Amy Peters, the founder of Deep Roots Farmers Market and a founding member of the Rusty String Band, died last week after a hard-fought battle with lung cancer. The 62-year-old left a legacy of food sustainability, community activism, and the enduring power of music.
Peters launched Deep Roots Farmers Market a decade ago, starting with a humble farm stand in Sea Cliff.
“When she started, it was literally her going to pick up eggs from the egg guy, then heading over to get vegetables from local farms,” said her husband, Dave Berg, who watched her vision for the market grow. What began as the Sea Cliff Farmers Market eventually moved to Garvies Point, in Glen Cove. With local produce from the East End, artisan breads, empanadas, and a sense of togetherness, Deep Roots became a fixture in the city.
“Amy believed deeply in food justice, in making good, clean, organic food accessible to everyone,” Emily Berg, her stepdaughter, said. “I feel like Amy had the foresight to realize how much of an asset this kind of work is in the community. It created a third space for the community to gather. She believed in the power of small things making a big difference and adding up. I think she saw ( Deep Roots) as a way for something she could do, and she played that role so beautifully.”
Peters’s impact was even more profound during the pandemic, when she needed to relocate the market and eventually found a new home at Garvies Point. RXR Realty, the real estate developer she had previously opposed due to environmental concerns raised by its project at the point, reached out and offered the site.
“They turned out to be good partners in the end, and Amy put aside her past opposition to create something beautiful for Glen Cove,” Dave Berg said. “It was just like her to find common ground.”
In addition to her contributions to local food culture, Peters was a passionate musician, and co-founded the Rusty String Band in 1991 with Berg, guitarist Jordan Mindich, and banjo player Scott Gramlich. Describing their style as “deadgrass,” Berg explained how they blended bluegrass with the spirit of the Grateful Dead, a genre all its own that quickly became a crowd favorite.
“She was extraordinarily gifted,” Berg said of his late wife. “In bluegrass, the mandolin usually carries the melody, but Amy played rhythm. She was the backbone of our band’s sound.” Their shared love for music extended beyond the stage, with the two eventually marrying in 2004 and becoming inseparable in both life and art.
Peters’s path to advocacy began early. She grew up in Jericho, graduating from Jericho High School in 1979, and later attended SUNY New Paltz, where she studied exercise physiology. She was dedicated to health and wellness throughout her life. According to her sister, Kim Peters, “She was very much like our mother, who just wanted to take care of people, and that’s one of the hardest parts of losing her, is that she took care of everybody. And now we have to take care of each other.”
Bhavani Jaroff, chair of Slow Food North Shore, recalled Peters’s tireless advocacy for food quality and environmental responsibility. “Amy and I went to so many protests together — against GMOs, fracking, anything we thought would harm people or the planet,” Jaroff said. “She was passionate about connecting people to the land, raising awareness of how vital it is to support local farmers. She wanted us to eat food that was good for us, for the people who grow it, and for the earth.” Together, Jaroff and Peters organized an annual CSA fair, introducing local farms to community members.
For Peters, these causes were personal. “She wasn’t someone who just talked about change; she lived it every day,” Berg said. “She was a combination of extraordinary patience and goodwill toward the world. Love was her religion.”
One of her favorite stories, Berg recalled, was a parable about a hummingbird. “There was a huge forest fire, and while all the animals were fleeing, the hummingbird kept flying to the river, picking up water, and dropping it on the flames,” he said. “The other animals asked why, and the hummingbird simply said, ‘Because I can do something.’ That was Amy to her core. She did what she could, even if it felt small.”
Peters’s legacy will live on through Deep Roots, which the Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce will continue in her honor. A celebration of her life is planned for next spring. Its details, Berg said, are to be determined.
