Slow Food has announced the dates of the 2010 Salone del Gusto, its biennial exposition of food, wine, and the pleasure of the table. This year, the Salone will be held from October 21st through the 25th.

We’ll share details of the Salone and its sister event, Terra Madre, as soon as they become available.

Join Slow Food USA during September and help sustain the momentum from the Time For Lunch campaign. This month, any first-time donation to Slow Food USA will make you a member. Give more if you can, less if you can’t.
Membership dollars help Slow Food USA work to directly affect national and local food policies. From reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act to the Farm Bill, Slow Food is building alliances, bringing in key industry experts, and heading to Washington to demand change.

Supporting Slow Food as a member helps us send a louder and stronger message that good, clean, and fair food is a right, not a privilege. Members of Slow Food USA join both the national and international Slow Food networks as well as the Los Angeles chapter. Benefits include:

• Invitations to local, national and international events celebrating good, clean, fair food;
• Member-only discounts on select events and publications;
• Getting connected with your local Slow Food chapter, made up of people who care about food, agriculture, health and the environment; and
• Opportunities throughout the year to take action and have an impact on critical legislation affecting food and agriculture in the U.S.

Membership rates will return to $60 (individual) and $75 (couple) on October 1st, but until then a donation of any amount makes you member. Join Slow Food USA and help us show our elected officials that the movement for good, clean, and fair is growing stronger every day.

When: Friday, February 27, 2009 from 7:00pm-9:00pm
Where: California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), UCLA Campus, Los Angeles. Directions to the CNSI are available at artsci.ucla.edu/08sym/cnsi.html.
Cost: Free of charge. (On-campus parking is available for $9; limited on-street metered parking is available on Westwood and LeConte.)
RSVP: If interested in attending, please email your name and telephone number to David Szanto at d [dot] szanto [at] unisg [dot] it.

Co-founded in 2003 by Slow Food and the Italian regions of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna, the University’s innovative approach is to create a new understanding of gastronomy, linking the act of eating with the act of producing, along with all the phases in between. Four programs at two Italian campuses follow a multidisciplinary learning model, merging science with humanities, sensory training with communications, classroom study with field seminars (including travel to five continents).
David Szanto will explain the Slow Food–inspired educational philosophy of the university, present the undergraduate and graduate degrees, discuss internships and work opportunities within the food world, and answer other questions. The session is open to all students, professionals, and members of the public. This program will be of particular interest to prospective students who wish to learn more about the school, its foundation, and its programs, including:

• Undergraduate degree in Gastronomic Sciences
• Graduate degree in Gastronomy and Food Communications
• Master of Italian Gastronomy and Tourism
• Master of Food Culture and Communications

For more information about the University of Gastronomic Sciences and its programs, visit the UNISG website.
For brief background information on the programs noted above, continue reading… The University of Gastronomic Sciences offers four programs, each with different subject areas, durations, and application requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in Gastronomic Sciences: This three-year program includes classes in both the humanities and scientific disciplines, as well as such ancillary courses as marketing, statistics, law, IT, and aesthetics, which together provide a complete overview of food culture. The syllabus is made up of 30 subjects and numerous field seminars, which take students to regions within Italy, in Europe, and overseas. Classes take place in English and Italian.
• Graduate degree in Gastronomy and Food Communications: This two-year program focuses on the administration of gastronomy industries, including tourism and food marketing. Designed as a specialization program to follow the UNISG three-year undergraduate program in gastronomy, it is also open to those with related undergraduate degrees. A study-abroad period at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH, and a 10-to-12-week internship conclude the program. Classes take place in English and Italian.
• Master of Italian Gastronomy and Tourism: This one-year master program takes a cultural, social, and historical approach, providing students with knowledge of food products and the issues of sustainability and ethical practices and gastro-tourism businesses. Lessons include Italian language and cultural studies, as well as seven weeks fo field study in various Italian regions for a full immersion in the country’s foodways. The program concludes with an 8-to-10-week internship towards a final thesis. Classes take place entirely in English.
• Master of Food Culture and Communications: This program, also one year in length, is designed for international students seeking a holistic perspective on food culture as well as the tools and modes of contemporary food communications. Students gain knowledge about high-quality food products from a cultural, social, and historical perspective, in order to develop professional skills in food promotion and education. The program includes extensive travel in Europe and throughout Italy, as well as a 6-to-8-week internship and final thesis. Classes take place entirely in English.

The Festival itself takes place on May 6-10, 2009 in Bologna, Italy. Submissions are now being accepted in the following categories:

• Shorts competition for international short films. Award for Best Short Film: Golden Snail and 5000 Euros.
• Docs competition for international documentaries. Two prizes will be awarded: one for the best documentary and one for the best short documentary. Award for Best Documentary: Golden Snail and 5000 Euros. Award for Best Short Documentary: Golden Snail and 2000 Euros.
• Best Food Feature: From a short list (between three and seven) of international feature films. Award for Best Feature Film: Golden Snail
• Best TV Series: The Slow Food on Film festival will select and make an award to the television series that stands out for its aware, intelligent, and culturally appropriate representation of gastronomy. Award for Best TV series: Golden Snail.

Entries must be received by March 1, 2009. Entry forms are available online, as are the rules for submitting entries for consideration; additional information about the criteria for each category, 2008 award winners, is also available on the Slow Food on Film website.

++ Director of Development: will be responsible for building and driving a fundraising strategy that will allow Slow Food USA to reach its full potential. The Director of Development will report to the President and work closely with the senior leadership team to develop a comprehensive fundraising plan (that includes individual, foundation and corporate prospects), identify annual revenue goals, and analyze progress towards those goals. The Director will furthermore design, implement and manage all aspects of this plan, including donor cultivation, networking, events, the annual fund, Board giving and major gifts. Read more about the Director of Development position.

++ Director of Communications: will be responsible for message-framing, strategic communications planning, public relations, web and print media and publications. The Director of Communications will report to the President and will work in close partnership with the senior leadership team to frame messaging and manage public relations around Slow Food USA’s programs, membership and mission. Read more about the Director of Communications position.

++ Director of Slow Food Nation: will be responsible for creating the next edition of Slow Food Nation. The Director will report to the President and work in close partnership with the senior leadership team to define the scope and budget for the next Slow Food Nation. This person will build a high performing event team, integrated with existing Slow Food USA staff, and direct and manage the execution of the event. The Director will work closely with staff, partners, allies and volunteers to create an event, a campaign and a national movement that will serve, strengthen and coalesce the diverse forces working to create a good, clean, fair food system. Read more about the Director of Slow Food Nation position.

++ Youth Program Coordinator: will be instrumental in designing and implementing Slow Food’s youth programming, activities, partnerships and campaigns. The Coordinator will report to the Program Director to manage Slow Food’s K-12 projects and college campus chapters. This person will play a key role in maintaining relationships with partner organizations to ensure that Slow Food effectively supports the national and international youth food movement (including the University of Gastronomic Sciences), manage the creation of youth delegations at Slow Food Nation, Terra Madre, and other events, and work to develop meaningful programs for aspiring young farmers. Read more about the Youth Program Coordinator position.

Slow Food USA Internships
All Winter 2009 Internships have been filled. Slow Food USA will be accepting submissions for Spring internships (April-June) from February 14, 2009 until February 28, 2009.

Each season, Slow Food USA hires interns to work in the national office in Brooklyn, New York City. An internship at Slow Food is a terrific way to learn about the food sector and the non-profit world, and to be involved in a movement that seeks to preserve the world we live in while enjoying its harvest.
Internships provide the opportunity to be involved with the organization and coordination of local, national and international events and projects, and to make contact with international leaders in the food sector.

Slow Food USA is a fun and busy non-profit organization with an open-minded, friendly staff. Minimum 15 hours a week, 3 month commitment. Full-time commitment preferred. Interns who can dedicate more time to this internship will gain more from it and be involved in more interesting work.
For more information about internships and how to apply, read the information on Slow Food USA’s site.

The video for the the closing panel moderated by Corby Kummer is embedded below. Featuring Wendell Berry, Carlo Petrini, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Alice Waters, and Vandana Shiva, the all-star discussion is notable not only for the quality of its content but for the enthusiasm and passion demonstrated by the participants. Whether you’re new to Slow Food or a long-time member or supporter, this video is a must-see discussion of the Good, Clean, and Fair philosophy that is the foundation of Slow Food.

Additional videos of panel discussions are available and include:

• A New, Fair Food System, moderated by Eric Schlosser, focuses on “current conditions and the future potential for the millions of men and women who harvest and process the food we eat every day.” As interest for animal rights broadens, Schlosser and the panelists urge attention to the human rights of the farmworkers, many of whom labor under dangerous conditions.
• Building a New Food System: Policy and Planning, moderated by Timothy LaSalle of the Rodale Institute, examines the first steps that governments (municipal, state, and federal) can take to support and build a sustainable food system.
• Climate Change and Food panelists discuss the “importance of land stewardship, biodiversity, urban planning” and more, including how climate change affects our food system.
• Katrina Heron, a director of the Chez Panisse Foundation and a member of the board of Slow Food Nation, moderated the panel on Edible Education. Participants included Alice Waters, Josh Viertel, Tony Recasner (head of Green Charter and New Orleans Charter Middle Schools), Van Jones (founder and president of Green for All), and Craig McNamara (president and founder at the Center for Land-Based Learning), and the discussion focused on the “potential and challenges of creating a national policy around edible education–a means of educating all children about stewardship, sustainability, and the connections between food, health, and the environment.”
• Re-Localizing Food panelists explored “the challenges of building a local food system and compared the environmental and social impacts of both a local and global approach to food.” Michael Pollan, Dan Barber, Gary Nabhan (found of the RAFT alliance), and Winona LaDuke (founding director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project) discuss the environmental and social impacts of both a local and global approach to food, and their conversation was moderated by James Oseland of Saveur.
• Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini, Raj Patel, and Corby Kummer discuss The World Food Crisis: “The impact of the industrial food production system that has left communities worldwide in the grip of hunger and dire food shortages.”

All videos can be viewed on the Slow Food Nation site.

Moved by Carlo Petrini’s observation at Slow Food Nation that “refrigerators are our tombs,” one of Emily’s recent posts addressed the issue of waste, and how our awareness of waste and our efforts to minimize it are steps everyone can take to counteract overconsumption. You can read Emily’s observations online, and also find links to related articles on The Kitchn.

Also online are Emily’s photos from Slow Food Nation that capture a cross-section of the event.
Our thanks to Emily for sharing her comments and photos, and we look forward to future installments of the Conscientious Cook!

Edited by Katrina Heron and enhanced with photography by Jenny Elia Pfeiffer, Emily Nathan, and Kim Westerman, Come to the Table will be of particular interest to members and friends of Slow Food chapters throughout California. It offers examples of Slow Food principles in action at a dozen California farms and includes insights from and interviews with farmers including Jim Churchill, known to Slow Food Los Angeles and Ojai members and friends for his Pixie tangerines.

More information about the contributors to the book and the profiled farmers is available on the Slow Food Nation website; copies of the book are now available in bookstores and via Amazon.com.

Slow Food Nation was inspiring and I am still on cloud 9, floating with hope, one full week later! I participated in many of the youth events including the retreat at Slide Ranch and the Eat-in at Dolores Park. The Eat-in was particularly powerful– we formed small cooking teams and prepared simple dishes with produce donated from local farms. Then we shared these dishes at a beautiful table set for 250 in the middle of the park. The spirit of community and enthusiasm was palpable. We were able to build a youth contingent and discuss potential collaborations and steps for involving more youth in the movement.

In addition to the youth events, the larger program, involving a public garden symbolically planted in front of city hall, a professional conference, tasting pavilions, and panel discussions, was comprehensive and phenomenally done. The panel discussion with Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Carlo Petrini, Vandana Shiva, and Eric Schlosser left me speechless — these leaders, who could be called the heavy hitters in the field, were so humble and gracefully insightful — the predominant themes that emerged from their comments were the urgent need for social justice, the importance of interdependence, and the rejection of consumerism. The first steps to take toward these goals are to plant a garden, wherever possible, and to meet your neighbors!

I feel recharged and inspired to convey this message here in Los Angeles!

For more information about the purpose and goals of the Eat-In, which was the result of cooperation between Slow Food Nation and Outstanding in the Field, you can learn more on the Slow Food Nation site.

Today’s comments were submitted by Louise Woo of South Pasadena, who wrote:

Hi Slow Food LA!

We had the honor of attending Slow Food Nation, including a day at the Taste Marketplace at Fort Mason, the opening plenary panel on “The World Food Crisis” and two dinners benefitting The Institute for Fisheries Resources and The California Food and Justice Coalition.

It was an amazing three-day extravaganza and we (members from L.A., Palm Springs and Oakland) are already eager to find out when and where the next USA conference will be held.  I wish we could attend Terra Madre in Turin this year, but alas we’ll have to try for 2010 instead.

We loved the Taste Marketplace held at Fort Mason over the weekend and were mightily impressed by the cheese-makers, fishermen and poultry and pork farmers who brought samples of their product from all over the continental U.S..  

But I think the highlight of our weekend was the Friday night dinner at Hayes Street Grill, a benefit for The Institute for Fisheries Resources which featured two of the fisherman who caught the fish for our meal!

Capt. Mike McCorckle brought us some lovely California white sea bass and Capt. Josh Churchman brought in some indescribably tender black cod, both served up expertly by Chef Rob Zaborny and the Hayes Street staff.  Both captains gave a short talk, showing us pictures of their boats and explained some of the challenges faced by California fisherman today.

Afterwards, they made the rounds of guests’ tables and chatted with us about their work and lives.  It was very touching for us to have a conversation with two of the people who work so hard to bring us the food we barely think twice about.

Our second dinner, Saturday night at Marketbar in the Ferry Plaza, featured an astounding (count ‘em) 13 course/dish tapas meal with locally-grown padrone peppers, melons, tomatoes, black olives, beats, arugula, corn, chard, yellow Romano beans, carrots and nectarines!   Every dish was delicious and they just kept coming and coming and coming!

Thanks, Louise; and thanks to others who submitted comments. We’ll have more to share in the coming days…

The movement to create a healthier food and agriculture policy in the U.S. has been slowly and steadily gaining ground for well over a decade. Those all around the nation who began the work are encouraged by the progress and simultaneously concerned by the pace of change given the disproportionate impact of food and agriculture on personal and planetary health.

The public’s increasing interest and the media’s deepening coverage of climate change, energy, agriculture, rural poverty, labor issues, food costs, food quality, and obesity may finally illuminate the interrelationship of these crises and provide a context for urgently needed changes, which are clearly possible.

The Declaration is meant to provide:

1. A clear statement of what kind of policy is needed now, endorsed by a broad base of organizations and individuals with a long-established commitment to a healthier food and agriculture;
2. An invitation to join in the improvement effort by taking action in their own lives and communities and by offering them a way to call on policymakers to support comprehensive change; and
3. A set of principles from which policy makers can craft policy that will lead to a healthier system.

As noted in the Declaration, “Our pursuit of healthy food and agriculture unites us as people and as communities, across geographic boundaries, and social and economic lines.” By endorsing the Declaration, Slow Food leaders, members, and friends are pledging their votes, their purchases, their creativity, and their energies to this urgent cause.

Visit the Food Declaration website to read the Declaration and to endorse it or comment on it. (The Declaration is also available as a downloadable form.)

• Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, talks about the need to consider the rights of workers who help bring the food from the farm to our plates.
• Considering the “fair” component of the “Good, Clean, Fair” Manifesto of Quality, “Farmworkers at the Table,” a report on labor rights discussion at Slow Food Nation convened by Schlosser.
• Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved, talks about the false sense of choice faced by food consumers.
• Chef Dan Barber talks about the inspiration he gleans from farms.
• Added September 15: Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, asks what happened to the promises of biotechnology, and offers a few answers about how science has fallen short of expectations.
• Added September 16: Anna Lappé, food activist and coauthor of Grub, talks about the connection between food and climate change.

Last week, San Francisco was host not only to the inaugural Slow Food Nation but also to Slow Food USA’s National Congress, a meeting of chapter leaders to discuss governance and organizational issues.

To coincide with the National Congress, Slow Food USA has revised–and revitalized–its website, and we encourage Slow Food Los Angeles members and friends to visit it for an overview of national programs and information and to bookmark it as a resource for information about Slow Food USA’s work.

In the coming days we’ll share news from and about Slow Food Nation, and we invite those who attended to share their comments with us. Slow Food Nation has also spurred media attention about Slow Food and issues related to good, clean, and fair food, and we’ll share links to those pieces, too.

And for those readers who have found Slow Food Los Angeles as a result of Slow Food Nation or related news items, welcome! Slow Food members and nonmembers alike are welcome to receive regular updates via your RSS reader of choice or to join our email list to receive news and announcements as they are posted to this site.

Currently available, via the CHOW website and iTunes, are podcast interviews with:

• Anya Fernald, Executive Director of Slow Food Nation;
• Andrew Barnett, owner of the Ecco Caffe and the Slow Food Nation Coffee curator;
• Casey Havre, owner of Loulou’s Garden and the Slow Food Nation Preserves curator;
• Michelle Fuerst, cooking instructor and the Slow Food Nation Pickles and Chutney curator; and
• Dave McLean, brewmaster and owner of Magnolia Pub & Brewery and Slow Food Nation Beer curator

CHOW promises additional stories, videos, and podcasts as the preparations continue, so be sure to subscribe to the podcast series in iTunes or bookmark the CHOW/Slow Food Nation page.

CHOW offers a network of information and resources for those passionate about food: growing it, preserving it, eating it… you name it, CHOW covers it. For more information visit CHOW’s home on the web.

Planted on the same site as a World War II-era garden in 1943, the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden features a a wide variety of heritage organic vegetables suited to the Bay Area microclimate. All food grown in the garden will be harvested and donated to those with limited access to healthy organic produce through Slow Food Nation’s partnership with local food banks and meals programs.
Amy Franceschini, the founder of Victory Gardens 2008+ and one of the coordinators of the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden, answers the question, what does a “victory” garden mean in 2008?

What do we want to be cultivating as urban farmers today? As you are well aware, “Victory,” for the WWI and WWII Victory Garden programs was “winning the war.” Winning the war by growing more food at home so that the nation could send more food overseas to support the war effort.

“Victory” for the Victory Garden 2008 program is independence from a food system whose values we do not support. “Victory” for the Victory Garden program is reducing the food miles associated with the average American meal by growing more food locally. “Victory” is building an alternative to the American industrial food system, which we view as injurious to ourselves, and to the planet. In this way we redefine Victory within the pressing context of urban sustainability, while building upon the previously successful Victory Garden model.

I had my reservations about keeping the name Victory Gardens, but it is something that people across a wide spectrum understand. If we are going to truly cultivate a large-scale food revolution it must be popular. The name gives us a chance to discuss gardening in a time of war. The problematics inherent in the title opens up space for conversation, like this one! If it were called “Happy Gardens” like one city official proposed, maybe we would be denying ourselves from looking at some of the darker realities associated with food policy.

(Read the complete interview on the Slow Food Nation site.)

For more comments on the Victory Garden and on the events of July 12, including some criticisms of the garden’s cost and questions about its stated goals see Marc R.’s excellent post on The Ethicurean (with photos). And for photos, information, and commentary about the development of the garden, visit the Victory Garden segment of the Slow Food Nation blog, which will have updates as the garden grows.

We’re looking forward to sharing more news about urban farming with Slow Food Los Angeles members and friends. As a counterpoint to the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden–visually and geographically–Slow Food member Carol Goldstein noted that readers interested in urban gardening may also be intrigued by the P.F.1 project that opened in Queens (NY) in late June. Built entirely from recycled materials, 100% solar powered, and irrigated with collected rainwater, P.F.1 aims to educate visitors about sustainable urban farming in the context of contemporary architecture. Don’t miss the time-lapse film of P.F.1′s construction: an excellent example of how a space can be transformed in less than a month. A bit of P.F.1′s history is also available in a New York Times article about the project.