"Manhattan's answer to the Farmer in the Dell," as Dan Barber was called by a New York Times restaurant critic, is more than the foodies' latest locavore darling. The driving spirit behind the two Blue Hill restaurants, Barber, 39, is a passionate advocate for regional farm networks. They're the answer, he says, to big agriculture's economic and ecological abuses. A 2009 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Chef, he practices what he preaches on his own family's farm and at the Stone Barns Center, a not-for-profit that promotes sustainable agri-culture. One of his trademark dishes is This Morning's Farm Egg, with hen broth and root vegetables -- tasty proof that the farm-to-table movement is not just high-end menuspeak. -- by Linda Tischler