Chris Perry Column: Tomatoes & Corn

Six days a week, he holds court.

Part musician, part cook, part Renaissance man, part salesman, fluent in Spanish, and looking to study intellectual property law in New York, his knowledge runs deeper than just the feasibility of organic farming.

Seemingly on a first-name basis with all of his customers, he needs no introduction. The young man carries on an island tradition.

All one has to do is mention - “Jack: the guy on Bartlett’s Farm truck” - and everyone seems to know that you are talking about 22-year-old Jack Casey.

Hailing from Mystic, Conn., and with some family ties on Nantucket, it did not take long for Jack to secure rock star status on Main Street and in 'Sconset Center.

Rolf Nelson, who was picking up an order of tomatoes for the 'Sconset Market said, “Jack’s great. We don’t want him to ever leave”.

Missy Veghti from Wilmington, DE, chimed in: “Jack does a great job - always smiling”.

Lauren Wollschläger said, “Jack’s the best. I regularly come by and buy something and say thanks…”

James Ponte added, “I come by every morning Jack is here just to say hello."

Beth Singer, who was scooping up a few lilies, offered, “He is a wonderful man - knows everyone’s name and always has a great selection."

Tom Mendl from Hudson Valley, NY told me that this was only his second time here; but at dinner last night, he heard “wonderful stories about this friendly guy at the Bartlett’s truck so I wanted to come down and check it out…”

After working with Matt Fee at Something Natural delivering bread for one season, Jack moved over to Bartlett's Farm last summer and assumed the position as one of the farm's produce truck drivers.

“I learned a lot from Matt about efficiency and business. I met a lot of people behind the scenes as I delivered bread around the island and that helped me smoothly transition over to Bartlett’s. Matt was great, especially with a bunch of us who were inexperienced and he would always remind the crew to keep our hands moving in the same direction."

In his first year last summer, Jack worked with Juliet Webb from New York who also returned this season as a concierge with Bartlett's Farm after working in Paris over the winter.

“He’s great. In fact, Jack is one of the reasons I opted to return this summer. There were 10 of us who lived in Bartlett’s ‘Farm House’ last summer. We called it our ‘Farmaly’," Webb said.

She continued, “Jack is impossible to describe. He is well-read and well-traveled. Last summer, we would pack up our trucks around 6:30 a.m. and then head out to our respective locations. This summer, we are down to one truck so Jack is handling the job himself splitting time between Sconset and Main Street. He is like a Renaissance man. For example, last week, he cooked a North African dish called ‘Shakshuka’ using 24 eggs that were damaged in transit. This week, he cooked duck. After working all day, who does that?"

The Bartlett family tradition of producing locally grown farm products goes back more than 175 years.

According to Keegan Bartlett, who helps oversee Jack, “1843 was the first year the Bartlett’s started selling produce, and today, Jack parks our truck right in front of the John H. Bartlett, Jr. granite marker on Main Street."

Keegan continued, “Dorothy Bartlett started up the 'Sconset truck in the ’60s. It took a hiatus for a while then we started it back up again about 15 years ago."

Phil Bartlett, who was sharing a beverage at Miacomet Golf with Charlie Moore, Joe Hessey, and Larry Flannery said, “I remember selling tomatoes and corn with my brother, Henry, on Main Street in the mid-50s. I recall selling gladiolus flowers like crazy. Now, you can’t give them away…”

Today, Jack Casey has a tough act to follow.

“There’s a lot of heavy lifting, especially loading and unloading but I have great support at work. Plus, I love the ‘Farm House’ housing - an old building with charm," Jack said with a smile.

Jack added, “Anyone who is in the service business knows that the work is demanding. People expect a lot and we want to deliver. Occasionally, there is some pushback on our pricing but the majority of people truly want to connect. They ask questions and I sense they do care even though I am initially a stranger. I like that."

On Saturday, I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched Jack in action.

Cee Bunevich, who splits time between 'Sconset and New York, quizzed Jack about his produce seemingly determined to keep Jack on his toes.

“Do you have any baby tomatoes," she questioned.

“Not until early August - just hot house and farm-grown," Jack politely responded while simultaneously dealing with three others.

“What’s the difference between the green leaf lettuce and Boston bib lettuce and any sand in them?" Bunevich followed up.

“They both came from the same field so not sure about the sand but the green leaf is traditionally a tad crunchier while the bib is smoother and has a buttery taste," Jack offered.

Not done yet, Cee asked, “What’s hydro-basil?"

“We do not plant the basil in soil - the roots are kept in water….”

As Cee was leaving with a bag full of items, she admitted, “I came to 'Sconset many, many years ago in my 20s with my boyfriend on a bike. Immediately, I was captivated by the village and I told him that I don’t know if I am sticking with you, but I am sticking with 'Sconset. It was my dream to own a house in Sconset and now I do. I love Jack and the Bartlett Farm truck. I just wish he was out here more often”.

I think Jack won.

Jack admits that there are some changes from last year.

“As Bartlett’s transitions over to a fully organic farm, I am not able to offer everything that we did in the past such as scallions or eggplant. Over time, I hope we are able to bring some of the items back. Until then, I try and educate everyone the best I can."

The Bartlett's Farm tradition will continue this summer; and for everyone who has had the pleasure of dealing with Jack Casey, he’ll be manning the wheel and the cash register through Labor Day.

“Outside of Juliet pinch-hitting for me on a few days when my family is in town, I will be on Main Street or 'Sconset center six days a week before I head back to school," he advised.

Jack’s senior year will be packed full of studying Spanish and music but I sensed his heart will be thinking about something else.

“I am the drummer in a band called Aster (Instagram: Asterdoesnotsuck). We hope to be releasing some music on Apple Music and Spotify this fall," he said

But as we wrapped things up for the day, Jack touched on some irony and finally broke the news…

“I hope to be back on the Bartlett truck next summer. It will be my last full summer working on Nantucket and I want to enjoy the island before heading to New York City," Jack summarized.

He continued, “Interestingly enough, I am reading a book written by Clarice Lispector who was born in Ukraine and now lives now in Brazil. The title of the book is called 'Apple in the Dark.' It is a hero’s journey type of story with the main character on a farm and the owner leaves to sell tomatoes and corn."

With a bit of foreshadowing in his voice, was he trying to tell me something that the island was waiting to hear?

Jack finished up: “I guess that’s kind of like my life right now - selling tomatoes and corn - because starting on Monday (today), I will have the first harvest of Bartlett corn on my truck”.

Now, that’s music to everyone’s ears.