EAT LOCAL WEEK @ Downtown Alliance

EAT LOCAL WEEK HIGHLIGHTS LOCAL FOOD, AGRICULTURE & HARVEST SEASON

Series of activities and events educate the community and provide resources to eat locally.

Salt Lake City (October 4, 2013) – October 5^th through 12^th is Eat Local Week, a community-wide celebration of the harvest, which promotes local agriculture and the preservation of Utah’s agricultural heritage, and brings people together as a community over the food they eat. Through a series of activities and events, Eat Local Week seeks to educate people about resources for eating locally, and increases awareness around food production, transportation, and access to healthy food for all.

The purpose of Eat Local Week and the Eat Local Challenge is to increase awareness around food production, transportation, and consumption in Utah, and to educate our community about the many resources for eating locally. The Week also aims to support local food producers, growers, farmers and purveyors.

"One main benefit of eating locally is discovering just how much we produce here in Utah. There are a few exceptions, of course--like chocolate and coffee. But if you can give those up for a week, the rest is pretty easy," says Carly Gillespie, an Eat Local Challenge participant for several years, and the Community Education Coordinator for Wasatch Community Gardens. "We appreciate the opportunity to get creative with our food and change up our habits during the Challenge!"

A cornerstone of Eat Local Week is the “Eat Local Challenge.” The standard Challenge is described as eating food that comes from within a 250 mile radius for one week, or even longer. Utahns are encouraged to craft a challenge that will work for them, by following it strictly, or by choosing specific food groups that are easy to obtain locally (produce, meats, dairy) and stay true to them for a week. The goal of the challenge is to show people how much food comes from the region and to show how changing small daily habits can have a profound effect on health, economy and diet. The Eat Local Challenge is a unique opportunity to learn more about local food and to foster creativity around eating habits.

Eat Local Week events include the following:

·       Saturday, October 5^th: Edible Wasatch Farm to Street Party at Granary Row

·       Sunday, October 6^th: DIY Bread and Tortilla Workshop at Rico Warehouse

·       Monday, October 7^th: Film Screening of “GMO OMG” and Local Burger Bar at Brewvies Cinema Pub, featuring the premiere of KUED’s new movie “A Changing  Harvest”

·       Tuesday, Oct 8^th: Quick Pickle at the Downtown Tuesday Harvest Market at Pioneer Park

·       Wednesday, October 9^th: Eat Local Week Lecture: Phil Howard--"Is Food Diversity an Illusion?" at Westminster College

·       Thursday, Oct 10^th: Celebrate the Bounty with Local First Utah at the Union Pacific Depot

·       Friday, Oct 11^th: Dinner in the Field with Wasatch Cooperative Market & Mololo Gardens

·       Saturday, October 12^th: Farm Tour at Christiansen Farms with Slow Food Utah; Farm to Glass Cocktail Gala at Rico Warehouse later that evening.

Eat Local Week is a partnership between the Downtown Alliance, Wasatch Community Gardens, Slow Food Utah, and Edible Wasatch Magazine.

EVENT: Eat Local Week Kickoff

WHO: 
Downtown Alliance
Wasatch Community Gardens
Slow Food Utah
Edible Wasatch Magazine

SPEAKERS: 
Debbie Lyons, SLC Mayors Office
Alison Einerson, Winter Farmers Market Manager
Carly Gillespie, Wasatch Community GardensFrank Feldman, Local Film Producer

WHERE: Grateful Tomato Garden. 650 E 800 S

WHEN: Friday, October 4^th. 11:00 AM