EARTH DAY SAN FRANCISCO 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
U.N. Plaza / Civic Center BART PLAZA
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Earth Day producer and visionary Douglas Kolberg, founder of Green Zone Productions, invited me to join the Earth Day team to produce the Sustainable
/Organic Chef Demonstrations. I thought about it for a New York minute and said: "yes". I knew this would be a learning experience and an opportunity to meet a talented group of people working towards an important cause: taking action for Planet Earth!
My job was to coordinate San Francisco Bay Area chefs that are at the cutting edge of the food activist movement. In other words, to bring together local chefs at the forefront of the progressive slow food trend. Their demonstrations will educate consumers about the importance of cooking with local and organic produce and products. More on the chef demos further down.
This year, the line-up of speakers, presenters, sponsors, media partners, eco-exhibitors, artists, activists, and environmental non-profits, is notable. Check out the website: www.earthdaysf.orgAlso, this year, Earth Day is "coincidentally" celebrated on the day that 350.org has organized an Earth Day SF Action Parade & Rally. The rally for Climate Justice starts at Justin Herman Plaza, at 11:30 am, and proceeds up Market Street, to converge, at 1:30 pm, at UN Plaza where Earth Day San Francisco takes place. Earth Day's featured speaker, Bill McKibben, is one of the most respected environmentalists in the nation. He is the founder of 350.org, an organization that utilizes the web to connect globally with leading conservationist groups to convene them under one umbrella organization.
I looked into 350.org's website to better understand their mission and what it meant: "To preserve our planet, scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million to below 350 ppm. But 350 is more than a number-it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet."  We are very fortunate that Bill McKibben will be speaking at
Earth Day San Francisco!Main Stage at 1:00 PM
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Leila Salazar-Lopez speaking at
Pre-Earth Day Party
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 Leila Salazar-Lopez, also an Earth Day speaker, made a presentation at the pre-Earth Day Party held on April 10th. Leila, who represents Amazon Watch, spoke of the latest developments regarding the movement to preserve Ecuador's Yasun� National Park from the devastating effects of oil drilling.Following is an excerpt from Amazon Watch's website: " Yasun� National Park is an area of extremely high biodiversity located in the Amazon region of Ecuador. The park was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1989 and contains what are thought to be the greatest number of plant and animal species anywhere on the planet including one of the biggest populations of Jaguars. It is also home to numerous indigenous peoples including two nomadic Waorani clans, the Tagaeri and Taromenane, who shun contact with the outside world." At a time when companies, such as Pacific Gas and Electric, are generating revenues from solar energy, it's absolute insanity to continue destroying the Amazon for oil. How much more destruction to our environment for the extraction of oil can we afford? Oil, that once extracted and processed, in turn becomes a contaminant. Oil, for which wars are fought worldwide, often end up in oil spills generating yet more devastation to our environment. Really?
Please watch the following video titled �Yasun� Depende de Ti! to get a better idea of the magnitude of this issue.
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Moving along the program for Earth Day, one of the highlights is Planet Dance! I'll confess, I'm not hip to electronic dance music, but those that are in the know tell me the lineup rocks!
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Ladies and gents take note! 100% of Earth Day San Francisco's power needs will run on solar energy! Attractions at the event, including the Mother Earth Stage, Planet Dance, Sustainable Chef Demonstrations, Eco Village, Eco Fashion Show, Earth Day for Kids, Holistic Health Zone, Organic Food Vendor Booths, Artist Grove, and Green Films, will be powered by Sol Solutions, Inc.Bianca Starr, Miss Velvet, Kombucha Couture, Shirin Hashem, Source Couture, Decades of Fashion, Synergy Organic Clothing, and Platinum Dirt, are featured at the Eco Fashion Show stage.
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Earth Day San Francisco Official Sponsor, Rogers Family Coffee, will be serving organic roast at the coffee court. Stop by and get a cup of solar powered brew. 
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Clean Energy Zone featuring Chevy Volt and electric Smart Car  
 Chevy Volt "Electricity and gas seamlessly come together to deliver the best of both worlds. It's electric when you want it, gas when you need it." Model Overview
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 I'd like to personally thank Neal Gottlieb, founder of Three Twins Ice Cream (100% organic--the best!) and Rich Bertrand, Three Twins Event Guru, for their in-kind donation to Planet Dance. Gracias!
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SUSTAINABLE/RAW/ORGANIC CHEF ZONE
Chef Demonstrations
Noon - 5:00 PM
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 On behalf of the Earth Day team I'd like to thank Dr. Ed Bauman, founder of Bauman College, for his sponsorship of the Chef Zone. Bauman College's mission is to combine holistic nutrition with culinary arts. Dr. Ed Bauman will join me in presenting our featured chefs, as MC. Noon to 12:30 welcoming address by Dr. Ed Bauman and Paula Tejeda |
 12:30 to 1:00 PMChef: Iso RabinsCompany: ForageSFIso Rabins is the founder of ForageSF and The Underground Market, The Wild Kitchen, and Forage Kitchen. A leader in the San Francisco food scene, Iso has run his business over the past 8 years, always hewing to the mission of supporting the local food community, while exposing eaters to the abundance of wild edibles all around them. foragesf.com |
 1:00 to 1:30 PMChef: Troy BarberCompany: Milkman SFThe Milkman is committed to providing healthy and delicious products in the most convenient way for people with busy schedules. The Milkman delivers to your home or business on Thursdays between 7am - 5pm to San Francisco County. milkmansf.com |
 1:30 to 2:00 PMChef: Morsinah KatiminCompany: Sajen - Jamu Earth Drink Morsinah Katimin feels the need to raise awareness that ancient food is still relevant and the contributions of indigenous people to the world continue to be enormous. She would like to catalog them. She begins with jamu. sajenjamu.com |
 2:00 to 2:30 PMChef: Sascha WeissCompany: The Plant Caf� OrganicSascha Weiss has been with The Plant, formerly known as lettus, since it was just an idea. He shares the vision of making pure organic ingredients easily available to one and all. Sascha's background in natural foods is a perfect complement to The Plant's mission. He attended the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in New York City and later worked as the Executive Pastry Chef at Millennium in San Francisco, a vegan fine dining restaurant, contributing to their first cookbook. In addition, he has been the Pastry Chef at Roxanne's, a raw food restaurant, Sous Chef at the Ravens in Mendocino, Private Chef to George Lucas, and owned and operated Urban Kitchen, a natural foods catering company in Berkeley, CA. Sascha is an ongoing culinary instructor in the Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts program at Bauman College in the Bay Area. His recipes have been featured in numerous publications. theplantcafe.com |
 2:30 to 3:00 PMChef: Danny GabrinerCompany: Sour FlourSour Flour was founded in 2008 by Danny Gabriner when, through home experimentation with sour dough baking, he decided to start a bakery with a twist. The first 1,000 loaves would be free and would be given away to neighbors, collaborators, and anyone who expressed an interest in Sour Flour. sourflour.org |
 3:00 to 3:30 PMChef: Christina SasserCompany: Activation FoodsChristina is the founder of Activation Foods, an artisanal producer of high-vibrational, organic, local, and seasonal super-foods. "We specialize is creating delicious catered meals, event menus, and products that feature fermented, live, cultured, sprouted, and wild harvested ingredients." activationfoods.com |
 3:30 to 4:00 PMChef: Karen Yaella FrankelCompany: The Ticy KitchenYaella Frankel grew up in Thailand eating amazing, fresh Thai food every day. She applies her passion for delicious food from around the world to finding that unique balance of flavors and textures that make a dish great. She believes that every vegetable and food can be delicious when cooked in a way that suits it and highlights it's best texture. Yaella shares her passion for fusion food by cooking dinners out of her home and for events and workshops. She gets her inspiration from the farmers market each week seeing all the bounty that's in season. www.facebook.com/ticyspy |
 4:00 to 4:30 PMChef: Robert BiggsCompany: Papi Chulo SalsaBorn and educated in Sacramento, CA, Robert Biggs grew up a foodie and managed many restaurants. He moved to the Bay Area in 1989 where he continued his college education and worked in the Food and Beverage industry as a server, bartender, and Corporate Operations Supervisor and Trainer until 2009. www.facebook.com/PapiChuloSalsa |
 4:30 to 5:00 PMChef: Paula TejedaCompany: Chile LindoPaula Tejeda (aka The Girl From Empanada) is a native New Yorker of Chilean ancestry. Her atypical formative years, between the United States and Chile, granted her with unique bicultural expertise and first-rate bilingual fluency in Spanish and English. Chile Lindo Delicatessen & Coffee Shop is a classic South American style gourmet delicatessen and coffee shop located in the Mission District. Chile Lindo offers artesanal, home-style cooking, comprised of nothing but top quality ingredients, bought locally, and adhering to sustainable farming principles. The house specialty is hand-kneaded, fresh baked empanadas. The beef empanadas are prepared with Niman Ranch beef and cage free eggs; the vegan recipes are cooked with Yves Meatless Ground. chilelindo.com |
A Call To Action Earth Day Team
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Photo: Carlos Cordova
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In 2009, the economy sank, people lost their jobs, and that gave rise to a group of entrepreneurs that took to the streets armed with gourmet recipes, selling out of ingenious food carts. That enterprise became known as the Street Food Movement that led to the Street Food Trucks. Coincidentally, a new tech company was emerging: Twitter. Twitter became the tool that allowed followers to learn the whereabouts of the food carts.
At the time I was making the rounds with my basket teaching Mission locals about empanadas (many thought I sold bananas) and generating cash flow for the biz. Soon enough, I joined the Street Food family and we were selling out of parks, clubs, concerts, galleries, and techie events.
This enterprise gave rise to many now established small businesses such as Sour Flour, Wholesome Bakery, ForageSF, The Cr�me Br�l�e Cart, Magic Curry Cart, Soul Cocina, and so much more! It became the annual Street Food Festival that raises funds for La Cocina, not to mention countless blogs that followed San Francisco's latest food sensation. We worked hard but also had lots of fun and great friendships were formed.
When I started producing the Chef Zone for Earth Day, I reached out to the fabulous Street Food gang, and I'm happy to say that some of the chefs showcasing started their small businesses during this juncture. Hope to see you Saturday, April 19, at Earth Day! Saludos y cari�os, Paula Tejeda  Chile Lindo
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Look for Chile Lindo Alfajores at Earth Day
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