Below you will find a list of the events Slow Food Boston has hosted in the past 12 months.

Details:
"Eat it to Save It." Seems like an odd statement, doesn't it? But if requesting heirloom varieties of produce on our plate encourages chefs to search them out and farmers to plant them, then it's a success. So let's do our part to help bring back more of these heirlooms... By doing what we do best, eating!

Along with Chefs Collaborative and their program the RAFT Grow-Out, we are teaming up with a number of local chefs to offer up a series of amazing dinners throughout the next few months.

RAFT is a program started by Slow Food USA as a spin-off from the ARK of Taste, which recognizes foods that are in danger of extinction due to changing tastes & growing practices. RAFT goes one step further, bringing attention not only to regional foods and heirloom varietals that are hard to find, but also the cultural traditions around food that are being lost.

The RAFT Grow Out is a program that encourages local farmers to grow unusual heirloom varietals and teams them up with local chefs willing and eager to use those vegetables. The desired result? More people getting to discover amazing flavors, textures and colors and start asking for them at the markets. And in response more farmers being willing to grow them!

So back to the eating thing. Our RAFT Heirloom Harvest Dinner series kicks off on Monday August 23rd at 6pm at Garden at the Cellar. Chef Will Gilson will be putting together an amazing four course meal featuring RAFT veggies for your gastronomic pleasure, and we'll have Chefs Collaborative reps and a farmer on hand to discuss what you're eating.

Cost for the evening is $65, inclusive of tax and tip but not drinks. The regular wine and beverage list will be available for purchases. Preregistration and payment are required - and sign up soon, we have limited spots.

And keep you eyes open for coming meals at Lumiere, Tomasso Trattoria and 606 Congress throughout September. We plan to eat up a storm!

Directions:
Garden at the Cellar is located at 991 Massachusetts Avenue, partway between Harvard and Central Squares. More information can be found on their website.
 

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As a follow-up to Russ' foraging lecture the week before, we have also reserved him for a second evening in order to put our new-found knowledge to the test!

Tuesday, August 3rd at 6:30pm we'll gather at Great Brook Farm State Park out in Carlisle for Russ to take us on an actual foraging walk. He will point out edible species commonly found in the summer season and cover safe and environmentally sensitive foraging techniques.

Cost for the outing is only $5 and space is limited, so reserve your spot soon. We can guarantee that you will walk away with your eyes having been opened and ready to view your backyard and the local woods in a whole new way!

Directions:
Great Brook Farm State Park is located at 984 Lowell Street in Carlisle, MA. More information and directions can be found at the HERE.
 

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Did you know that New England is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants and dozens of species of edible mushrooms? What about the reported fact that many are more nutritious and flavorful than their cultivated counterparts? If this is news to you, then you must plan to join us Tuesday, July 27th at 6:30pm for a little enlightening!

Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, will join us for a 90-minute slide show and question and answer period. He will cover over 70(!!) of the tastiest species the region has to offer. These range from plants you know well, like Daisies and Dandelions, to plants that you may never have even heard of, like Calamus and Carrion Flower.

He'll include information on about a dozen of the tastiest (and easiest to recognize) mushroom species, from Morels in the spring, Black Chanterelles in the summer and Hen of the Woods mushrooms in the fall.

Information covered will include identification tips, edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, along with general guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. And just 'cuz we're special, Russ promises to bring along a foraged goodie or two to taste!

Cost for the evening's presentation is only $5, and pre-registration is appreciated! Many thanks to our co-hosts, the Appalachian Mountain Club Boston Chapter Young Members Committee.

Directions:
The Appalachian Mountain Club is located at 4 Joy Street on Beacon Hill. We will be using the Cabot Auditorium.

The nearest T stop is Park Street - then just head up through the Commons to Joy Street. A map can be found here.
 

Details:
How do you provision?

A) Formaggio, Savenors and Whole Foods - most especially those lovely prepared foods...

B) Trader Joes and the Shaws weekly circular

C) In my back yard, of course!

D) Bartering, squat-farming and dumpster diving - no shame here

For those that answered A, you can probably stop reading now. But for the rest of you, reserve Thursday, June 24th from 6:30 to 8:30pm for an evening's celebration of "Slow Food on No Dough".

Slow Food Boston has teamed with Public Radio Kitchen to present Amy McCoy, the blogger behind Poor Girl Gourmet and author of the new book, Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget.

In keeping with the 'low overhead' super-thrifty theme, you'll be providing your own eat, potluck style. We're planning very special prizes will be awarded for tastiest and cheapest dishes - categories will be announced on PRK next week.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today by emailing prk@wbur.org. Cost for the evening is $5, with proceeds going to Slow Food Boston's Terra Madre Fund.

Directions:
WBUR's Studios are located on the 3rd floor of 890 Commonwealth Avenue on the corner of St Paul Street.

The Green 'B' T line stops directly in front of the building. If you are driving, please be advised that there is some, but not much, street parking in the area.
 

Details:
Last year, fear rippled through the producers and caterers that rented kitchen space in the The Brewery building in JP. Nuestra Culinary Ventures, the company that ran the space, wanted out. They had no desire to manage the kitchens anymore and didn't want to deal with finding a new manager. They really wanted out. So what were these small food producers and caterers and bakers to do???

Ta-Da! Lucky for them (and consequently for us) a savior swooped in... And we have the pleasure of now introducing that angel to you! Please meet the acquaintance of CropCircle Kitchen, and its founder, JD Kemp.

Join us Wednesday June 23rd at 6:30pm as we explore the kitchens in The Brewery with JD, hearing all about the project and it's importance. But even more importantly, taste some of the amazing things that are being created in this shared space. We'll get to visit with such outfits as ForkLift Catering, Deborah's Kitchen, Down Home Delivery & Catering and Batch. There will be close to FIFTEEN different businesses displaying their wares for you to taste. Cost for the evening is only $20 payable IN ADVANCE via Paypal or a check.

We can guarantee you'll walk away filled with food, but also with warm fuzzy feelings. It's amazing what an angel can do!

P.S. There will be water available to drink, but feel free to bring along your drink of choice. We'll have ice all set up in order to keep things cold!

Directions:
The Brewery Building is located at 284 Amory Street in Jamaica Plain, but the entrance to CropCircle is in the back of the building, across from the Sam Adams Brewery. The official address here is 31 Germania Street. The Stonybrook orange line T stop is a few blocks away. A map can be found HERE.
 

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Milan, as most of you probably already know, is one of the most fashionable, cosmopolitan cities not only in Italy but all of Europe. What you may not know, however, is that Milan's most respected restaurant is not some superstar chef's latest ode to vertical food but rather a place that has been owned by the same husband and wife team for the past 48 years. Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia (owned eponymously by Aimo and Nadia Moroni) is one of the quintessential restaurants of Italy. Focusing on perfect ingredients prepared in ways that are at once both classic and wholly-original, the restaurant has inspired legions of devoted fans--and earned two Michelin stars to boot.

Among these legions of fans, you can count Boston's own Babak and Azita Bina who styled their restaurant Bina Osteria after Il Luogo. As such, it is not surprising that when they needed a new chef late last year, Babak and Azita arranged with their friends the Moronis to hire Aimo's protege, Bruno Ariel Guadagnin.

Originally from Argentina (of Italian ancestry, of course), Bruno spent years working with Aimo and was eventually tasked with opening a second Tuscan-inspired branch of Il Luogo. Since moving to Boston, Bruno has updated the menus at Bina Osteria to reflect some of that same thoughtfulness he learned in Milan. Given Bruno's pedigree and, of course, the lovely space at Bina, we at SFB are thrilled to be hosting a very special Spring dinner on June 15th, directly inspired by the menus of Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia.

The event will start at 7:30PM and will cost $60 per person. This cost will include small wine pairings with each course as well as tax and tip. The proposed menu is listed below. Seating will be limited.

You may not be jetting to Milan in June but you can perhaps catch just a small taste of that amazing city by joining us.

Menu:

Laughing bird shrimp tartar with orange marmalade and homemade herbed ricotta
Rabbit pate with proscuitto and rosemary grissini

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Small bean salad and season's greens with Point Judith calamari and olives taggiasche

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Tagliatelle con Cazoela [stewed tripe, sausage, salami and vegetables]

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Slow roasted pork shank with black lentils

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Creme caramel, pistachio tortilla

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Directions:
Bina Osteria is located in downtown Boston, a block from Boston Common at 581 Washington St. You can get directions and more information on their website.
 

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As our world gets smaller with each passing year, the closer we move toward the advent of just one 'global cuisine'. And for what it's worth, we here at Slow Food Boston don’t think that’s such a great thing to look forward to! Personally, we’d rather maintain the ability to learn of old techniques, taste place specific flavors, and meet those that have memories etched deep of traditional meals made and shared.

Chef and author Lynne Christy Anderson falls squarely on our side of this issue, and she writes eloquently about it in her book Breaking Bread: Recipes and Stories from Immigrant Kitchens. Lynne has traveled the world peeking into immigrant kitchens and discovering such delectables as hand-rolled pasta and homemade chutney, local markets and backyard gardens and wild mushrooms and foraged grape leaves. This book recounts her journey.

Wednesday, June 2nd at 7:00PM, we’re lucky to have Lynne joining us for an evening to tell of the people she has met and the stories she has heard. She'll share how her realization of the powerful connection between food and culture inspired her to write this book. Introducing Lynne will be Corby Kummer, Senior Editor of the Atlantic Monthly and Restaurant Critic for Boston Magazine who has written the foreward of Breaking Bread. We will also have the opportunity to meet and hear from a few of the cook/storytellers who are featured in Breaking Bread as well as see the works of award-winning photographer, Robin Radin, whose beautiful photographs fill the pages.

But Breaking Bread doesn’t just touch on the cultural side of cooking; there’s no skimping on amazing recipes either! Included are regional specialties like Greek dolmades, Haitian soup joumou, Dominican sancocho, Persian Kou Kou Sabzi, and Sudanese mulukhiyah. Mmmmm…

As we listen to Lynne, we’ll be “breaking bread” ourselves (or at the very least munching on some yummy treats). There is a suggested donation of $5 that will go toward Slow Food Boston’s donations to local organizations. Books will be available for purchase and Lynne will stay to sign after her reading.

Thanks to the JP Forum for helping us secure this venue!

Directions:
First Church in JP is located at 6 Eliot Street in Jamaica Plain. It is T accessible (Green Street station on the Orange Line) and there is plentiful street parking.

More information can be found on their website.
 

Details:
Slow Food Boston is heading over the ocean to another continent... The African one this time around (cuz who needs Europe, anyway?)

Are you ready for a little adventure? Well, prepare your palate - and your fingers! Wednesday May 26th, we're gathering at African Cuisine in Hyde Park for an authentic West African meal. The evening begins with delicacies like goat pepper soup, moi moi and spiced 'yam fries' made from Ghanaian yam.

It's after that when things get interesting... The traditional meal is served communally, with mashed tubers as the edible utensils for thick savory stews of greens or ground melon seeds, flavored with bits of dried smoked fish and spices, served with meat or fish. But don't fret, a demonstration will be provided!

Speaking of demonstration, we're lucky to have Slow Food member Christine Claypool joining us as a guide for the evening's festivities. Christine served in the Peace Corps in Western Africa and will be able to help us out by discussing the special foods of the area and answering any questions you may have.

So prepare your taste buds for a glorious explosion of flavors and plan to join us for this night of adventure and learning. Cost is $25 payable in advance via check or Paypal. It includes the meal plus American soda and water. Beer, palm wine and other beverages will be available for those that would like them - cash only.

Directions:
African Cuisine is located at 1248 Hyde Park Avenue in Hyde Park. It's right around the corner from the Hyde Park commuter rail stop on the Providence Line. Or take the Orange Line to Forest Hills, then the # 32 bus down Hyde Park Avenue to River Street. The restaurant is just above the intersection.

There is plentiful on-street parking, and parking in back of the restaurant accessed from Winthrop Street.
 

Details:
The consumption of fish in this day and age is a tricky subject. It can feel like crossing a minefield to consider all the issues; how it's caught, where it's caught, how it was farmed and even the levels of mercury that it might contain.

But what we have forgotten in this discussion, it seems, is that fish is local to our area - and if coming from a trusted source that is fishing sustainably, it should be a part of any good locavore's diet. We eat something that hasn't been shipped from far away, and get to support the local economy - what could be better?

Enter Blackburn's Day Boat Haddock. The company CleanFish has teamed up with hook and line fisherman in Gloucester in order to bring to market truly "traceable" fish. In our opinion, this is low impact fishing at its best.

Ah, yes, but the important thing - taste! Given the freshness, it's truly lovely, and we're going to prove it to you. Chef Greg Griffie and 606 Congress will play host to Slow Food Boston once again for a cocktail style reception featuring such delectable bites as pan roasted haddock with a fava bean puree, tempura haddock with a remoulade sauce and much, much more.

You'll also have a chance to chat up those that are behind the fishing lines, as we've been promised that a couple of fishermen will be on hand to give a first hand account of the fishing industry.

So please join us Wednesday May 26th for some food, drink and discussion. Cost is $30, payable in advance.

Directions:
606 Congress is located in the Renaissance Hotel at 606 Congress Street in the Seaport area. There is lots of parking, and the Silver Line lets off just a few blocks away. More information about them can be found on their website.

Feel free to contact them with questions by phone: 617.476.5606 or on Facebook.
 

Details:
Okay, so you've watched Food Inc. and you've read The Omnivore's Dilemma and you're on board. You know local food is better for the environment and better tasting and all that. But now, exactly, what are you supposed to do with this new-found knowledge? After all, just because you've become enlightened, it doesn't mean that the local Stop-N-Shop is suddenly going to dispense with the industrial beef and start carrying 5 types of local turnips.

So, what do you do? Well, local author Amy Cotler has some answers. A food professional for more than 30 years, Amy has written five cookbooks and now presents her latest effort: The Locavore Way, Discover and Enjoy the Pleasures of Locally Grown Foods. She also maintains a website and blog with a host of local food recipes.

The Locavore Way is sort of a practical companion to The Omnivore's Dilemma. If Michael Pollan changed your mind about food, Amy seeks to change your habits around food by giving you practical strategies for eating more local food all year long.

We here at SFB are thrilled to be hosting Amy for a reading and Q&A session on May 12th at 6PM. The event will take place at the First Parish Church in Harvard Square and we are happy to say that church's Climate Justice Task Force will be co-sponsoring the event with us. The cost for the evening will be $5.

Directions:
The First Parish Church is located right in Harvard Square, just steps from the T Station. We will be in the Parish House, located at 3 Church Street. You can find directions on the church's website.
 

Details:
Tea and Chocolate, you ask? What's with that? Where's the red wine? Where's the coffee? Where even is the beer??? Well, we hear you (especially on the red wine piece), but just for one night, it's time to widen your focus a bit. Trust us on this one. Really! There are some serious experts out there saying that tea and chocolate are a wonderful combination.

These really are tastes that go well together, and to prove it, we've invited a couple of experts in for an evening to show us the ropes at the lovely Mariposa Bakery in Central Square. Mark Mooradian of MEM Teas and Judy Logback of Kallari Chocolate will join us for an evening of sampling and talking in order to learn a little more about the flavor and taste combinations.

In addition to challenging our palates, we'll take some time to discuss sustainable and conscientious sourcing of teas and the cacao for chocolate. Mark & Judy will share their knowledge of Fair Trade and environmentally healthy growing and harvesting, as well as the processing that takes place that brings the tea and chocolate to your plate.

The evening is made complete by the presence of Carol Madsen, joining us from AlliancExchange. AlliancExchange sponsors children in Ecuador, where Kallari Chocolate's cacao is grown, allowing them to further their education beyond what is available in their villages. Proceeds from the evening will go to help fund this amazing program, ensuring "...future stewards of their culture and their rainforest environment..." are given the opportunities they deserve.

The cost will be $30 payable in advance via Paypal or by check at the door and attendance will be capped at 30. We can guarantee this will sell out - 'cuz who DOESN'T like chocolate? And besides, we know that you all are the types to be a little adventurous, right?

Directions:
Mariposa Bakery is located at 424 Massachusetts Avenue just outside of Central Square towards MIT and the Charles River. If you have trouble finding them, their phone # is (617) 876-6500.
 

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One of the goals of Slow Food is to preserve culture and tradition. With that goal in mind, and with Passover quickly approaching (when Jews are deprived of all bread for one week), we thought it would be fun to learn the art and science of challah baking.

As most of us know, challah bread is the traditional bread of the Jewish religion. If we are lucky enough, we can find it on the menu at a diner, used in French toast, or at a Jewish deli, in a sandwich. But there is nothing better than straight-up challah – freshly baked, and right out of the oven.

With that being said…I invite you to join us while we learn how to properly mix, knead, shape, and bake challah. All participants will take one loaf home with them…to share…or to keep for yourself!

Our teacher will be Shifra Schwartz who runs the Chai Center, a non-profit outreach organization which holds social and educational activities for Jews in the Brookline and surrounding area. She has been teaching Jewish Cooking and Baking workshops for 10 years and will lead us to our challah bliss.

Please note, we do require payment in advance, either via Paypal or a check.

Directions:
The Chai Center is located at 105 St. Paul Street in Brookline, MA. It is in walking distance from the St. Paul stop on the C (Green) Line.
 

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Two roads diverged in a wood and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

Astute readers will recognize these as the closing lines from Robert Frost's immortal poem, "The Road Not Taken." What fewer people may realize is that these lines were not originally intended to take the form of a poem. Indeed, Frost actually wrote them to announce a wine club he was starting. To wit, the original lines read:

Two roads diverged in a wood and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has led me to some fascinating wines.

True story. [Editor's Note: Not really].

Fortunately for Frost's place in history, his best friend, "Dancin'" Stewie Parker, convinced him that a wine club was unlikely to be well-received in the staid circles of New England literary criticism. "Bob, Shakers don't party," Parker is famously quoted as having told his friend. [Editor: We're pretty certain this isn't true either.]

Even with his dreams of starting a wine club dashed, Frost continued to opine against the huge Cabs and Merlots being ox-carted out of the California wilderness to the rail-head in Sacramento. "Berry bombs of a most bombastic breed" he is famously noted as calling them. [Editor: He said no such thing.]

Given these extreme opinions, it's perhaps not surprising then that Frost amassed an extraordinary cellar of wines not available in your typical turn-of-the-century New Hampshire wine mart. Some notable examples included prie blancs" from the Valle d'Aosta in Italy, lambrusco fortana from Emilia-Romagna and the little-known pineau d’aunis from the Loire Valley. [Editor: It was root cellar! He kept rutabagas!]

If this sounds intriguing to you--indeed, if you would like to explore the wine road not taken, please join us on Wednesday April 7th at The Wine Bottega in the North End as owner Kerri Platt leads us on a tour of some of the lesser-known but extraordinary wines currently being shipped into the U.S. The event will start at 6PM and cost $25. Only 15 spots are available so please sign up soon if you want to follow in the timeless footsteps of New England's greatest poet. [Editor: To the Frost estate, please don't sue us.].

Directions:
The Wine Bottega is located right on Hanover Street in the heart of the North End. You can find more information and specific directions on their website.
 

Details:
Bullshit is a documentary film from PeÅ Holmquist and Suzanne Khardalian about Vandana Shiva, who TIME Magazine calls "...a hero of our times, an icon for youngsters all over the world."

The film tackles the truly thorny issues facing agriculture around the world; the rise of globalisation, seed patenting, genetic engineering, bio-piracy, the loss of indigenous knowledge.

Shiva is an Indian environmental activist and nuclear physicist, as well as an organic farmer who doesn't hesitate to travel far & wide in order to argue the plights of the Indian farmers. The film follows her as she does battle with one of her toughest opponents, Monsanto, when they try to patent an ancient Indian strain of wheat.

The issues facing the Indian farmers are facing the farmers in our own country as well, as we have seen in films like Fresh or Food, Inc. We use our post-film panel to bring these issues home; we'll be joined by local foods advocate Jamey Lionette, Tufts professor Dr. Sheldon Krimsky, Christie Higginbottom, garden historian at Old Sturbridge Village and heirloom produce advocate and FarmAid associate director Glenda Yoder.

Screening is co-sponsored by our friends at Slow Food Tufts.

Directions:
Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition is located at 200 Harrison Avenue, off Kneeland Street toward the South End. It is close to Chinatown, the Theater district and the New England Medical Center.

Closest public transport options are the Orange Line NE Medical Center stop and the Silver Line SL4 & SL5 stop on Washington St @ the Medical Center. The Green Line Boylston St stop and South Station are also in the vicinity.

Street parking is limited in the area, but there are garages on Washington Street.

A Google map of the area can be found HERE.
 

Details:
March is ‘maple month’ around these parts, so what better excuse to celebrate that sticky, sweet local tradition of maple sugaring? We’re all for it, so grab the whole family or a couple of friends and join us for a trip west, out to Natick Community Organic Farm for a day of learning – and eating, of course!

The folks at NCOF will be leading us on a private tour learning about past and present methods of making maple syrup, visiting tapped sugar maples on the farm, and possibly even catching a peek at sap boiling in the sugar shack. Our choice of a venue wasn’t arbitrary; among other things, the farm is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of maple sugaring. We like the sound of that!

After all our ‘hard work’, it only seems natural to hunker down by the stove with a warm drink to munch on some delicious maple themed fare. And boy do we have plans for you! Specialty coffee from George Howell Coffee Company, maple glazed breakfast sausages, ‘Johnny Cake’ corn bread, maybe some hoophouse greens with a maple vinaigrette plus more still to be determined…

In sugaring season time can’t be wasted and we’ll be gathering rain or shine, so be prepared to bust out those rubber boots and warm coats! And if the weather cooperates and you feel up to it after feasting, you're more than welcome to explore and have fun on the farm’s twenty-seven acres for the afternoon. You might even say hello to a sheep or two, or three. . .

Cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children (those two and under are no charge), preferably paid in advance via Paypal or with a check. Please be advised: all children three and under must be one-on-one with an adult due to hot sugaring pans in sugar shack.

Directions:
Natick Community Organic Farm is located at 117 Eliot Street (Route 16) in Natick. For more details, check out their website.
 

Details:
Please use this sign-up link to purchase child priced tickets for our fun Saturday afternoon in Natick.
 

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Forget wine and cheese or champagne and caviar… 2010 is all about oysters and beer!

To help prove it, on March 3rd we're gathering at Cambridge Brewing Company for a five course oyster feast with bivalves generously donated by Island Creek in order to help fund the Massachusetts Oyster Project.

The Massachusetts Oyster Project is dedicated to revitalizing the oyster population in Boston area waters and in doing so, helping to reduce the impact of man-made waste. The project began in October of 2008 with the placement of 150,000 oysters and they continued with an additional 50,000 placed in 2009. Founder Andrew Jay will be joining us to talk about the positive results thus far and their admirable aspirations for the future.

So did you know that… one oyster can clean up to 30 gallons of water per day? ... once upon a time the Charles River and Boston Harbor was home to hundreds of thousands of oysters? ...only 1 in 10,000 oysters will produce a pearl? ...oyster aficionados can tell what region an oyster is from just by their taste? ...the more oysters you eat, the better your love life will be?

CBC's Chef David Drew will be doing what he can to help you on that last item with a mouth-watering menu including oyster bisque, oyster and chorizo stuffed Cavendish quail, and a special oyster dessert (don’t worry, we've been promised it won't be fishy!!). Each course will be paired with a beer carefully selected by Brewmaster Will Meyers. Both Will & David will be on hand to tell us more about the local foods and the beer and just why they go so well together.

Cost for this fabulous evening is $50 all inclusive. To reserve your spot, contact the Cambridge Brewing Company at 617.494.1994 and mention the “Slow Food Boston Oyster Event”.

Oh, and sorry, but no pearls can be guaranteed!

Directions:
The Cambridge Brewing Company is located at 1 Kendall Square in Cambridge. There is street parking as well as a parking lot in Kendall Square. The Cambridge Brewing Company is also T accessible, not far from the Kendall Square stop on the red line. More information about them can be found on their website.
 

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Plan now to join us for what promises to be a stupendous (& filling!) dinner of beef (grass-fed, of course) with paired brews (local, naturally) at 606 Congress in the Seaport.

After the rip-snorting success of the nose-to-tail lamb dinner a few months ago, we're letting chef Greg Griffie loose in the kitchen once more - this time with an amazing grass-fed steer from Millbrand Farm in Brandon Vermont. Expect fabulous things, such as shredded beef empanadas, braised oxtail ragout, corned tongue, mini meatballs with slow roasted confit and even a salted standing rib roast. Wow.

Harpoon Brewery has stepped up to complete the meal from the beverage side. They'll be pairing different brews (Celtic Ale? Leviathon Baltic Porter?) with each course, and even sending attendees home with a souvenir tasting glass.

Cost is only $45 for this feast - and trust me, it will be a feast... Chef Griffie claims he has more meat from this steer than he knows what to do with!

Directions:
606 Congress is located in the Renaissance Hotel at 606 Congress Street in the Seaport area. There is lots of parking, and the Silver Line lets off just a few blocks away. More information about them can be found on their website.

Feel free to contact them with questions by phone: 617.476.5606 or on Facebook.
 

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Heard the latest about the 'pink slime' in our school's hamburgers? Seen the studies linking soda with childhood obesity? Wonder why we feed our next generation precooked, sugar, fat & preservative laden food? The future looks grim; the tough economic times mean school budgets are being cut left & right, and you can assume that the kitchen is often first to feel the knife (no pun intended).

Despite this conundrum, there is hope. Communities across the US are fighting for schools to have the ability to feed children good food. Some are going beyond just 'good' and demanding real, whole foods sourced from local farms and cooked on site. Groups are organizing and planting gardens right there on school properties, using them as teaching tools and as a source for the cafeteria

Our next film, the documentary Two Angry Moms displays some of the hope. It follows two mothers, Amy Kalafa & Susan Rubin, as they become concerned and then buckle down and work to better the quality of food at their children's schools. Starting at '2' of them, they hope to build to '2 million'. 2 million concerned individuals, that is...

The speakers panel following immediately after the film include a few in that 2 million; JJ Gonson of Cuisine en Locale (an angry mom herself), Claire Kowozer from Waltham Fields Community Farm and Kim Szeto who is working from the inside, pushing for the Farm to School initiative at Boston Public Schools.

Cost is $5 payable at the door by cash or check. The screening is generously co-sponsored by the Whole Foods Market in Brighton and Slow Food BU.

Directions:
Boston University's George Sherman Union is located at 775 Commonwealth Avenue beyond Kenmore Square, just before the BU Bridge. The film will be shown in the Conference Auditorium, on the 2nd floor at the far end of the common room.

The closest T stop is Boston University Central on the 'B' line, and there is street parking up & down Commonwealth Avenue.

A Google map of the area is HERE.
 

Details:
Grilling beautiful tuna steaks. The ubiquitous shrimp cocktail. Polluted fish farms. Mercury. Omega 3 fatty acids. Fishing quotas. Ouch - purchasing & consuming seafood has never been so rife with conflict as it is now. Well, we're trying to help - the next film in our 3rd Annual Winter Film Series might, if we're lucky, provide more insight.

This somewhat unnerving documentary The End of the Line explores issues like those above in what the LA Times called a "...crisp, informative and convincing way..." The NY Times says, despite some flaws, that it "...subverts our ancient faith in the ocean as an inexhaustible resource, offering a persuasive case that the major species of edible fish are headed for extinction."

Join us for this in-depth look at current research and thoughts on our oceans, the fish that populate them and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. Oh, not to mention the effects all of it has on those of us on the other end of the chain: the consumers!

Our post-film panel includes founder of 'Teach a Man to Fish,' writer Jacqueline Church, director of conservation at the New England Aquarium Heather Tausig and activist Niaz Dorry, who works with groups such as Cape Ann Fresh Catch and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance. They will help us learn about issues facing the New England coastline, our local fishing industries and the mouths that depend on them.

Please do join us and our co-sponsor, Slow Food Tufts, for this eye-opening and thought-provoking film. Cost is $5, payable at the door by cash or check.

Directions:
Posner Hall at Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition is located at 200 Harrison Avenue, off of Kneeland Street. It is close to Chinatown, the Theater district and the New England Medical Center.

Closest public transport options are the Orange Line NE Medical Center stop, Silver Line SL4 & SL5 stop on Washington St @ the Medical Center, as well as the Green Line Boylston St stop. South Station is also in the vicinity. Street parking is limited in the area, but there are garages on Washington Street.

A Google map of the area can be found HERE.
 

Details:
Venice has inspired many creations through the ages: the music of Vivaldi, the paintings of Titian and more books then can be counted. To our knowledge, however, that fabulous city on the water has only inspired one enoteca in Central Square. Join us therefore as we celebrate the opening of Central Bottle by celebrating the inspiration for Central Bottle.

Together we will explore the wines and famous small bites ("cicchetti") of Venice and the surrounding region. The event will feature a series of paired tastings with some discussion on the significance of each. If we are lucky, we may also undertake a short video feed with a Venetian wine maker or, possibly, even an urban historian (and resident of Venice) who will tell us a bit about what is happening in the city today.

The event will begin at 7PM and will cost $30 per person. We do expect this to sell out so please register early if you are interested.

Directions:
Central Bottle is located at 196 Massachusetts Ave in Central Square in Cambridge. The store is just a few blocks from the Red Line subway stop in the direction of the river. There is also ample parking in the neighborhood usually--amazingly enough. You can find more explicit directions on Central Bottle's website.
 

Details:
Join us for the kick-off for our 3rd Annual Winter Film Series!

Along with our co-sponsors, Slow Food BU, we start the year with an extremely timely film; HomeGrown, from director Robert McFalls. It's the story about the Dervaes family, who, while living in downtown Pasadena, grow over 6,000 lbs (yup, you read it right!) of produce. OK, so that seems amazing in and of itself. But consider this: they do it on less than a 1/4 acre, AND manage to live almost completely 'off the grid' at the same time. Wow. Kind of makes our efforts at backyard tomatoes and window box herbs seem inconsequential, huh?

The Dervaes call their urban homestead 'Path To Freedom', and continue to work toward complete self-sufficiency while providing guidance and a model of sustainable living for the rest of us. Check out their informative & educational website.

As we have in previous years, our screening will be followed by a speakers panel addressing topics raised in the film. We're riffing off the urban agriculture theme here, and have invited a few Boston area folks (including Lisa Gross, founder of the Urban Homesteaders' League and Jess Liborio from the Food Project) to speak about ways in which to incorporate sustainable, self-sufficient practices in our lives - even while residing in a concrete jungle (Boston) or a little less of a concrete jungle (Cambridge!).

Cost for the afternoon is only a $5 donation to Slow Food, payable by cash or check at the door.

Directions:
Boston University's George Sherman Union is located at 775 Commonwealth Avenue beyond Kenmore Square, just before the BU Bridge. The film will be shown in the Conference Auditorium.

The closest T stop is Boston University Central on the 'B' line, and there is street parking up & down Commonwealth Avenue. A Google map of the area is HERE.

Details:
Despite the rain this morning, weather is looking promising for this evening -- so plan to come over to celebrate Brazilian food traditions with us! Walk-ins are more than welcome, payment can be made in cash or with a check at the door. Hope to see you!

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We at Slow Food have made it our mission to preserve the traditions surrounding growing, preparing and serving food as much as we work to save the food itself. Think about it; if we have no knowledge of the preparation techniques, saving heirloom varietals, becomes a much harder sell! We really believe that the wonder & awe we feel about food should be as much about how the items actually GOT to our plate, not just what's on it.

With that in mind, we looked around at the thriving ethnic communities in this diverse city of ours and realized we have a treaure-trove of traditions to mine! In the interest of encouraging a little exploration we got to planning, the first fruition of which is right around the corner! Stay tuned for more specifics, but here's a little teaser:

On Thursday, December 3rd, Slow Food Boston teams up with the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers for a little Brazilian culinary tour. Local home cooks will whip up amazing Brazilian small dishes for us to sample as we sip a lovely capirinha and learn more about the food traditions in Brazil. A little 'cocktail party,' if you will, with better finger food than your average pigs-in-a-blanket.

MAPS is the state's largest immigrant assistance organization, working with Portuguese, Cape Verdean and Brazilian populations in the Boston area, Framingham and Lowell. We'll be gathering at their headquarters in Cambridge, and proceeds from the evening will go to help fund their HIV/AIDS Outreach Program.

Directions:
The MAPS offices are located at 1046 Cambridge Street in Cambridge, just off Columbia Street. Detailed driving & walking directions can be found here. Via MBTA, you can take the Red Line to Harvard Square or the Green Line to Lechmere, and then catch the #69 bus on Cambridge Street. There is street side parking available in the area.
 

Details:
Novella Carpenter lives in Oakland. I mean, really IN Oakland. As in downtown. But that certainly hasn't stopped her from farming - and she has now written a memoir chronicling the transformation of her backyard from bare land to full-blown animal & veggie paradise!

The book, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, is newly released, and we've coaxed Novella out of sunny California to cool New England to read from it and talk more about her experiences. By doing so, we hope to be inspired to make a little more out of our available space on rooftops, outside windowsills or in yards.

In order to tie Novella's work back to local issues, we've invited Belmont resident (& resident chicken expert) Joan Teebagy to join us. More people are opting to raise their own hens for eggs, and Joan teaches classes on the subject at Codman Farms in Lincoln. But be sure to check your town laws! As many of you may have read, there is an on-going battle in Arlington about residents rights to keep backyard chickens.

So join us right after work on Friday, November 13th at 5:30pm. We'll have some light nibbles, a little cider, and enjoy the reading & discussions that commence. Advance RSVPs and a $10 donation to the Slow Food fund that supports local agriculture are duly requested!

Directions:
Made in Fort Point, the FPAC Store is located at 12 Farnsworth St, just off Congress Street and next to the new Flour Bakery.

The gallery space is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the South Station Red Line T, or the Court House stop on the Silver Line. There is also street parking in the area.
 

Details:
Chef Gregory Griffie shares Slow Food's passion for local food... And he follows through not only in his food sourcing and cooking at 606 Congress, but also in his 'regular life' as a Stillman's Farm CSA customer and an avid pickler. Given this, we felt he was a perfect partner for a late fall local foods meal.

And boy has he stepped up to the challenge! He's sourced an entire lamb from Border Bay Junction Farm in West Barnstable and has dreamt up a stunning meal of taste-sized plates for us, combining the wonderful meat with season-appropriate accompaniments.

He's talking lamb breast au gratin with white beans & kale, loin with roasted cauliflower puree & homemade raisin chutney, and glazed shanks with white polenta. There will even be the appearance of a Slow Food Ark of Taste vegetable; the Gilfeather turnip from Vermont will accompany a rolled lamb shoulder dish.

So come on out on October 21st for all that, plus much more. Dinner is $40 all-inclusive and must be paid in advance, either via Paypal or by check.

Directions:
606 Congress is located in the Renaissance Hotel at 606 Congress Street in the Seaport area. There is lots of parking, and the Silver Line lets off just a few blocks away. More information about them can be found on their website.

Feel free to contact them with questions by phone: 617.476.5606 or on Facebook.
 

Details:

Fruit. Canning. New England.

Makes you automatically think of jam, doesn't it? Hah. Leave it to us to turn THAT notion on its head!

For our next Food Preservation class, we've invited Yvette Taylor, condiment 'queen,' to share her incredible secrets. From what we hear, she's planning a few savory (and maybe spicy?) chutneys and sauces using the local fall fruits & vegetables piling up at the markets.

Yvette teaches cooking classes at multiple locations in the Boston, along with maintaining her business, so we know we're getting knowledge and tips right from the source! And speaking of the source, you can rest assured that the ingredients will be coming right out of the fields and off the trees of our local farms.

At the end of the three hours, you'll walk away with multiple jars of goodies, primed and ready for your fall and winter holiday meals. How's that for pre-planning?

Directions:
Haley House Cafe is located at 12 Dade Street (immediately off Washington Street) in Roxbury. Directions can be found on their website
 

Details:
YES, RAIN IS PREDICTED -- BUT WE WILL GO ON, RAIN OR SHINE! The Farm has plenty of room for us inside, so come on over. We'll be accepting newcomers with payment at the door, and ready to warm your tummies with slow-cooked meats. If it's raining anyway, why not commiserate with others?

Join the Slow Food folks up 'North' at the Farm Bar & Grille in Essex for an afternoon of local meats, local veggies and local beer -- plus some local music!

We'll be gathering for the afternoon of Sunday, September 27th at 2PM to enjoy one another's company and the best that the end of season harvest can give us. Think slow-smoked meats (maybe brisket? maybe baby back ribs?), root veggies on the grill and bread from Virgilio's Bakery. To wash it down, we'll have Gloucester's own Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout from Cape Ann Brewery. All in all, a nice segue into the fall season of food.

Although we believe an afternoon in the back yard of The Farm is darn good enough, we're piling on a little more; live music! Evan Goodrow, a 'soul-singing, bluesy, guitar-playing powerhouse' will be performing in order to keep our ears buzzing as our palates do as well!

Reserve your space today - bring your family, your friends, your neighbors - the more the merrier. Spots are $35 per person and include everything for the afternoon. You just need to bring your smiles and your appetites - and your dancing feet!

Directions:
The Farm Bar & Grille is located at 233 Western Avenue in Essex, MA. More information about them can be found on their website.

Feel free to contact them with questions by phone: (978)768-0000 or email: farmbargrille@gmail.com
 

Details:
Fall has officially begun; cooler temps, the kids back to school -- and definite, if subtle, changes at the farmers markets. Alongside the later tomatoes and peaches, apples & root vegetables have arrived, and the winter greens are making a re-appearance, too.

So what's next in our Preserving the Harvest series? Fermentation! We are lucky to have tempted chef Didi Emmons and her trusty assistants into teaching us two kimchi preparations: a chunky, traditional-style kimchi and a more delicately cut local Macomber turnip version.

Kimchi is simple to learn and incredible delicious (especially when homemade). Plus, it's good for you! Fermented foods have topped the headlines over the past few years for their nutritional and healing properties.

We'll start class discussing the nutrition side of things, with Didi highlighting the importance of incorporating live macrobiotic foods into our diets, and then use veggies fresh from local farms to prepare the kimchis to take home and ferment.

And we'll get to taste some previously made kimchis at the end of class, too!

Directions:
Haley House Cafe is located at 12 Dade Street (immediately off Washington Street) in Roxbury. Directions can be found on their website
 

Details:

As some of you may have already heard, Slow Food USA is sponsoring a new advocacy campaign entitled Time For Lunch. This program is designed to raise awareness about the current sad state of school lunch programs in the U.S. and to encourage the Congress to improve the program when it is reauthorized later this year. The centerpiece of this campaign will be a series of more than 200 Eat-Ins (think potluck picnics) hosted around the country on Monday, September 7th (Labor Day). We here in the Boston area have one Eat-In already scheduled in Davis Square in Somerville and another smaller one in the works hopefully (we'll send along more details as we get them worked out).

If this sounds like a great cause to you and you would like to attend the Davis Square Eat-In, please see the invitation from Karen and Kelle, the organizers, just below.

If you would like more information about the Time For Lunch campaign, you can see the great website Slow Food USA has set up.

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Dear Neighbors,

On Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009, people in communities all over the country will sit down to share a meal with their neighbors and kids. This National Eat-In will send a clear message to Congress: It's time to provide America's children with real food at school.

Somerville has made great progress in the last few years in improving the quality of education and health of the students in the Somerville Public Schools as evidenced by the results of the Tufts/Shape-up Somerville Program and Somerville's recognition by the National Civic League as an All-American City. In an effort to build upon these successes, we are joining a national campaign to promote healthful eating in public schools and to encourage the legislature to increase the reimbursement rate for school lunches by $1.00 so public schools can serve, the real, local, and organic foods that our children need to succeed academically and to learn good eating habits.

The Somerville community will host an Eat-in at Lexington Park on Lexington Avenue and the Minuteman Bike Path from 11 am-2 pm. We are inviting parents, educators, health professionals, community organizers, and local farmers to this event because you are an essential resource for improving the quality of food in our public schools and educating our children about healthful choices.

The Eat-in is an opportunity for you to share your interests and expertise and to connect with individuals and organizations that can join our partnership to bring real, local, and organic foods to the public schools. Please join us--invite your friends, family, and colleagues--and bring a healthy, homemade dish and serving utensils (please label your containers). Not to worry if you don't have time or resources to make a dish from scratch--bring a gallon of cold tap water or fruit!

PS - If you have questions or want to RSVP for the Eat-In, you can email us at the following addresses: karenbauerle@gmail.com and kelle.shugrue@gmail.com

Warmest regards,

Karen Bauerle & Kelle Shugrue, Somerville Eat-In Coordinators

Directions:
Lexington Park is located at Lexington Park is located on Lexington Street between Hancock and Cedar streets in Davis Square. You can find a Google map here.