Minutes for Slow Food 3/31/08
Dom: Meeting called to order
Jonathan away
Agenda:
Sean
Jeremy
Sprout report
Waleed-survey
Simeon-financial
Film Festival
Jeremy: another day for meeting? Next meeting 4/16/08 at 7pm. Please note on website that this is an evening trial for those who cannot attend day meetings.

Sean: Butternut Conference…Green and Healthy Living Expo and American Art Marketing, sponsored by NOHA on 7/12 and 13. Tables are expensive 375.00-625.00. Peter suggests a slow food event in the parking lot (bbq?). Peter will contact event and follow up with info.

Waleed: 32 responses so far. Jonathan can contact Waleed for specific results. Committee formed to study survey: Waleed and Lisa. There is a low percentage of people surveyed belonging to CSAs. Slow Food will promote CSAs in convivium. List of CSAs and a map. Lynda will collect info and send to Jonathan to post on website.

Add Spring Mushroom Hunt to agenda: Russ Cohen Great Barrington last year. Reny at Barthalomew’s Cobble will be contacted by Sean. Committee formed: Sarah, Lisa, Lynda (L will ask Jeremy to join committee).

Berkshire Film Festival: Thought no BIFF calendar space but “Flow: For the Love of Water” is on the schedule and they need a non-profit link. Valerie is in touch with Matt, the PR guy for the film festival. Discussed summer outdoor movie events. Tortilla Soup and Rattatouille suggested. Tortilla Soup is a possibility with a BBQ food event. Agreed this would be a good way to reach out to Hispanic population. Event would take place at the nutrition center. Ratatouille was not agreed on due to the Disney connection. Some members against Disney completely, some members thought it has family appeal and we are trying to broaden our family connection. Dom highlighted Slow Food’s function is educational therefore kids/families should be brought together around our mission. This increases our effectiveness in education. Suggestions should be forwarded to the film committee. Dates were decided on for the showings: July 11th and August 8th. Heifer International will be contacted as a resource for films as will Erica Spizz  and Laura Meister. The Real Dirt on Farmer Brown and Miracle Tomato suggested as possible films.

Terra Madre: Discussed. Who will be delegates? How will we organize it and promote it as an event? When is the deadline for sign up? Lynda will get intouchwill Project Sprout’s Sam, Sarah and Natalie to see if there is interest in them attending as youth delegates. Salone de Gusto is open to non delegate members.

Project Sprout: Order forms for their plant sale passed out. Sarah and Lisa will attend BBQ at Route 7 Grill with Lynda. Literature coming from Home office. More info about event on the tickets which are coming. We do have a byline on the tickets.

Guido’s: Using a Slow Food-like snail on marketing sign in the marketplace. Simeon and Sarah will visit Guido’s and let them know they should change the logo since they are not Slow Food.

Meeting was adj.

SFWM Meeting Minutes 3/17/08

Meeting chaired by Dominic Palumbo

Signed in attendees: Jonathan Schwartz, Sean Stanton, Chris Lindstrom, Lisa Noferi, Jen Leahey, Peter Stanton, Jeremy Stanton, Lester Blumenthal, Lynda Fisher, Kyle Stanton, Alejandro de Onis

• Update on Project Sprout (Lynda Fisher)
  • “By facilitating access to knowledge and networks, and by creating opportunities for interaction with one another and with mentors, Slow Food USA is galvanizing and unifying this movement.” Sam Levin has contacted us and continues to be an active contributor to the monthly pot luck dinners. We will support Monuments Project Sprout as outlined in Slow Food’ above mission statement.
  • Put out a request for member donations of fencing and water catchment equipment now.
  • Farmers and Growers who are starting ARK seeds will be asked to donate plants for their trial garden.
  • Dreaming Big….in accordance with our mission of facilitating access to knowledge; can we send Sam to SlowFood USA (in part even?)
  • What byline do we want on the Pig Roast tickets?
    • Suggestions:
      • Supported by Slow Food Western Mass
      • Friends of Slow Food Western Mass
      • With the Support of Our Friends at Slow Food Western Mass
    • Sam is taking the suggestions to his meeting next Wed
  • What materials do we have to distribute at a table at the event?
    • Slow Food USA has brochures and/or other printed material we can get. Lynda to contact them about obtaining these
  • Who is available to present at the event on May 25th?
    • Anyone interested should contact Lynda Fisher directly (lyndafisher2002@yahoo.com)
  • Do we have letterhead?
    • Alejandro de Onis volunteered to design letterhead
  • Grant Collaboration: Cecelia would like to meet with Project Sprout as a liaison for Slow Food and The Nutrition Center. More info coming.
  • We will be compiling our notes to submit to Slow Food as a model for Farm to Table in Schools and on Campus.

• SFWM-Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) Connection Update (Jonathan Schwartz)
  • SFWM-BIFF sub-committee (Peter Stanton, Jeremy Stanton, Valerie Maynard, and Jonathan Schwartz) met 3/4/08
  • Valerie Maynard appointed leader of the SFWM-BIFF sub-committee
  • Dominic & Valerie met with Kelley Vickery, the founder and director of BIFF
  • Programming for BIFF has been completed for this year so that we will not be able to formally be a part of BIFF (i.e. be in thier program), but we are welcome to program add-on events to run alongside the festival
  • Ideas for events to be held in conjunction with BIFF:
    • Dinner & A Movie: Show food related film with coordinated dinner & discussion. Could do this each night of the festival and could possible do it in two rooms with up to 15 people in each room (could be the kickoff of a continuing SFWM food related film series — also see Film Feasts below)
    • Show food related movie outdoors — could do at The Nutrition Center
    • Event with Kevin Bacon (receiving achievement award at BIFF) featuring diner food — Simeon knows Kevin and could possibly get him to participate.
    • Have table in The Triplex Cinema during the festival with Slow Food literature and manned by SFWM volunteers to educate the public about Slow Food movement
• Event/Project Ideas
  • 1 Month Sign Up Drive (Sarah Dibben)
    • During a slower month for restaurants (Sarah suggests April, May, or November) get restaurants to host a $25 dinner to promote Slow Food.
    • One night a week during the selected month, one restaurant would be featured
    • Would require 4 or 5 restaurants (Lester Blumenthal said Route 7 Grill would participate and assuming Sarah’s Stagecoach Tavern would participate as well)
    • Participants must currently be slow food members, or can sign up then.
    • Berkshire Grown has a similar drive week
  • “Meet the Member’s Night” (Sarah Dibben)
    • From Sarah: “When I lived in Portland the convivium there held an event that charged $25 or so. They had a famous guest speaker, I think Alice waters. There was food: different restaurants had tables with a sampling of their fair, also bakeries & cheese shops, coffee, tea. I think in addition to this we could hold a raffle where we give away things we have collected through donation. Tickets could cost $1 -$5. Examples of donations, books, gift certificates to restaurants, boxes of produce from different farms, nights stay at different lodges, organic – biodynamic wine samplings, beer of similar nature, sheep skins, frozen meet from local farms, jars of honey, etc.
  • “Super” Farmers Market (Sarah Dibben)
    • SFWM could help to organize large regional farmers market that would be “the only game in town” the day it was held
    • Have RAFT trunk at this event
  • Educational project focused on ramps, nettles, fiddleheads, mushrooms, ground cherries, etc. (Sarah Dibben)
  • Quarterly local Slow Food publication (Lisa Noferi)
    • Lisa writes: “I realize SFWM has the online newsletter, but would greater exposure and info be gained by a … quarterly publication, ad funded, distributed at all Farmers Markets, local Berkshire Grown restaurants, food marketplaces, even local galleries and bookstores. The content would include a range of realistic voice and artistic expression from the roots to the rituals of the food we grow that feeds each other here in western mass. Interviews(profiles), essays(opinion), recipes, *photos*, a classified marketplace - contributions from all who appreciate knowing the “story” behind their food and sometimes beyond their table when “slow” is the occasional remedy for the fractures our fast-paced society has created in our families, our environment, our health. Carlo Petrini’s movement began as the Italian protest to McDonald’s infiltration and its threat to the traditional table, the vegetable garden, the “family meal.” I imagine that is what Nabhan’s new title “Coming Home to Eat” is about…”
    • Examples of such publications:
      • edibleBOSTON
      • edibleCapCod
      • Vermont’s Local Banquet
      • The Valley Table
      • Gastronomica
    • Another way to go could be to do an online newsletter that could start small and build over time
      • Would allow anyone who wanted to to contribute more easily
      • easier to manage than printed publication
      • this could eventually also grow into a printed publication as described above
  • Campaign to bolster CSAs and Farmer’s Markets
    • use SFWM email list to get word out
    • It was noted that 22 families are currently receiving CSA shares through the Apples to Zucchinis (A to Z) program
      • Share the Bounty, Berkshire Grown, Berkshire Co-op Market, CLIP, CHP WIC, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Mahaiwe Harvest, Farm at Millers Crossing, Indian Line Farm, and Farm Girl Farm all helped to create this unique program.
• Organizations that SFWM might want to establish (stronger) connections with
  • Berkshire Grown
  • E.F. Schumaker Society
  • Orion Society
  • Berkshire Botanical Gardens
  • Berkshire Sanctuary
  • others — please suggest other organizations we might want to add to this list by leaving a comment.
• Related events of interest to SFWM (Jonathan Schwartz)
  • Film Feasts at Berkshire Museum
    • Sideways/Patrick Spencer/Wine tasting & four course dinner at Brix, Sunday April 13th 3 PM
    • Black Orpheus/Drumming workshop/Dinner at The Brazillian Restaurant and Pub, Sunday, May 4th 3 PM
  • Cheese 101 (part of Berkshire Living Magazine and The Triplex Cinemas “The Rest of The Story” series) Matthew Rubiner of Rubiner’s will be sharing knowledge of Cheese with cheese-tasting at The Triplex Sunday, March 30th 11 AM
• Sean Stanton brought to the groups attention that Small Farmers Journal has a program where people can give gift subscriptions to High Schools — $25 gives 2 schools a subscription to the journal. He suggested that we might look into Slow Food having a similar program for our publications.
• At the close of the meeting Chris Lindstrom made mention of a group which supports sustainable, local food production called the Slow Money (article on Slow Money). This will be dicsussed furthre at the mext meeting.
• Next meeting will be Monday 3/31/08 at The Nutrition Center, 94 West Ave., Great Barrington, MA at 1:30 sharp.

Dom chaired the meeting

In attendance (or at least those who signed in): Waleed Al-shanna, Simeon Joffe, Jonathan Schwartz, Erika Tilley, Peter Stanton, Lynda Fisher, Carla Blades, Valerie Maynard, Sarah Dibben

Catchment area for our convivium includes western MA (including the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley) southern VT, northwestern CT, and eastern NY

Project Sprout (PS) update by Lynda Fisher

• Attended meeting 2/25/08
• SFWM added to their resource list
• Use us for backup for grants that require non-profit status
• Want us for fund raising support
• Catchall for when they solicit donations
• Water catchment & fencing are main focus right now
• planting first trial garden this spring
• giving first crop to shelters (People’s Pantry)
• “Farm to Table” dinner event to promote and educate public about program
• ideas from SFWM for Project Sprout should be directed to Lynda Fisher (lyndafisher2002@yahoo.com) so as not to overwhelm the Project Sprout team
• Establish workforce that can assist PS – this should be set up sooner rather than later so it is in place when needed.

Slow Food Initiatives & how SFWM might participate

• Ark of Taste
  • identifying traditional foods that are in need of preserving and celebrating
  • having traditional northeast dinner

• RAFT (Renewing Americas Food Traditions)
  • plants and animals eg: boston marrow squash, pippin apples
  • Farms growing food identified by RAFT and supported by a convivium so that we can have those foods available for a RAFT event
  • MITP grew about 10 RAFT items last year and they were spectacular!

• Slow Food Nation (SFN)
  • Giant Food fest with representation from all over the country
  • farmer’s markets
  • films
  • artisinal food producers
  • we would be welcome to do something as a convivium for SFN (to be discussed further at next meeting)

Meeting Discussion

• Potluck to be held the 13th of every month
• Rather than scheduling standing meeting, we will schedule the next meeting at the present meeting
• Next meeting is Mon March 17th @ 1 PM

Events committee, what kinds of events – Slow Food is often thought of as events – we need events committee. Think of what events we want to have.

SFWM survey draft presented to those in attendance

• find out what people interested in SF are involved in
• Several people pointed out that the shorter the better
• if it’s too short, maybe won’t get the much useful information
• maybe want to make several shorter surveys
• give some information with the survey so people will be interested and get something and then be willing to answer the questions
• asked people at the meeting to take the survey and give feedback – box will be set up at the Nutrition Center to collect them

Fund raising

• Bookloft affilate: SFWM is now a Bookloft affiliate which means that SFWM gets a small percentage (5.5% to start) on any book ordered through the Bookloft’s website IF and ONLY IF you do the following:
  • Go to slowfoodwesternmass.wordpress.com (this website)
  • click on any of the links to books you are interested in or general link to the Bookloft
  • order any books or other merchandise during THAT website visit
• We are looking into setting up other appropriate affiliate relationships
• Combining efforts with other groups (like Project Sprout) – Pig Roast at Route 7 Grill – can make people aware of SF that otherwise might not hear about SF
• Can request RAFT trunk that displays some of what is part of RAFT – can have at events to educate people

Idea: SFWM help host large Farmer’s Market – good to have RAFT trunk at that event

Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFFMA) – we have opportunity to participate in a big way – temporary committee formed (Valerie, Peter, Carla, Jeremy, Jonathan) which will meet 3/4 at 1 PM at The Nutrition Center

Slow Food Western Mass Meeting Minutes 2/4/08, 1pm, at The Nutrition Center, 94 West Ave, Great Barrington, MA

Officers elected:

• Dominic Palumbo: co-leader
• Peter Stanton: co-leader
• Simeon Joffe: treasurer
• Jonathan Schwartz: secretary

Dom chaired the meeting and reported:

• To receive notice of meetings, everyone needs to go to slowfoodwesternmass.org to sign-up.

• Through our convivium and Slow Food, members’ own projects and programs, interests, involvements and vocations, either work or personal, can easily dovetail with one another.

• There are sustainable/local/food/agriculture issues programs/initiatives at Monument High School, Mount Everett High School, and Simon’s Rock. Let’s establish mutually beneficial relationships with these.

• Dom working with Waleed (not able to be at meeting) on a survey of our convivium email list to understand interests for direction of convivium.

  • will send draft to meeting attendees for comments.
  • check with other convivia: have done/are doing surveys?– benefit from their work.
  • anyone’s help in crafting survey (especially those with experience) would be greatly appreciated.

• Dominic proposed project inspired by photo essay in Time magazine (families from all over the world with the food they buy and how much they spend in a week): organize a local photo contest for most local diet

  • involve local people and local media

  • have real food as prizes

• Identifying communities & bringing them together so that they can understand their relationships to one another to work more cohesively together.
• Targeted 2 authors with connections to our area to possibly be included in educational/fundraising events:
  • Michael Pollan
    • author of In Defense of Food (’0 and Omnivores Dilemma (’06) among others
    • associated with Schumaker Society
    • summer resident of Cornwall
  • Gary Nabhan
    • author of Arab/American: Landscape, Culture, and Cuisine in Two Deserts (’0 and Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods (’0 among others
    • writes on biodiversity
    • on board of Seed Savers
    • involved in Slow Food Nation taking place in San Francisco August ‘08
    • coming to Great Barrington for event sponsored by Orion Society in April

• Identifying communities & bringing them together so that they can understand their relationships to one another to work more cohesively together.

• Slow Food Nation coming up:

  • to take place in San Francisco in Aug ‘08

  • modeled on Salone del Gusto (that takes place in Italy which attracts over 2 million people in the course of a week)

  • different areas of the country are being identified with a regional food – eg. Northeast is Maple Syrup Nation

Dom introduced three guest speakers from Monument High: Sam Levin, Sarah Steadman, and Natalie Akers talked about Project Sprout:

• Project Sprout is a student lead and inspired effort to supplement food served in the Monument Mountain High School (MMHS) with food to be grown onsite. It is part of the Green Project at the school which a wider effort to live more sustainably.

• An additional goal of Project Sprout is to give students an opportunity to bond with nature and combat Nature Deficit Disorder

• Also create awareness about eating locally.

• Using an old soccer field (20,000 sq ft available).

• This first year, plan to plant 1000 sq ft to get some idea of what can be produced and see how it goes.

• Collaborating with Project Native (Rayna) – having a native plant sale to raise funds.

• Working with garden designers.

• There are 50+ students involved and at least one faculty member (Mr. Powell) who has put in time an served as an advisor (others have expressed interest.)

• Work is done outside of regular school hours.

• At present there is no solid agreement with the cafeteria how this will all work (Cathy Sullivan is the head of the cafeteria at MMHS.)

• Need to have a certified kitchen.

• The Muddy Brook Elementary School (MBES) is doing something similar.

• Would like to be able to combine efforts with MBES and also Mount Everett High School (MEHS) and Undermountain Elementary School (UES.)

• Would like to look into other programs that are doing similar things to learn from them.

• Peter Stanton mentioned knowing 3 food service directors at nearby schools who had an interest and/or are working in this direction (Wocester, Westfield, ?)

• Need to look at where there have been successes at introducing real food into institutional kitchens.

• Students talked about how they only have ½ hr for lunch and as a result of long lines and the limited time, their salad bar was cut. The kids took on a project on their own to be additional “lunch ladies” in order to get their salad bar back and were successful.

• The need to talk to the state was pointed out in order to make sure that program will be in compliance with any state regs.

• Plan is to donate any food that the school(s) can’t or won’t use to local food pantries.

• Sam has talked to Route 7 Grill about a pig roast to introduce Project Sprout to the community.

• Orion, Route 7 Grill and Gary Nabham — looking to do something together – Slow Food Western MA and Project Sprout might think about trying to join in too

Meeting then turned to organizational matters

• Goals of SFWM

• How best to support Project Sprout

• Monthly potluck

• Regular meetings

  • Some discussion about how often to have meetings – to be continued

  • Some discussion of whether sub-committees should meet more frequently – to be continued

  • Should there be a monthly meeting of the entire convivium? — discussion to be continued

  • Next meeting to take place 2/26 at Nutrition Center at 1 PM

• At next meeting, so that more people will be able to participate in discussion, we will talk about scheduling of meetings.

Welcome to the new Slow Food Western Mass Blog. This is THE place to come to find out and share with others all that is going on in the Slow Food movement in western Mass. Our hope is that this will be a very happening place, where people like yourself will come to find out about, learn, grow, share, contribute, discuss, and all that other good stuff. In order for it to be that kind of place we need your participation. If you see something on here and have a comment — post it. If you heard about an event that you think others in this community would like to know about — post it. If you have an idea, question, or possibly even a complaint (yes, even those) — post it. The important for you to know is that this is YOUR blog too. We invite you to participate!

We’re off …….