Restaurant and Farm Pairings Set for 10th Anniversary Farm to Fork Picnic
The 10th anniversary Farm to Fork Picnic Weekend, June 2-4, will celebrate creative partnerships among Triangle farmers, chefs and culinary artisans, some of whom have been on board since the first Farm to Fork Picnic in 2007.
Pairings for the June 4 picnic, which has been dubbed “The Country’s Best All-You-Can-Eat Feast” by Bon Appetit, represent more than 70 farms and restaurants.
The picnic is the culmination of Farm to Fork Picnic Weekend, which also includes the Sustainable Supper featuring author Michael Twitty on June 2 and Five Chefs in Five Courses on June 3. Proceeds from the weekend’s events will benefit beginning farmer training programs at the Center for Environmental Systems (CEFS) and the W.C. Breeze Family Farm Extension and Research Center.
“It is essential that we train and support a new generation of farmers to achieve success,” says Nancy Creamer, professor of sustainable agriculture and community-based food systems at NC State University and director of CEFS. “We’re excited to see a lot of young people who are interested in farming, as well as many second-career growers who want to make a difference in their community. Our mission is to provide strong mentorship and the tools to be sustainable.”
“We are honored and excited to present Michael Twitty and so many chefs and artisans dedicated to the food grown by farmers in our region,” she says. “CEFS is committed to the work of building sustainable farms, local food systems and healthy communities. The interns we train today will be the farmers we honor as Farm to Fork enters its second decade.”
For more information on the programs that benefit from the weekend’s proceeds, please visit http://www.farmtoforknc.com/the-cause.php. Farm to Fork Picnic Weekend is presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
About CEFS The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a partnership of NC State University, N.C. A&T State University and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. CEFS develops and promotes just and equitable food and farming systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. For more information, visit www.cefs.ncsu.edu.
About Breeze Farm The Breeze Farm was donated to NC State by Col. Bill Breeze and his family to support sustainable farming systems programming. It conducts an eight-week new farmer training workshop series in January and February and leases land to aspiring farmers and livestock producers. The Breeze Farm is operated by Cooperative Extension in Orange County. For more information, visit www.orangecountync.gov/farms/breeze-farm.php.
–Submitted by J.J. Richardson
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