On our way...

Thanks so much do David Hoene for hosting a great event at Pauline's yesterday!  We had a great time introducing ourselves to each other and sharing our experiences and impresssions from Terra Madre, the Salone del Gusto, and Italy in general!

My favorite part of the evening, however, was at the generous meal that David shared with us and the discussion that ensued around the dining room table.  The meal began with wonderful Boyden Valley Winery wines, apple cider and an amazing variety of our fantastic Vermont cheeses.  The main meal was Shuttleworth Farm pork with wild-crafted mushrooms from Nova & Les, potatoes, squash and brussels sprouts from Lewis Creek Farm and kale from Arethusa Collective Farm.  The dessert was a fantastic cranberry crisp with ice cream - delicious!  The conversation was riveting and important, and, as tends to happen around a dinner table with a bunch of passionate eaters - at times, raucous!

The main question that floated around all evening was, "How will SFVT distinguish itself from all the other fantastic food organizations in Vermont?"  The main points that I heard voiced as possible directions SFVT could go are (apologies for things I missed!):

1. A focus on food culture and the culture of conviviality should be a central theme - simply getting together with other eaters, creating and enjoying a meal together and taking as long as you'd like to complete that meal.  Gatherings at members' homes for themed potlucks or just a gathering at a local chicken pie supper.  Cheap, easy, and meaningful!
2. SFVT could have a defined educational arm - food tastings and events focusing on the science of taste (apple tastings, honey tastings, maple syrup tastings, cheese!)
   
3. There were a few voices that liked the idea of SFVT distinguishing itself as an organization focusing on the culture of food in Vermont - looking at and educating Vermonters on the foodways that helped to build up our state; maple, dairy, salt pork, etc.  This could also tie into the folks that are already doing "slow food", but don't even know it - the chicken pie suppers are a great example.
4. There was also the general sense that this organization could have more of an emphasis on the eaters - the co-producers, and their experience.  This does not exclude the producers - Slow Food international recognizes the players as the Producers, the Co-Producers, the Chefs, the Educators, the Academics, and the Youth.  SFVT could as well - but perhaps use the other players as the supporters of the Co-Producers' experience.  

There were also some organizational ideas put forth at the meeting: 

• There was a lot of enthusiasm for holding a summit of all the food players in the state to define our roles and see how SFVT could fit in.  
• There was a general consensus that VT needed a lot of chapters that answer to the State chapter (located in Montpelier), and perhaps one meeting a year where all the chapters gather and report on our events.
• Nova mentioned the creation of a "Snail Trail" that identifies restaurants and farms in the state that subscribe to the tenets of Slow Food, the practices of Good, Clean and Fair food.  The locations would have a sign not unlike the VT Fresh Network sign that would signify to the public that they hold up to those standards.
• There was also the idea of a panel discussion being held at the NOFA-VT conference this February on Slow Food Vermont - sharing our vision with the public and inviting them to join.

As you can see, there was a ton of discussion and lots of ideas floating around!  I think that it is crucial to keep this dialogue moving and try to distill what we are moving towards as an organization.  As Deb Shapiro from Edible Green Mountains said last night, "Flash forward a year from now - how has SFVT made the world different?"  This is perhaps a guiding thought for us as we move forward.  I welcome comments, corrections, and further ideas!

Farmer in Chief

I feel compelled to post the link to this fantastic article by Michael Pollan to the future President elect (he wrote it for the New York Times Food Issue on October 9th, so Obama had yet to be elected). It is a fantastic article giving advice to our future President about all things concerning food, food policy, and ultimately culminating in a suggestion to hiring, in addition to a White House Chef, a White House Farmer. It is a compelling argument, and we were reassured at the US delegation meeting at Terra Madre that Barack Obama had already been sent multiple copies of the article. Here's to hope! Click on Michael's picture to be redirected to the New York Times Magazine article. While there, check out the other food issue articles - it was a great issue of the magazine. Enjoy! Looking forward to seeing all of you at Pauline's on Sunday!

Great to hear that you returned as enthusiastic as you were in 2006!!

As you and I discussed in early September, when we returned from the Slow Food National Congress, we thought (and have always thought) that what this state needed was groups of small chapters that are intimately connected with their communities, and have a larger gathering either once or twice a year (preferably not during planting or harvesting seasons). This could be a time where we could plan as well as just enjoy each others company. And, finally SFUSA is in agreement.

SFUSA was talking about doing templates for websites, we had already planned on doing one where we could all have input and other members around the state could know what is going on and attend if able.

This is certainly a great start!

On October 28th, while meeting Chef David Hoene of Pauline's, upon his return from Terra Madre, he said that he would like to host a Gathering of Terra Madre Delegates 2006/2008 at his restaurant:

Sunday, November 16 at 4:30 p.m., Pauline's Cafe - Upstairs, South Burlington

Please contact Pauline's directly at 1.802.862.1081 to RSVP.

Hope to see you all there and let's keep the energy going!

Les and Nova, SFVT Convivium Leaders
wildorganic@yahoo.com or wildorganic43@gmail.com

Great idea Mara

This is a great idea. Thanks for putting it together. I will post more later, but I wanted to share my enthusiasm for more connection between all of us!

Abbey Duke, Sugarsnap, Terra Madre 2006

Terra Madre 2008

Welcome! This is a place for all of us Slow Food Terra Madre Vermont delegates to breakdown our experience together, share pictures, and talk about the future of Slow Food Vermont! I am a Slow Food Vermont member that just attended Terra Madre 2008 in Turin, Italy with my food community, the Community of Intervale Farmers, represented by 3 of us, Mara & Spencer Welton of Half Pint Farm and Thomas Case of Arethusa Collective Farm. We are super excited and invigorated by our experiences in Turin, and would like to offer up some thoughts on how to best unify our small but mighty state's many Slow Food members.

Vermont is already doing so much to strengthen the food fabric of our communities with organizations like the Vermont Fresh Network, NOFA, Localvores, Rural Vermont, VT FEED and so many more. There must be food-focused events being held all over the state all the time, though we are unaware of the various dinners and events due to the lack of a central location to post all of the events that are going on. And so, to that end, I have created this blog for us delegates and offer it up as a place where we can post events that you know are occuring as well as share information, recipes, fundraisers, pictures and your vision for how Slow Food Vermont can be a more coherent organization. One issue that I am aware of is that folks I talk with have heard of Slow Food and are always surprised to hear that Vermont even has convivia. I feel that this is due to the lack of events that are held and advertised. After Terra Madre, I am motivated to personally host some events down here in Burlington, and even begin a Burlington convivium if people think it would be a good idea (see poll to the right). I have long thought that since our state is so diverse that there should be lots of convivia, and that we should all meet annually to report on how the year went and what was accomplished. Or, alternatively, motivated members could hold events that they organize independently (while notifying the rest of the membership) and report on the event with pictures here on the blog. I would love to hear some feedback from other Terra Madre delegates and start the dialogue!

Now for my thoughts on Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto! I am amazed by several things concerning Terra Madre, from the organizational herculean efforts that are apparent, to the diversity of delegates representing the 153 nations to the abundance of diverse foods represented to the preciousness of the presidia to the reassurance that there are thousands of people like me out there growing good food for people, to the realization that Vermont can compete globally with the rich diversity of our products, the care with which they are made and the inherent quality that shines through in each unique food product we produce. One thing that I would love to see more of here in Vermont are events that aren't $50+ a plate (though those are fun, too!), and do more in the way of potlucks, getting together and going to a chicken supper at a church, hosting picnics, a canning day, organized visits to area producers to learn more about their products...the list can go on and on. The basic idea that I have is that there are so many food traditions and foodways that we celebrate in our communities and families - let's share them with each other; learn more, eat well and enjoy each other's company!