Farm Food Fork

Farm, Food, Fork (F3) is bringing together the food advocates, marketers and farmers of the Kootenays. The project is geared up to provide a network and support for anyone interested in local food.

“Everything we’ve done to this point (with Farm Food Fork) is to build a really dynamite program for April,” said organizer Shauna Teare, a designer and homesteader.

And what a dynamite program it will be. With surveys underway on how to best serve local food interests, F3 is ready for an exciting two-part event. On April 5, 2014, everyone is invited to Festival + Feast at Mary Hall in Nelson, B.C.

“The highlight of that day is really going to be about the feast,” said Teare. “We’re teaming up with Whitewater for that day and we have challenged the chef to come up with a menu that is entirely seasonal and local, and nothing else—so it’s a really challenging menu. That’s been really fun to work on with the chefs. So that will all be part of the admission for that public day.”

Tickets for the full Saturday event are $30. Attendees can also look forward to a Kootenay-made marketplace, some amazing speakers, relevant films, hands-on workshops and a family-friendly learning area. The Lexicon of Sustainability art show will also be on site.

“The interesting part about Saturday (April 5) is that 100 per cent of the proceeds from the ticket sales are going right back into our community the very next day,” said Teare. “So this is the second part of that process, which is our stakeholders forum. This is a small event and it’s really focused on people who are already working in food, so people who are working in education and finance, people who have grocery stores, chefs and farmers. This is a really down and dirty, nitty-gritty, let’s make some action happen kind of workshop day.”

The Forum + Feast is taking place at Nelson’s Hume Hotel and is also $30 to attend. The Hume will be catering another local feast and there will be extra emphasis on connecting grassroots producers and visionaries with experts, opportunities and community support. Teare said that Sunday will be about pulling everyone together to develop the projects, move the ideas forward and respond to needs in the food community.

“So there’s lots happening on that Sunday and all the funding that we’re raising from the Saturday is going into this bursary fund,” said Teare. “We’re going to have a democratic voting of the fork. Everyone is going to get a fork and be able to come and vote on kickstarting and funding some of these initiatives.”

The event is a perfect opportunity to develop food in the Kootenays. If you’re a producer or an interested member of the public, don’t miss out on this exceptional chance to learn more and support our local food system.

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