November 1, 2004

12th Annual Urban-Rural
Food Systems Conference

November 13-14, 2004 in East Troy, WI
also Sat. Evening Harvest Dinner & Dance ($15)
and Sun. Chefs-Farmers Banquet ($35)
(in Southeast Wisconsin 45 min southwest of Milwaukee)

Taste, goodness, wholesomeness, regionality, sustainability-if you love these qualities in your food, you will find much to enjoy at "Celebrating Diversity: The Key to Healthy Farms, Food & Families," the 12th Annual Urban-Rural Food Systems Conference, November 13-14, in East Troy, WI.

Keynote speaker Patrick Martins, cofounder of Slow Food USA, will speak on "Preserving America's Bounty" on Saturday morning. Martin's current work with Heritage Foods focuses on helping farmers market their artisan foods and providing an alternative to industrial agriculture.

Workshop options include "Artisan Cheeses in Wisconsin& Cheese Tasting," "Buy Local Campaigns and Decentralized Economies," " Honoring Our Culinary Heritage: Telling Our Stories About Food," "Farm-to-School: Understanding the Complexities of School Food Service," and " Faith Based Organizations' Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture& Regional Food Systems."

The Cornucopia of Regional Food Tasting - Farmer's Market Saturday, noon-3 p.m., offers opportunities to meet farmers and taste-test their products.

With a Winter Soup Cook-Off at noon, chefs, organizations, and farmers will compete on the basis of their entry's taste, appearance, seasonality and percentage of local farm products used. Showcasing the taste and goodness of locally produced foods, this contest is still accepting participants. Contact Ann Wegner at 414-273-0050 for more information.

In the evening, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is hosting a public Harvest Dinner and Dance, 5:30-10:30 p.m. After a brief tour of the institute, MFAI's own Chef Julie will serve up her own cornucopia of regional food. The dance, featuring blues band "The Blue Rubies, will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, 1-3 p.m., a Chefs-Farmers Banquet prepared by well-known regional chefs will celebrate the bounty of various local farms in a white tablecloth, multi-course meal. Chefs include Jack Kaestner, Oconomowoc Lake Club; Ken Hnilo, Gilbert's Restaurant in Lake Geneva; and Dave Swanson from Milwaukee.

Registration for the conference, sponsored by Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy, costs $100. Saturday evening's Harvest Dinner and Dance is $15 for adults. Sunday's elegant Chefs-Farmers Banquet is $35 for adults. The Saturday evening dinner and dance and the Sunday Chef's Farmers Banquet can be attended separately.

Event cosponsors include the Town and Country Resource, Conservation and Development; Wisconsin Natural Foods Association; Practical Farmers of Iowa; Slow Food USA-WI South East; University of Wisconsin-Emerging Agricultural Markets Team; University of Wisconsin Center of Integrated Agricultural Systems; and the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service.

Visit http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.
php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=12043112&u=106175 for details or call 262-642-3303 x100 to request a brochure and registration information.

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This page was posted on 11/01/04