discussions about tradition, best practices, and the role of food in healing. We have reached a pivotal moment in the process: identifying five guiding pillars that will shape our approach.
These pillars—tentatively identified as nutritional wellness, comprehensive food education, dining experience, community integration, and environmental sustainability—reflect the diverse ways food is woven into our life at Gould Farm. The next step is engaging the wider community in refining these ideas, gathering input from guests and staff to ensure the philosophy represents lived experience.
The goal is not to create static rules but to craft a framework that will guide decision-making for years to come. This means balancing tradition with innovation, ensuring that food choices are both rooted in history and informed by evidence-based practices. The process has highlighted the need for external expertise, particularly in mental health nutrition, to deepen our understanding and refine our approach.
We are moving forward with care, knowing that this philosophy will impact everything from menu planning to admissions conversations to composting. Ultimately, we are not just writing a document—we are articulating a shared vision of food as a tool for transformation, a means of connection, and a cornerstone of life at Gould Farm.
Why this project matters
At Gould Farm, recovery isn’t just about managing symptoms—it’s about rediscovering life. A
well-nourished body is more resilient in the face of stress, and better able to engage in therapy, work, and community life. Food here is not simply fuel; it is a foundation for mental clarity, emotional stability, and long-term well-being.
Just as caring for animals and plants restores a sense of purpose to farm life, caring for ourselves through food and wellness practices restores a sense of agency and dignity to each guest’s journey.
The task before us is not to define food at Gould Farm in rigid terms, but to honor the living, breathing reality of how it shapes recovery. In doing so, we preserve something vital—not just recipes, growing techniques, or nutritional guidelines, but the deeper story they tell about transformation, belonging, and hope.
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