Event - Harvest Fair!

October 5th, 6th & 7th 2012
Taste the best Sonoma County has to offer at the Harvest Fair!

 http://www.harvestfair.org/

Food Sovereignty Tour, Oaxaca

Food First Delegation Explores Oaxaca's Vibrant Food and Agricultural Heritage Public Tour Will Highlight Food and Farming Systems in the Mexican State of Oaxaca

"Sin maíz, no hay país!" ... "Without corn, we have no country!" is a popular battle cry in Oaxaca, Mexico. As the cornerstone of Mesoamerican agriculture and diet, corn or "maize" is at the heart of the ongoing struggle for food sovereignty in Mexico. This December, Food Sovereignty Tours offers the public an opportunity to explore current food issues in this diverse region of Mexico first-hand as part of a guided delegation.

Participants will learn directly from local farmers, scholars and activists about the threats to rural livelihoods such as environmental degradation, mining, out-migration and contamination of native seeds by imported genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The tour will look into how peasant organizations are working to strengthen local food systems while playing an important role in the global food sovereignty movement. Along the way, participants will sample native fare, including renowned moles, countless corn-based dishes, and hot chocolate made from local cacao beans. In addition, delegates will celebrate the holidays with traditional Oaxacan dishes and enjoy "Night of the Radishes"—a unique festival celebrating food, farming and creativity. The delegation will also visit a maguey (cactus) farm that produces artisanal mezcal, a once criminalized tequila-like spirit.

The Food Sovereignty Oaxaca Tour will take place December 22 – 30, 2012. Partial scholarships are available for qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants who register (including deposit) by September 22, 2012, will receive a complementary copy of Food Rebellions! Crisis and the Hunger for Justice by Eric Holt-Gimenez and Raj Patel.

The mission of Food Sovereignty Tours is to build the global movement for food sovereignty through solidarity travel and immersion learning. Food Sovereignty Tours is a program of Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, which has been called one of the "most established food think tanks" by the New York Times. The program also leads international delegations to Bolivia, Mexico, Italy, the Basque Country and more.

Tour registration is open to the public. To learn more, visit the Food Sovereignty Tours website: http://www.foodsovereigntytours.org/international-tours/oaxaca.

Membership Drive

Slow Food USA membership drive is happening now. Please join us in this great work on behalf of food that is Good, Clean and Fair. Click here to join.

Message from Carlo Petrini

In September 2012, Carlo Petrini (Slow Food Founder) shared this video message with Slow Food California...

https://vimeo.com/50353668

Event - Fresh Food Picnic Sept 15

Slow Food's Fresh Food Picnic will celebrate Northern California's emerging food and farming talent and advocate for the slow values of good, clean and fair. Slow Food founder, Carlo Petrini is the featured speaker. He will be joined by two other food revolutionaries: Chez Panisse founder, Alice Waters, and national food justice leader, Nikki Henderson of The People's Grocery. Taste from new chefs, farmers, food artisans and winemakers while bands play on an outdoor stage. Tour Rancho Mark West, an historic Sonoma County farm that maintains one of the oldest standing barns in California. Bring the kids; they will have plenty to do too, including a petting zoo, a blender bike, and guided hikes along the creek or through the restored redwood forest. Namu Gaji's Dennis Lee and friends will prepare a family style seasonal picnic.

Saturday, September 15th, 11AM - 6PM
Rancho Mark West, Santa Rosa


BAY AREA BEST CHEFS
Ryan Farr, 4505 Meats
Liza Hinman, The Spinster Sisters
Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood (Chef of the Year 2012, SF Magazine)
Chris Kronner, formerly of Bar Tartine and Slow Club
Dennis Lee, Namu Gaji (Rising Star Chef 2012, SF Magazine)
Mary Kate McGoldrick, Namu GajiThomas McNaughton, Central Kitchen (Rising Star Chef 2010, SF Magazine)
Christopher Thompson, A16

BAY AREA BEST FOOD PRODUCERS
Winemakers – Anthill Farms Winery, Bucklin Winery,  Claypool Cellars , Eric Kent Wine Cellars, 
     Front Porch Farm
Food Artisans – Beet Generation Farm, Dry Creek Olive Oil, Foggy River Farm, 
     New Family Farm, Nightingale Breads, Raymond's Bakery 
Artisan Cheesemakers – Bohemian Creamery, Ramini Mozzarella, Weirauch Farm & Creamery

MUSIC
Headline Band Con Brio, plus local favorites Dry Creek Trio and Cahoots

MENU
To Start: shelling and pole bean salad with nepitella and charred tomatoes; pickled summer vegetables; pork with Gravenstein apples
To Savor: Smoked chicken with kimchee soy dipping sauce; sourdough patty melt with carmelized onions, cheddar and Swiss cheeses; wild nettle cavatelli pasta with foraged mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, fines herbes and pecorino riserva di Calabria
To Linger: Laloo's Goat's Milk Ice Cream; Straus Organic Ice Cream; Dulce de Leche brownies
To Imbibe: Famed Lagunitas Brewing Co. microbrews; a great selection of Sonoma and Napa wines

TICKETS
Slow Food Members:  95.00   
Non-members & guests:  125.00
Children under 12, Food Activists under 30, and Beginning Farmers:  40.00
Sponsored Table for 8 (reserved seating):  1,000.00

                              For more information and to purchase tickets, click here!
Auction and raffle proceeds to benefit: Slow Food Projects in California, LandPaths in Sonoma County, The People's Grocery in West Oakland, and Slow Food International's  A Thousand Gardens in Africa.

SFRR Newsletter September 2012

Click Here To View