Slow Food Los Angeles

supporting good, clean, and fair food production and consumption in Los Angeles

Catching up on the news: local olive oil, local partnerships, defining “chocolate”

Links to news that may be of interest to Slow Food members and friends:
> Students at Caltech are taking advantage of the wealth of established olive trees on the Pasadena campus and making their own olive oil. Great use of a local resource! [Los Angeles Times]
> Whole Foods seems to be making good on its [...]

Members-Only Event Announcement: Live in the Hive!

Bill Lewis, an experienced beekeeper and long-time participant in the South Pasadena and Santa Monica farmers’ markets, has generously agreed to host a private tour of his bee-keeping and small-scale honey production operation and to share his vast knowledge of bees and honey with Slow Food LA members.
Bill’s Bee Ranch is a rural oasis, located [...]

The 2007 Farm Bill: Slow Food Stands Up

Many of our readers have asked for more information about the 2007 Farm Bill and what Slow Food as an organization is doing.
We’re pleased that Slow Food USA has issued a position statement and plan of action and are now able to share them with with members and friends of the Los Angeles convivium.
Slow Food’s [...]

Event Announcement: California Artisan Cheese Tasting

Our colleagues in the Ojai convivium have asked us to share the following event announcements with our members and friends in Los Angeles:
Slow Food Ojai/Ventura will present a special opportunity to learn about and taste a range of artisanal cheese all made in California on Sunday, May 20, at the Sidecar Restaurant in Ventura. In [...]

The Mystery of the Vanishing Bees

To find the cause of the dramatic and possibly devastating decline of bees across the country , scientists are gathering and analyzing data and testing many possible theories ranging from cell phone interference (less likely) to problems related to corn-syrup-based dietary supplements fed to bees.
“There are so many of our crops that require pollinators,” said [...]

“You Are What You Grow”

This Sunday’s (April 22, 2007) New York Times Magazine features an essay by Michael Pollan about the Farm Bill:
Compared with a bunch of carrots, a package of Twinkies, to take one iconic processed foodlike substance as an example, is a highly complicated, high-tech piece of manufacture, involving no fewer than 39 ingredients, many themselves elaborately [...]

California Bill Would Require Cloned Food Labels

From the April 17, 2007 New York Times:
Steaks, pork chops, milk and other products from cloned livestock would have to be clearly labeled on grocers’ shelves under a bill pending in the California Legislature.
If passed, the requirement could be more stringent than federal rules. The Food and Drug Administration is poised to give final approval [...]

Event Announcement: Makers Nights at Cube Benefit Slow Food in Schools

Cube will reprise their one-of-a-kind culinary benefit, the Maker Nights, for Slow Food in Schools on Thursday and Friday, May 3rd and 4th. Cube’s dining room will once again set the stage for this educational and delicious culinary adventure as three of America’s top artisan food producers and an heirloom farmer converge for two evenings of [...]

Slow Food Orange County Farmers’ Market Walk

Our friends in the Orange County convivium have asked us to share this announcement with our members and friends in Los Angeles:
Slow Food OC’s Farmers’ Market walk is meant to underline the connections between the earth and table. We will begin the morning by meeting at Britta’s Café for a bit of morning coffee and scones. Britta [...]

Linking to The Ethicurean, Mulch, and Chews Wise

We’ve recently added three more sites to the list of links on our homepage. If you haven’t taken a look recently or if these are new to you, we encourage you to check them out for news about a variety of issues and concerns shared by Slow Food:
The Ethicurean
. . . . is dedicated to [...]

Event Announcements: Culinary Historians of Southern California

The Culinary Historians of Southern California (CHSC) have reminded us of the following events that are coming up and open to Slow Food members and friends:
Saturday, April 14, 2007, 10:30am
“The 2006 Oxford Symposium topic, ‘Eggs’” with Charles Perry and Dan Strehl
Saturday, May 12, 2007, 10:30am
“Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West” with [...]

Opportunity with the Westwood Farmers’ Market

The Westwood Farmers’ Market is looking for someone who would like to help the community by assisting in the management of the local Thursday farmers’ market. The position is ideal for someone who wants to expand their knowledge of events, to contribute to the community and either has knowledge of, or wants to acquire knowledge [...]