Breaking Bread Together

In the month of September, our region will celebrate its rich agricultural bounty with the Farm to Fork Celebration (September 13-28). During the two weeks, a number of events will celebrate our status as the Farm to Fork Capital, but one in particular will connect Sacramento’s culinary community to the hungry and food insecure, Fork It: Farm to Every Fork Dinner.

Organized by the Farm to Every Fork Coalition (F2EF), the dinner hopes to spread awareness about the importance of food equality in Sacramento — that every mouth deserves healthy, high quality foods. The Sacramento Farmers and Chefs art project is also collaborating with the coalition.

For $150, guests will enjoy a family style meal prepared by Chefs Michael Thiemann and Matt Masera of Mother and Empress Tavern at Trinity Cathedral Church on Saturday, September 13. Dishes will be sourced from local farms and producers including Bledsoe Meats, Kingbird Farms, Durst Farms, Azolla Farms, and Sacramento Waldorf School bio dynamic garden amongst others. Jason Griest of Old Soul will be on hand blending a special roast to accompany dessert and guests can sip on Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc from local vintner Revolution Wines.

The twist? Each ticket funds two dinners: one for the ticket holder and one for a person facing hunger on a daily basis (through homelessness or cuts to federal food stamp programs). In essence, the dinner will bring together people who probably would not sit at the same table. “We’ll break bread together, share stories, and understand better the challenges facing those who are struggling with the cost of food,” says Paula Lomazzi of SHOC.

Eric Holt-Gimenez of Oakland’s Food First! will keynote and television reporter and Closing the Gap board member Dana Howard will be the evening’s Master of Ceremonies. Along with the dinner, attendees can enjoy a raffle and auction.

Proceeds from the gala dinner will benefit organizations serving the low income, food insecure, and/or homeless community and key to success of the F2EF coalition: Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee (SHOC), Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, River City Food Bank, Food Not Bombs and The Fund for Urban Gardens.

Farm to Every Fork coalition members sorting out the logistics for the gala dinner. (Photo by Mapurunga Photography)

Before attending the the Farm to Every Fork dinner, Sacramento Farmers and Chefs is a documentary photography project that highlights the individuals responsible for the bountiful food culture of the Sacramento Valley through a collection of portraits and interviews.

 

 

To learn more about Fork It!, visit its Sacramento365.com event page. (Any donation made through the Sacramento365 event listing until September 13 will be shared among the event beneficiaries.)

For other ways to get involved with the Farm to Every Fork Coalition, click here or email Paula Lomazzi at shoc_1@yahoo.com.

***This blog post was written by Sacramento365.com’s Content & Social Media Coordinator, Jamila B. Khan.