The 2011 FamilyFarmed EXPO affirmed its position as the Midwest's Premier Good Food event with three full days of Good Food, Good Business and Good Fun. Highlights included a trade show with a strong focus on Farm-to-School and restaurant procurement, a food policy conference, consumer food festival and conference, farm and food business financing conference, the famous Localicious Party and more.

 

"This was our sixth EXPO in Chicago and it was our best," says Jim Slama, president of FamilyFarmed.org. "We welcomed over 4,500 attendees, 155 exhibitors, more than 170 speakers, and we had an amazing lineup of events geared towards the trade and the public!"

 

Download the Show Directory here.

 

Here are highlights from the three day gathering:

 

Thursday March 17

Financing Farm to Fork Conference 

 

The FamilyFarmed.org Financing Farm to Fork Conference attracted over a dozen private investors, plus a number of Farm Credit bankers (including Lee Strom, the Farm Credit Administration Chairman) who met with farmers and food business entrepreneurs seeking financing. The conference featured keynote speeches by Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm and Will Allen, CEO of Growing Power, plus numerous workshops. SLoFIG, an emerging Chicago based angel investment group focusing on sustainable food businesses, debuted at the conference. They moderated a discussion with two finalists in their business plan competition, Black Earth Meats and Local Orbit. Black Earth Meats was the winner of the competition, click here to view the press release. In addition, Andy Whitman, Linda Darragh, and Kathy Nyquist led the afternoon skill building session to help farms, food businesses, and social enterprises build their capacity to raise money. Click here to view the PowerPoint of the skill building session. Click here for the Financial Resources Guide for Agribusiness Enterprises in Illinois.  

Friday March 18
FamilyFarmed Trade Show and Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council Summit
This day-long event brought together hundreds of trade buyers with farmers, distributors, and artisan food producers. The opening symposium included eight regional and national food leaders including Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon and USDA Deputy Undersecretary Ann Wright. The Green Chicago Restaurant Coop (GCRC) held a meeting with some of its 300 restaurant members, plus distributors such as SYSCO, Get Fresh Produce, and Goodness Greeness, plus farmers, ranchers, bakers, and other food producers interested in supplying GCRC. Relationships formed in the meeting will help improve local food production, distribution, and purchasing for member restaurants. Over 100 people attended the Meet the Buyers Reception featuring 14 buyers of local food. In addition, Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council brought together leaders in food access, urban agriculture, and food policy to advocate for a sustainable and fair food system serving the city of Chicago and its suburbs.

What's Working in School Food: With support from Healthy Schools Campaign and the Illinois Farm to School Network, School Food FOCUS led a day of programming focused on moving school food procurement toward more healthful, regionally-sourced and sustainably-produced options.  Foodservice directors from over 15 school districts went to workshops, spoke about their experiences, and visited vendors on the trade show floor to develop new buying relationships.

Localicious Party:
Over 500 people attended the famous Localicious party for fabulous food and drinks from over 25 restaurant and libation providers. Live music was provided by Liquid Soul, and attendees had the opportunity to connect with local leaders and other good food enthusiasts.

 
Saturday, March 19
Good Food Festival

Sally Fallon Morrell held a sold out workshop, headlining our fun and engaging  lineup of 170 speakers. Consumers learned from our many workshops about growing their own food, canning, food activism, making cheese, vertical farming, shopping local on a budget, growing vegetables in small spaces, using the whole animal, and raising chickens in their backyard! Stephanie Izard and eight other leading top Chicago chefs gave cooking demos in which two chefs were paired with a farmer. This was truly a highlight of the show. The jam packed Exhibit Hall welcomed thousands of attendees who visited booths, signed up for a CSAs, learned how to eat local year-round, sampled and purchased local produce, cheese, meats, honey, wool, soaps, and other great products.  The Kids Corner was filled with families looking for food education and fun. In addition, the Local Food Court, bookstore, exhibit floor were packed with people looking for good information and good fun!

 

FamilyFarmed.org would like to thank our Sponsors for their support of the 2011 EXPO. Please be sure to support these companies with your business throughout the year!

 

 

On Chef in the Classroom Day 2011, chefs will bring cooking demonstrations, veggie tastings and healthy eating lessons to children at schools across Chicago. Through this effort, chefs are answering First Lady Michelle Obama's call to action for kids' health and forming meaningful connections with Chicago elementary schools. Chef in the Classroom is part of the exciting Chefs Move to Schools Chicago initiative!

 

School leaders have had great things to say about chefs' participation in this effort:

- "The children were electrified by the chef. It was a great class and exciting too."

- "The kids really understood why it's important to have vegetables as part of their meals."

- "The [best parts were] looks of curiosity, enthusiasm, and pride of our third graders as they learned, participated, and smiled through the entire demonstration."

 

You can make difference!  Please join us for Chef in the Classroom Day on April 5, 2011 and encourage your colleagues to consider participating as well.  To learn more or sign up, please visit www.GofortheGoldCPS.org/citc.

 

Questions? Contact Rosa Ramirez by email or at 312-419-1810.