Ingredients Going Green Local Artisan Audubon Greenwich Hosts 2nd Annual Sustainable Food & Farm Expo w/ Local Chefs and Tastings CTbites Team May 20, 2015 Community Is Invited to a Day of Learning with Local Experts Audubon Greenwich will host the second annual Sustainable Food & Farm Expo on Sunday, May 31, from 10 am until 5 pm. This year’s Expo will showcase high quality food producers, retailers, a celebrity chef, and farmers who will teach guests how to prepare and enjoy a wide variety of local and sustainably grown foods, plus grow some of their own. Register online for tix. The public is invited to enjoy twenty food exhibitors and vendors plus talks, demonstrations, and tastings with a wide range of experts every thirty minutes. Fleisher’s Craft Butchery and Grass Rxoots will cater lunch, snacks, and beverages suitable for vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, locavores, and those with food allergies or adhering to an organic diet. Chef Silvia Baldini of Strawberry and Sage will share her passion for cooking in three different culinary demonstrations and tastings where locally sourced ingredients take center stage. “When you work with real food, it’s easy to be in the kitchen” says Baldini, Fairfield County’s first female Chopped Champion. “In fact, I believe that once you learn to cook with basic local ingredients, you’ll be able to improvise seasonally to prepare beautiful and tasty dishes to share with loved ones.” The Sustainable Food & Farm Expo is a production of Audubon Greenwich, the Fairfield Green Food Guide, and Strawberry and Sage aimed at educating the public about our rich and diverse sustainable food community. "Audubon is proud to host this exciting, family-friendly event. Organic farming practices, composting, and more wholesome approaches to eating will greatly reduce our burden on Earth's natural resources while enhancing our habitats, soils, and communities" says Jeff Cordulack, Audubon Greenwich's Events and Communications Manager. Educational tastings were so popular last year that more were added to the May 31 event including organic, micro-lot, Guatemalan coffee with Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters; five local honeys with the American Honey Tasting Society, single varietal extra virgin olive oils with Olivette, and artisan cheeses with Greenwich Cheese Company. “We have curated a day chock full of special events so anyone with an appetite for new resources, fresh ideas, and a gastronomic adventure will leave feeling sated” says Analiese Paik, Founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide. Guests are advised to pre-register for paid tastings online at brownpaperticket.com, event 1568464, since capacity is limited to fifty people per 30- minute event. Fleisher's Craft Butchery, Fairfield County’s only whole animal butcher specializing in locally sourced, pastured-raised meats, will be doing a free butchery demonstration and talk at 12:30 pm. "The local food community in Connecticut is getting bigger, better and more focused on sustainability. We are proud of our leadership role in providing consumers with meat that’s not just better tasting, but better for our health, our farmers and the land we share” says Ryan Fibiger, CEO of Fleisher’s Craft Butchery. No sustainable food event would be complete without a discussion about the loss of biodiversity in our agricultural system and efforts to slow and reverse it. “Slow Food’s Ark of Taste is a quest to restore the rich diversity and heritage of our food” says Mimi Edelman, farmer and owner of I&Me Farm and Chair of the Northeast/New England Slow Food Ark of Taste Committee. “I’ll be inviting Expo guests to participate in Slow Food’s efforts to preserve food culture and traditions of the Northeast/New England region that include livestock, poultry, fruits, grains, vegetables, added value products, herbs and wild edibles.” Event Highlights: Visit 20 exhibitors to learn about, sample, and purchase their sustainable food products and services. Choose from three demonstrations and tastings with a celebrity chef ($10 each). Attend free talks about growing heirloom vegetables and saving seeds, suburban homesteading, nutrient dense vegetable gardening, and food preservation. Attend paid talks ($10 each) with tastings including local honey, ultra-premium extra virgin olive oil, and artisan cheese. Attend a free butchery demo and sustainable meat talk. Attend a free micro-lot, organic coffee tasting and demonstration on mastering French press brewing. Enjoy organic juices, snacks and lunch items along with sandwiches prepared with pasture-raised meats. The following businesses and organizations will be participating at the Sustainable Food & Farm Expo: Audubon Greenwich, Fairfield Green Food Guide, Strawberry and Sage, Slow Food Metro North, Slow Food USA, Fleisher’s Craft Butchery, Greenwich Cheese Company, Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters, the American Honey Tasting Society, Olivette, Suburban Homesteading, Growing with Nature, Farmer Doug DeCandia, Pound Ridge Organics, The CT Farm Table Cookbook, Grass Rxoots, Paul’s Custom Pet Food, Greenwich Community Gardens, and Natural Awakenings. The Sustainable Food & Farm Expo is open to the public from 10 am until 5 pm on Sunday, May 31, 2015. Snacks, beverages, and lunch are available for purchase on-site from Grass Rxoots and Fleisher’s Craft Butchery. General Admission tickets are $15 per person, $20 per couple, or $25 per family. Paid tastings are an additional $10 per person, per session and online reservations are strongly recommended as seating is limited to 50 guests per session. Visit fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com for a complete special events calendar. Register online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1568464. Event address: Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, CT 06831 About Audubon Greenwich: The Audubon Greenwich mission is to engage and educate people to conserve, restore, and enjoy nature, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. The Audubon Center in Greenwich is also home to Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society. http://greenwich.audubon.org About Fairfield Green Food Guide: The Fairfield Green Food Guide is dedicated to providing Fairfield County consumers with local and sustainable food resources, news, and events. This award-winning website helps guide consumers to farmers’ markets, CSAs, farm stands, organic and farm-to-table restaurants, specialty food retailers, and farm and food events. Fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com. About Strawberry and Sage: Strawberry and Sage is a creative and consulting food group. Clients served include the Royal Scottish Society, Bank of America, Vista Caballo, JMcLaughlin, Ralph Lauren, Wheelock Maidique, the Rye Nature Center, The New Canaan Library, The Carriage Bar Arts Center and Elm restaurant. Strawberryandsage.com.
