News from Slow Food Sacramento

March 2014

Events Watch

Highlights of Upcoming Slow Food Sacramento Events:

March 29-30 - Slow Food California Comes to Sacramento: Film, Discussions, Mixer. More Info here and in this newsletter.

April 6 - Slow Food U Class on Fermentation. More info here and in this newsletter.

April 10 - Book Club - Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

More Info.

Other Regional Events

The Farm & Chef Dinner

Mar. 20 @ 6 p.m.

Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op

Enjoy dinner created by Chef Amy Harrington with produce grown by Tom Willey of T & D Willey Farms. The farmer and chef will discuss what it takes to put the meal together, which will include a discussion with Nathanael Johnson from Grist. $39/person. Reservations.

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Visit our website at www.slowfoodsacramento.com for news, events, photos, restaurants and more.

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Slow Food California Comes to Sacramento: March 29-30

What do a Sacramento trowel, an Italian documentary, and an heirloom Mexican blue corn have in common?

Answer: Slow Food Sacramento March 29-30

Celebrate with Slow Food Leaders from Mexico, Canada, and throughout California in school, at the movies, over a local brew

Slow Food Sacramento is hosting Slow Food California, Mexico, and Canada Leaders March 29-30 in Sacramento.

Help us welcome these visitors to America's Farm to Fork Capital and come learn more about what we're working on together.

School Garden Workshop

March 29 from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Geared towards youth garden educators, volunteers and school garden advocates, this mini workshop will integrate a hands on in-the-garden lesson with a health and nutrition component for participants to adapt for their campuses.

Slow Food leaders from across the state will then join in on the panel presentation by Andy Nowak, Director of the Slow Food USA National School Garden Program, Dorothy Peterson and Joyce Hardi of Slow Food Yolo, local Farm to School experts, and local school garden champions with how-to tips and sharing. $5 materials fee. For details, to register, participate, or donate contact School Garden Coalition Director Brenda Ruiz brenda@slowfoodsacramento.com

Screening of The Slow Food Story

March 29 in the historic Guild Theater

2828 35th Street just off Broadway

4:30 p.m. doors open; film at 5 p.m.

In cooperation with the Sacramento Food Film Festival we are screening the new documentary, The Slow Food Story. It's free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family.

Just what is Slow Food and how did it start 25 years ago? Why have its accomplishments earned Carlo Petrini a United Nations 2013 Champion of the Earth Award?

Our Sac-centric historic side note: Slow Food Hero Darrel Corti introduced Slow Food International Vice President Alice Waters to Carlo - and the rest is history!

Donations to the California Literacy Center and Slow Food Sacramento are welcome at the door.

Mixer at Magpie Café March 30 at 3:30 p.m. Cost: $30/person. Purchase tickets here

Meet these regional and international leaders over incomparable Magpie Café fare. Learn about and savor the fruits of Slow Food Mexico leader and chef Alfonso Rocha's heirloom blue corn milpa project - and how Slow Food California is working across borders north and south to strengthen the international Slow Food network. Learn how Magpie Café owners Ed Roehr and Janel Inouye have embraced the Slow Food Biodiversity Foundation's Ark of Taste Project protecting traditional foods and food cultures at risk of extinction. This event is limited to first 80 responders. Purchase tickets here

Contact charity@slowfoodsacramento.com for information or to help Sacramento host this meeting.

Food and Film Festival

March 20 - 30

3rd Sacramento Food Film Festival

March 20 - 30

Features 7 Tastings and Films

Slow Food Sacramento is proud to be a part of this year's Sacramento Food Film Festival. There's more offered this year than ever. Don't miss the food and film pairings to be held between March 20 - 30. Proceeds benefit the California Food Literacy Center. This year's line up includes:

March 20: Ten22 for appetizers and drinks and screening of "Spinning Plates." $40/person

March 22: Sterling Hotel with Ruhstaller Nugget hop beer, bites from Adam Pechal and
screening of "Beer Wars." $30/person.

March 25: Lucca 4-course dinner and screening of "Bottle Shock." $40/person or $50/person with wine pairing.

March 26: Sacramento Natural Foods Coop serves

appetizers and screens "Cafeteria Man" with appearance by the film's star, Tony Geraci and a panel discussion. Free.

March 28: Sellands family spaghetti dinner at McKinley Park's Clunie Center and screening of "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs." $25/adults and $15/children.

March 29: Slow Food Sacramento at the Guild Theater screens "The Slow Food Story." Free.

March 30: Sunh Fish and Billy Ngo sushi and uni tasting with screening of "Sweet, Sexy Ocean." $35/person.

For more information, specific times and to purchase tickets, visit www.sacfoodfilmfest.com.

Governors Report

In addition to our local gathering of Slow Food California Leaders and leaders from Mexico and Canada, we have important Slow Food gatherings in Denver in June and in Italy in October.

But first,

* New Slow Food USA Policy Task Force - if you would like to know about, respond to, or participate in Slow Food USA Food and Agriculture Policy initiatives contact campaigns@slowfoodusa.org We're using an opt-in approach, so please sign up if affecting policy is part of what brings you to the good, clean, and fair food movement. We're getting organized in this month! We'd like good representation from throughout California.

Now, the Slow Food USA gathering:

* Slow Meat 2014 June 20-22

100 delegates from across the USA will be asked to share expertise in facilitated discussions to ultimately produce a menu of practical actions for Slow Food communities across the USA to deploy, measure, report and refine with the larger national community of advocates who seek change in our food system. There will be 50 delegates from Slow Food and 50 from various aspects of the meat industry. Interested/have something to add? Delegate applications will be issued in the next two weeks. Check the Food USA website.

A bigger Slow Meat 2015 gathering, the first since Slow Food Nation in San Francisco in 2008, will take place next year.

And finally, the fantastic, inspiring Slow Food International gathering that happens every two years in Turino, Italy and brings together chefs, producers, farmers, activists, and leaders from around the world:

* Terra Madre 2014 - October 23-27 - We are now building the Slow Food California Terra Madre delegation. The UN Year of the Family Farm and Ark of Taste are the themes of this year's gathering. Delegate applications are due March 23.

The California delegation will have 20 members. Are you

a person we should be sending?

Do you know a farmer, chef, producer, or leader who would benefit and would bring back Terra Madre energy and inspiration to Slow Food California?

We will try to raise travel funds for at least 4 California delegates who would not otherwise be able to travel to Italy. Delegates' conference fees, meals, and lodging are covered by donors to Slow Food International.

Questions? charity@slowfoodsacramento.com

Thank you for all you do!

Charity Kenyon

Slow Food USA Governor

Central Valley Regions & International Councilor

Slow Food U - Fermentation Class

April 6

Slow Food U - Fermentation Class

April 6 from 10 a.m. to Noon

Co-op Learning Center

$15 per person

If you've read Michael Pollan's new book, Cooked, you know about recent research correlating fermented foods with healthy gut bacteria.

In this hands-on class, Janet McDonald will teach us to make sauerkraut and fermented carrots. Learn how to preserve the endless cabbages and root vegetables that proliferate in the winter and early spring gardens and CSA boxes.

Register Here...

Slow Foood Board Memer Brenda Ruiz Nominated for Unsung Hero Award by Assm. Roger Dickinson

Slow Food Sacramento Congratulates Board Member and School Garden Coalition Director Brenda Ruiz upon her nomination for an "Unsung Hero Award" by Assemblymember Roger Dickinson. The winner will be announced at the First Women's Appreciation Awards Ceremony Friday March 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the California Museum 1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Whether or not she wins, we're singing about Brenda. She has been our hero for as long as we've known her. Learn why on the 28th or at the upcoming School Garden Coalition workshop March 29th - details above.