Meet Authors Melissa Pellegrino & Matthew Scialabba

The Italian Farmer’s Table: Authentic Recipes and Local Lore from Northern Italy

Wednesday, August 11th, 7-8:30 pm

The Italian Farmer’s Table is a sumptuously illustrated cookbook featuring authentic recipes from more than thirty working family farms in northern Italy. These agriturismi provide room and board to travelers and offer cuisine that epitomizes the farm-fresh movement underway in the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Visitors come from all over Europe and North America to indulge in such delights as fresh ricotta cheese made the same morning, prosciutto from free-range pigs, and organic vegetables picked minutes before serving.

Professional chefs Matthew Scialabba and Melissa Pellegrino have transcribed 150 northern Italian recipes from these family farms - including many that are seldom found in cookbooks outside of Italy. Full-color photographs and anecdotes about the farms and their residents bring Italy’s glorious countryside to life and illustrate such recipes as Swiss Chard and Ricotta Tarts, Lavender Encrusted Chicken with Pancetta, Fried Butternut Squash Ravioli, and Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Walnut Butter Sauce.

Come to the Wilton Library on Wednesday, the 11th, to learn from and about Matt and Melissa.  Their slide show is as much travelogue as gourmet delight! They’ll narrate their experiences in Italy and talk about the resulting cookbook.  We’ll have the books available for purchase and signing - what a terrific gift for any kitchen! Registration is highly recommended.

Wilton Library ~ 137 Old Ridgefield Road ~ Wilton, CT

In the heart of Wilton Center

Call 203.762.3950, x234 for more information.

Our Mission: Informed and inspired minds; enriched and connected lives

Our Vision: A lifetime of discovery at the heart of our community

Enjoy a celebration of all things local on Saturday, June 26, from 7-11pm as Ambler Farm in Wilton hosts a New England Summertime Supper featuring scrumptious fare prepared by local food champion and brilliant chef Dan Kardos of Harvest Supper restaurant in New Canaan. Click here to reserve your seat online.

Enjoy live music from The Westgate Duo, a cellist and violinist from the Ridgefield Symphony, and a Silent Auction featuring an array of “locally-grown” items, as well as the always popular Hay Ride, Horseshoes and Trebuchet.

The menu will include:

• Slow Roasted Country Pork Shoulder + Herb Roasted Chicken
• Local Summer Corn with Butter, Paprika and Honey
• Heirloom Tomato + Watermelon Salad with Mozzarella + Summer Basil
• Freshly picked salad greens and herbs direct from Ambler Farm’s gardens.
• Wax beans and snap peas with ramp butter
• Warm Homemade Cornbread
• Dessert
• Organic Wines + Beer

2010 FARM-TO-CHEF HARVEST CELEBRATION WEEK

September 26, 2010 - October 2, 2010

PARTICIPANTS

Fairfield COUNTY

Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant Bridgeport

Boxcar Cantina Greenwich

Brownson Country Club Shelton

Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe Fairfield

Chartwells Wilton High School          Wilton

Green Gourmet to Go Bridgeport

leFarm Westport

Skinny Pines, LLC Easton

Stamford Yacht Club Stamford

Sugar & Olives Norwalk

The Unquowa School Fairfield

White Silo Farm & Winery Sherman

Hartford COUNTY

The Angry Olive Italian Bistro Rocky Hill

Bricco Trattoria Glastonbury

Ferme Farm-to-Table Restaurant Avon

Firebox Restaurant Hartford

Grant’s Restaurant and Bar West Hartford

J. Foster Ice Cream Avon

J. Foster Ice Cream Simsbury

The Kitchen @ Billings Forge Hartford

Lincoln Culinary Institute Hartford

Matthews Unionville

Max Amore Ristorante Glastonbury

Max Burger West Hartford

Max Downtown Hartford

Max Fish Glastonbury

Max-a-Mia Restaurant Avon

Max’s Oyster Bar West Hartford

Mulberry Street Manchester

OPorto Restarurant Hartford

Peppercorn’s Grill Hartford

Restaurant Bricco West Hartford

Trumbull Kitchen Hartford

Litchfield COUNTY

Bantam Bread         Bantam

Miranda Vineyard Goshen

New Milford Hospital Cafe New Milford

The Pantry  Washington Depot

Provender of New Morning Natural and Organic Woodbury

The White Hart Washington Depot

Middlesex COUNTY

Alforno Trattoria Old Saybrook

The Dining Room at The Copper Beech and Brasserie Pip Ivoryton

It’s Only Natural Restaurant Middletown

On The Rocks at Fox Hopyard Golf Club East Haddam

Perk on Main Durham

Saybrook Point Inn & Spa ,Terra Mar Grille   Old Saybrook

Tschudin Chocolates & Confections Middletown

Wesleyan University Middletown

New Haven COUNTY

3B Ranch d/b/a Northford Naturally Grown    Northford

Bespoke New Haven

Chefs a l’Orange Caterers / Treat Farm         Orange

Chestnut Fine Foods New Haven

Christopher Martins Restaurant New Haven

Claire’s Corner Copia East Haven

Commons - Yale Dining New Haven

Consiglio’s Restaurant New Haven

Friends & Company Madison

Heirloom / the Study at Yale New Haven

Host America Corporate Dining North Haven

The Kitchen Table New Haven

Miya’s Sushi New Haven

New Haven School Food New Haven

Nini’s Bistro New Haven

Scoozzi Trattoria and Wine Bar New Haven

Well on Wheels Hamden

Yale New Haven Hospital New Haven

Zinc Restaurant New Haven

New London COUNTY

Kensington at the Norwich Inn Norwich

La Belle Aurore Niantic

Mrs. B’s Convenient Cuisine Norwich

Tolland COUNTY

Bush Meadow Farm, LLC Union

Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market Coventry

UConn Dining Services Storrs

Zest Tolland

Contact:

Linda Piotrowicz

CT Department of Agriculture

165 Capitol Avenue, Room 129

Hartford, CT  06106

860-713-2558

860-713-2516 (fax)

Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov

www.CTGrown.gov

Win two nights in Maine, a GE Energy Star appliance (up to $500.00 in value, shipping incl.)

a bike,  a family pass to a Bpt.Blue Fish home game & many more prizes!!!.

FREE Admission! Town of Ffld. canvas shopping bag.

Plenty of Free Parking
SAT, MAY 8, 2010 from 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
@ Fairfield Warde High School, 755 Melville Ave., Fairfield

Learn about…state of the art, clean and renewable alternative energy choices, conservation, our environment, organic and sustainable methods of gardening, cleaning, and safe organic products and services, etc.

Recycle… Old sneakers, batteries, eyeglasses, hearing aids, cell phones, wire hangers, and even clean pairs of socks and unmatched socks.

Enjoy… Free samples, face painting, arts & crafts, kid’s wood construction projects with Home Depot w planting wStudent Exhibits.

See… “Trashy Fashions“ A combined elementary & high school student fashion show using recycled materials. A “Green” Auto show

Hear… Experts discuss current & future trends in automotive transportation.  What’s up with healthy eating, gardening, etc.?

Taste…Fantastic food by Catch a Healthy Habit  and Chef Jeff’s portable wood-fired brick oven. Indulge yourself!  Try kettled corn!

Sing along with… the Mill River Band w Lisa Furman & Friends w Roger Ludlowe Middle School (RLMS) Chamber Choir w Fairfield House Band

Meet … 80+ exhibitors

Schedule

* Please see posted information at the event for most up to date information*

10:15 OPENING CEREMONY by Fairfield’s First Selectman Ken Flatto in the Courtyard.

LECTURE SCHEDULE

Lecture Room:

10:30   An Organic Teaching Farm in Fairfield ?

Pam Jones/Jody Eisemann

11:30   Local Food Panel Discussion

Moderated by Analiese Paik, Founder Fairfield Green Food Guide

Guest Panelists:

• Schools gardens - Annelise McCay & Amie Hall,
• Organic gardening - Nick Mancini
• Community Garden - Eric Frisk
• School Food - Michelle McCabe
• CSAs & Food Coops - Sarah Bollman
• Town Farm - Jody Eisemann and Pam Jones

2:00     Bees into Battle Win Baum

3:00     Organic Gardening Simplified Nick Mancini

Court Yard (Lecture Room if weather is inclement):

1:00       Future of Transportation - a panel discussion.

Moderator -  Jim Motavalli

Sure to be an exciting and informative panel discussion on our current transportation behaviors and the prescription for the future for attaining sustainability in the way we should choose to move ourselves, and the alternatives that will available to us.  Be sure to attend this engaging discussion by our panel of transportation experts.

Cooking Room :

Ongoing demos begin at 10 am. Stop in any time! Follow the signs to the cooking area

Coordinator and Speaker - Amie Hall

11:00    Sustainable Eating

11:30    The Green Lunch Box

1:30    Square Foot Gardening in the Curriculum

2:30    Square Foot Gardening - The Basics

10:00 am- 4:00 pm - Earth Food Tour, Self Guided, Ongoing.  Visit 5 interactive family friendly stations that will expand your food knowledge and build comfort in your kitchen. Topics include Glorious Greens, Great Grains, The Mighty Bean, Flour Power and The Green Lunch Box.

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

Time               Court Yard

10:45                   Mike Dougherty & the All Star Energy Band

11:15                     Save our Trees-Reading by Persephone  Ocasio

Trashy Fashions

11:45                     Drumming Circle

12:30                     Trashy Fashions

2:00                       Drumming Circle

2:45                       Mike Dougherty & the All Star Energy Band

Main Entrance (Outside)

Solar Powered Music

11:15 -2:00         Lisa Furman Band

2:00                       FFld House Band

2:45 - 3:45           Lisa Furman Band

Lecture Series Speakers:

Pam Jones and Jody Eisemann, former Westporters, re-met as Fairfield residents and found they had numerous interests in common, including the preservation and restoration of their local environment. Both of them believe that the earth is facing an unparalleled environmental crisis of resources, out of control pollution and most importantly the safety and security of our food sources. Pam and Jody believe that learning to grow your own food is a simple solution to lowering the area’s carbon footprint, accessing really healthy food and is real security for people everywhere. They have spent the past year pursuing the idea of creating a town owned organic teaching farm as a way to help create a sustainable future for our town and our children.

Analiese Paik is a local/sustainable food advocate and founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, an online consumer resource for finding local and sustainably grown food and connecting with the green food community. Launched in January 2009, fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com features a blog, database of green food resources, event calendar and e-newsletter that empower consumers to eat fresh, local and sustainable food in Fairfield County. Analiese organizes documentary food film events to benefit not-for-profits, and is a regular monthly guest on News Channel 8’s Good Morning Connecticut show.

Win Baum, Fairfield Backyard Beekeeper, is back this year and will talk about the perils honeybees and fellow pollinators, like bats and butterflies, are facing from chemical pesticides and other man-made foes. Win and his wife, Stefanie, have been keeping bees in their backyard Fairfield apiary since 1992.  Win’s experience with honeybees and other pollinators is sure to be informative and useful for gardeners of all types.

Nick Mancini will show you how to maintain a trouble free garden through good sanitation, crop selection, proper fertilization and Organic pest management. Nick is a Certified Master Gardener from the Cooperative Extension System of the University of Connecticut, specializing in organic vegetables, fruits and brambles, and past head Master Gardener of Vegetables and Tree Fruit at Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, Connecticut. He teaches organic gardening at Norwalk Community College’s Extended Studies program and the Kathryn Croaning Child Development Laboratory School where they have developed an organic garden. Nick also teaches Organic Gardening at the Westport Continuing Education, Fairfield Continuing Education, Northeast Organic Farmers Association and lectures in garden clubs, horticultural societies and libraries throughout Connecticut and neighboring states.

Amie Hall - Amie Guyette Hall, is a certified health coach, Square Foot Gardening teacher and Founder of Fairfield’s Middle School Gardens.  Amie has helped our foods teachers develop a whole foods based curriculum. She connects children and families to their food, their community and the land through educational workshops and wellness programs in our schools and at a local farm.

For more information visit: fairfieldearthday.org or call (203) 256-3010

For Immediate Release

Fairfield, CT April 21, 2010

Who: Michel Nischan

What: Discussion & Signing “Sustainably Delicious”

When/Where:  Tuesday May 4^th @ 7pm

Borders

1499 Post Road

Fairfield, CT 06824

203-256-1619

Why:

Anyone who takes the time to shop and cook from scratch wants to make feel-good choices-but with terms like “locavore,” “organic,” and “sustainable” being tossed around so freely, many are confused about how best to feed their families. In his new book SUSTAINABLY DELICIOUS: Making the World a Better Place, One Recipe at a Time (Rodale Books; April 13 2010; Hardcover; $35.00; 256 pages w/ 75 color photographs), best-selling author, restaurateur, Wholesome Wave Foundation founder, and sustainable food-movement pioneer Michel Nischan, cuts through the confusion and shows readers how to prepare food that is good-in every sense of the word.

Nischan has long been an advocate for embracing the most basic of food rules-use what’s readily available, celebrate variety, respect the land, and eschew waste-to create modern, sophisticated food. The 100 recipes featured in SUSTAINABLY DELICIOUS are a testament to Nischan’s respect for America’s culinary and environmental legacy-each one provides a roadmap for delicious wholesome meals and a lesson in how our food choices impact the world around us.

Drawing upon his Midwestern roots and his family’s tradition of creating humble, satisfying meals from seasonal ingredients, the two-time James Beard Foundation award winner transforms even the simplest food into surprising, flavorful feasts: Pork Loin Roast with Dried Fruits and Apple Cider; French Toast with Brown Sugar Bananas; Nantucket Scallop Porridge with Apples and Chestnuts and Homegrown Fried Chicken.

Nischan also includes stories about the farmers, chefs, and others working on the frontlines to safeguard our food systems for future generations. With SUSTAINABLY DELICIOUS, Nischan has created a new kind of cookbook-one that goes beyond local and beyond organic, proving that eating sustainably is not only figuring out what tastes good, but what is good-for the environment, for animals, for farm workers, and for our tables.

Additional Info:

Michel Nischan is the best-selling author of Taste: Pure and Simple and with Paul Newman cofounder of Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant, located at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut. As President and CEO of Wholesome Wave, he catalyzes fundamental change in the nation’s food system.  Wholesome Wave’s signature “Nourishing Neighborhoods” Double Value Coupon Program doubles the value of food stamp dollars via farm-to-community partnerships.  Wholesome Wave programs are currently underway in 12 states, the District of Columbia and in more than 60 markets.  He lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with his wife, Lori and their five children.

Media

Contact: Please contact Maria DiLeo 516-353-0231 or mdileo@bordersgroupinc.com

If you are a restaurant or food service company in CT, please take this opportunity to create a week of special menus featuring CT grown ingredients and CT wines.  The 2010 Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week event being planned for September 26 through October 2 currently has over 35 restaurants  signed up, but we know there are many more candidates out there. Click here to pre-apply online by April 30.

CT Department of Agriculture Announces 2010 Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week

Contact: Linda Piotrowicz, 860-713-2558, Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov

April 8, 2010   Hartford, CT- Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week, a new promotion initiated by the CT Department of Agriculture’s Farm-to-Chef Program, will run Sunday, September 26, 2010, through Saturday, October 2, 2010. Open to all restaurants and foodservice businesses in the state, it invites participants to create and offer a separate Farm-to-Chef menu showcasing CT Grown ingredients and CT wines.

“While many Farm-to-Chef members source locally on a regular basis, we hope this special event will entice new restaurants and businesses to give CT Grown ingredients a try. Because it is only a one-week commitment, it is an easy way for chefs to try local farm products without feeling overwhelmed,” said Linda Piotrowicz, Farm-to-Chef Program Manager.

“Of course, once they get a taste of CT Grown ingredients, we are confident they will not want to go back,” she added with a smile.
Guidelines are fairly simple:

1. Each participant shall offer a separate Farm-to-Chef menu of at least four items, each showcasing one or more CT Grown ingredients, from 9/26/10 through 10/2/10.

2. Businesses that serve alcohol also must include at least one CT Wine on the menu during Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week.

3. Pricing will be left to the discretion of each venue in order to encourage participation by many different styles and types of restaurants and foodservice businesses.
The following also are encouraged:

1. Use of a wide variety of CT Grown ingredients, including proteins, cheese, milk, honey, maple syrup, fruits, and vegetables.

2. Pricing of the Farm-to-Chef menu that falls within the normal range for that business.

3. Incorporation of related events during Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week, such as farmer appearances, talks, CT wine tastings, chef demonstrations, tours, recipe hand-outs, etc.

According to Piotrowicz, the public is becoming increasingly aware of what they are eating and where it comes from. Interest in local food is soaring, evidenced by an all-time record number of farmers’ markets in the state last year, 125. Consumers are seeking fresh, locally grown foods for use in their own kitchens, and they have begun looking for them when dining out as well.

“We have been sourcing from nearby farms for years,” explained Scott Miller, Executive Chef at Max’s Oyster Bar and longtime Farm-to-Chef member. “This past year we were able to serve CT Grown salad greens every day, even throughout the winter, thanks to an increase in season-extension production methods employed by area farmers.”

“The quality of local food does not compare to that of ingredients shipped in from across the country,” Chef Miller continued. “It does take some extra effort to work with many small farms instead of buying from one or two huge suppliers, but it is time and energy well spent. Our customers definitely notice the difference. After all, food that spends the least amount of time out of the soil, and the least amount of time on a big rig, just simply tastes better.”

The CT Department of Agriculture will promote and publicize Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week and will post information about each participating businesses on the agency’s website. The Department also will provide businesses with resources to help promote their involvement in Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration week and to help locate sources of CT Grown ingredients.

Interested businesses must complete an online pre-application no later than Friday, April 30, 2010. Information provided will be used in the promotion of Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week. Information required in the pre-application includes

• Company contact info
• Proposed Farm-to-Chef menu (minimum of four items)
• CT Grown ingredient(s) to be showcased in each item
• Proposed source of each CT Grown ingredient
• CT Wine(s) to be offered (minimum of one for any business that serves alcohol)
• Pricing for the menu

Pre-applications must be completed online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QG2YVWT.

All participants must also submit a final application with confirmed menu and a list of featured farms and their ingredients. Final application information will be sent out to all participants in July and must be completed no later than August 13, 2010. This information will be used in Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week promotional materials.

For more information, please contact Linda Piotrowicz at Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov or 860-713-2558.

The CT Farm-to-Chef Program helps connect Connecticut chefs and food service professionals with growers, producers, and distributors of CT Grown products. It also helps the public locate restaurants, institutions, and other dining facilities that serve foods prepared with CT Grown ingredients. Please visit www.CTGrown.gov and click on “Programs and Services” for more information.

CONNECTICUT GROWN - The Local Flavor
www.CTGrown.gov
www.ct.gov/doag

###

April 11, 2010

Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide was interviewed by Matt Scott on News Ch. 8’s Good Morning Connecticut Show about green food for Earth Day.

One of the easiest ways to make Earth Day every day is to green your kitchen. Here are some delicious and fun ways to reduce your family’s “foodprint” while eating well.

Buy locally grown food from a farmers’ market and learn to cook with the seasons.

Best-selling author, restaurateur and Wholesome Wave Foundation founder Michel Nischan’s new cookbook, Sustainably Delicious, presents over 100 recipes for home cooks looking for delicious and nutritious ways to prepare seasonal food that is good for the environment, for animals, for farm workers, and for our tables. Michel advises us to “Eat what’s available in season, celebrate variety, respect the land and eschew waste”. His mission is to show that choosing local and sustainably grown food offers innumerable rewards, including some of the very best flavors Mother Nature has to offer. Who thought a humble parsnip could be this delicious?

Choose locally produced food from specialty or grocery stores.

The Farmer’s Cow milk is humanely-produced in Connecticut by a cooperative of six family-owned dairies and is free of artificial growth hormones (rBST). When you choose this fresh milk you support local farms, lower your carbon footprint by reducing food miles, support the local economy and ensure farmland preservation.

Choose organic where it matters most.

Download the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides or iphone app from Environmental Working Group, familiarize yourself with the worst offenders (the Dirty Dozen), and commit to buying organic instead. Lettuce is a among the worst so choose organic from 2 Guys, a hydroponic greenhouse farm that produces year-round gorgeous vegetables for chefs, retailers and consumers. They are at many area farmers’ markets.

Choose eco-friendly wines.

Parducci Wine Cellars, America’s greenest winery, uses farming practices that result in healthier soil, balanced grapes and higher quality wines. Try their Sustainable White and Paul Dolan Vineyard’s Pinot Noir, made from organic and Biodynamic® grapes grown in certified vineyards. A vineyard that is certified biodynamic meets and typically exceeds the standards and regulations for organic certified farming. Biodynamic agriculture began in the 1920s, predating organic agriculture by 20 years.

Choose organic, fair trade chocolate, coffee and tea.

Kallari single origin, USDA organic, Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate is truly a chocolate lover’s dream and possibly the greenest chocolate available. 100% of the proceeds go to the Kichwa farmers in Ecuadorean Amazon who both grow the cacao and manufacture the chocolate. Available online and at Whole Foods Markets.

Use reusable lunch bags instead of single use plastic lunch and snack bags.

Lunch Skins are a completely food and dishwasher safe alternative to single use plastic lunch and snack bags. Use this coupon code for a 10% discount off your online purchase of Lunch Skins: FGFGED10. They’re a hit with the kids and you’ll love knowing that every time you use them, you’re avoiding throwing away a plastic bag.  LunchSkins has an attractive co-branded fundraiser program perfect for any school or organization.

Swear off bottled water.

Plastic water bottles are made from petroleum and are designed to be used once, resulting in a product that is thousands of times more expensive than tap water and no safer, according to a report by Food & Water Watch. Most of these bottles wind up in landfills where they take hundreds of years to break down and can leach harmful chemicals into the ground. Carry a stainless steel thermos instead. I love this wide mouthed one from Thermos that lets you guzzle the water and keeps the water cold even in blistering heat.

On Friday, April 23, Audubon Greenwich is pleased to host a very special screen of  “Tapped“ an unflinching, award-winning documentary about the bottled water business. As a special bonus, Stephanie Soechtig (the Director) and Sarah Olson (the Producer) will be there to field questions from the audience. Reception at 7:00 pm / Movie at 8:00 pm. There will be a bottle exchange during the reception so bring an empty plastic water bottle (… hopefully your last) and get a brand-new steel water bottle from the film’s producers (while supplies last) Click here to RSVP.

Grow at least some of your own food.

Buy a potted herb or vegetable plants to start an edible container garden and invite your children to join in the care and harvesting. The one show here is from Moorefield Herb Garden, a vendor at the Fairfield farmers’ market at the Fairfield Theater Company. One easy and inexpensive way to grow what you love is to buy organic vegetable bouquets from Two Guys from Woodbridge at a local farmers’ market and give them a second life. After removing the edible portion of the vegetable, plant the root ball in a raised bed or container where it will produce a second harvest.

Choose sustainable seafood.

Download the Sustainable Seafood Guide or iphone app from Seafood Watch and commit to limiting your consumption to sustainable seafood choices under the Best Choices and Good Alternatives categories. You call learn all about sustainable seafood in a fabulous new exhibit called Go Fish! at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. Pick up one of Seafood Watch’s pocket guides to take home and don’t miss the movie  in the sustainable seafood theater, sustainable seafood “cafe”,  and the tank of LI fish including cod, striped bass, Atlantic salmon and wolfish. It’s perfect for adults and children.

Have you seen the beautiful spring parsnips at the farmers’ markets? I bought some last Saturday from Riverbank Farm at the Fairfield Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market (it runs through May 13) and have been thinking about making parsnip puree after scoring hits with pureed butternut squash from my winter CSA.

But then chef/author Michel Nischan’s beautiful and timely new cookbook, Sustainably Delicious, arrived in the mail. After a quick look I knew those parsnips were destined for soup.

Michel’s latest cookbook is dedicated to sustainable cuisine - food that’s sourced locally, produced sustainably, and eaten in season. That just the kind of food we should all endeavor to eat as much as possible.

Sustainably Delicious contains a recipe for parsnip soup that is so simple that I chose to add it to an already planned dinner menu without concern that it would throw off my schedule. All that’s required to make this soup is parsnips, yogurt, sour cream and tarragon plus a few basic cooking skills and utensils. Bet you thought you needed vegetable or chicken stock!

Oven roasting parsnips converts them into creamy, sweet and slightly caramelized beauties that bear no resemblance to their raw selves. Michel recommends cutting up and simmering half the roasted parsnips briefly in water before pureeing the mixture to form the soup base, then dicing and adding the remaining half before finishing with yogurt, sour cream and tarragon.The recipe worked beautifully and I was amazed at how little salt and pepper I had to add to get it just right.

I served the parsnip soup as a first course to allow it to take center stage and make the meal into something a bit more special. The soup drew rave reviews: “This is so sweet; did you add sugar?” “This is awesome!” “This is a taste of the promise of spring.” Oh my, I think I’ll have to make this again soon. It’s a keeper. Happy eaters are all the inspiration I need to try out a few more recipes, so look for additional “Cooking with Michel” posts soon.

Sustainably Delicious goes on sale April 13. Michel will be at a book signing on April 12 in NYC at Borders at 7pm at the Time Warner Building and at Fresh on Broadway and 18th street on April 22, Earth Day, from noon to 4:00pm. Click here for a complete event listing.

About Michel Nischan:

Michel Nischan is a well-known pioneer in the local-sustainable food movement and award-winning author of  two previous cookbooks that share his passion for cooking with seasonal foods for maximum flavor, nutrition, and enjoyment. Michel co-founded The Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant with Paul Newman at the Westport Country Playhouse, and is the Founder, President & CEO of Wholesome Wave Foundation, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to make locally-grown, healthy and sustainable foods available to all.

Last year I had the privilege of accompanying Mercy Learning center students on a field trip to one of the mobile farms stands Wholesome Wave established in Bridgeport as part of their “Nourishing Neighborhoods” Double Value Coupon Program. Wholesome Wave programs are currently underway in 12 states, the District of Columbia and in more than 80 markets. Miami recently established the State of Florida’s first urban farmer’s market, Roots in the City Farmers Market, thanks to Wholesome Wave Foundation and local partners, and a dedication ceremony is planned for April 7.

By Eileen Weber

The Food for Thought Expo took place at Fairfield Warde High School this Saturday. A good buzz of people attended the fair to hear lectures and experience what local vendors had to share. From locally made breads and honey to fresh milk and organic gourmet take-out, this showcase had it all.

As part of a series of lectures included in the event, Analiese Paik, this site’s founder, spoke for close to an hour about getting the message out about local, organically grown food. “It’s there for the taking. It’s out there,” she said.

Paik went on to describe the opportunities consumers have at their fingertips. From CSAs to farmers’ markets to retail chains selling whole foods, there is something for everyone. The biggest joy for her, she said, is connecting the farmer to the consumer. It’s making that connection that is key to fresh food’s survival in our society.

“We need to check the box on local food. Check the box on the local economy. Check the box on farmland preservation,” she said. Paik’s point was that local, organic food should be a way of life and not something we do once in a while. With obesity and juvenile diabetes rampant in this country, the very thing that makes a difference with those two epidemics is the kind of food we put in our mouths.

In a recent press release about the event, Michelle McCabe, Chairperson for Fuel for Learning Partnership (FFLP), the expo’s organizer and sponsor, said the event was meant to remind us of what foods to avoid. “It seems almost daily that we hear or read stories about the foods we eat, many of them with bad news,” she said. “…the main goal is to help us better feed our families. With the help of cooking instructors, educators, and local businesses, visitors to the Food for Thought Expo will be introduced to the vast range of resources available to help us all attain that goal of healthful eating.”

The FFLP sponsored the event as part of an on-going effort to help educate the general public about the best ways to approach nutrition, and how we can overcome the health challenges Paik mentioned in her lecture. “We’re all on a journey toward changing the way we eat,” said McCabe. “That comes with a learning curve, and our focus is to help people take ownership of their health, and the health of their children.”

Paik sees consumer interest in natural foods growing exponentially. She sees her role as providing a way for people to get to the food they should be eating. It’s also a way to keep our precious farmland preserved. “There are a thousand points of light out there and we’re connecting them,” she said. “There is hope.”

But it’s not just the farms. It’s everything that relies on the farm that provides fresh food to families. Maybe you go to food stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market. Or maybe you decide on take-out from Fairfield area hot spots like Health in a Hurry, Catch a Healthy Habit, and Green Gourmet To Go. Fairfield County’s latest farm-to-table restaurant comes in the form of a mobile brick oven caterer and Cheff Jeff had it stationed outside to serve pizza made with fresh, local toppings to the more than 600 guests that attended the event.

But there are some people who are a little apprehensive about buying shares in CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). Frequently, farms provide an abundance of produce at some point during the season that the average consumer can’t use up in a week. To that, Paik said there are easy ways to avoid that problem. Blanching the excess and freezing it makes it easier for you to use the vegetables any time you choose. And if that doesn’t work for you, try Veggie Trader. They link people with excess produce to those who are looking for it. And if you can’t make it to a farmers’ market and don’t belong to a CSA, use CT Farm Fresh Express to get farm-fresh food to your table in one quick delivery. Of matching a farmer’s produce with the consumer, Paik said, “That’s a match made in heaven.”

While real estate is location, location, location, food has a similar concept: local, local, local. “CSAs are selling out,” said Paik. “We’ve stopped losing farmland. Smart people are running farms with a good business plan.” She said that farms are the hub, providing the raw material for the consumer, government, institutions like New Milford Hospital and their Plow to Plate initiative, retail chains, chefs, and school lunches. “It’s a jigsaw puzzle,” she said “and we are all finding ways to work together to be part of the solution.”

Paik feels we’ve reached our tipping point with the organic food movement. “We’re not waiting for our government to fix the food system. We’re doing it for them.”

A celebration of local farms, stores, restaurants, local/sustainable food advocates, businesses and educators for National Nutrition Month.

Type:     Free expo with guest speakers and workshops
Date:     Saturday, March 27, 2010
Time:     10:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Fairfield Warde High School, 755 Melville Avenue, Fairfield, CT

Don’t miss this amazing, free event sponsored by Fairfield PTA Council’s Fuel for Learning Partnership Committee. Come with your family and enjoy the cooking demos, panel discussions, guest speakers, exhibitors and free tastings of fresh, local food. Lunch may be purchased from the portable, wood-fired brick oven caterer featuring locally grown foods.

Participants include:

Samantha Heller, MS, RD, CDN, author of Get Smart: Samantha Heller’s Nutrition Prescription for Boosting Brain Power and Optimizing Total Body Health.

Amie Hall, CHHC, AADP, From Your Inside Out, is host to many delicious farm lunches and part of the edible schoolyard garden team.

Health in a Hurry, an award-winning restaurant offering inspired organic, vegetarian food to go.

Catch a Healthy Habit, an organic, raw food cafe and host to many live, education events.

Fairfield Green Food Guide, your guide to local and sustainable food.

Red Bee Artisanal Honey, a Weston apiary offering honey, a full line of honey products, honey tastings and book events.

Wave Hill Breads, Wilton, handcrafted, artisan breads available at specialty stores and farmers’ markets including the indoor winter farmers’ market at the FTC.

Fairfield Bread Company, Fairfield, home of  “The Flaxette”

Chef Jeff Borofsky and his portable, wood-fired brick oven catering company featuring locally-grown food. Come hungry because Chef Jeff is catering the event.

Sport Hill Farm, an organic farm in Easton run by Patti Popp and also the site of The Unquowa School’s Summer Farm Camp. Her CSA is sold out, but you can buy just picked produce at her farm stand once the season begins.

Stone Gardens Farm, an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) farm in Shelton offering CSA shares for pick up at the farm or at Westport GVI’s Wakeman Farm in Westport

Green Gourmet to Go, a brand new, organic, vegetarian restaurant located in Black Rock.

The Farmer’s Cow, Lebanon, provider of milk, eggs, cream, cider and lemonade. Ask them about their ice cream which is coming out soon.

SPEAKER SCHEDULE

10:00 - 10:15am    Introductory remarks

10:15 - 11:15am    Growing your own Produce: Organic Backyard Gardening with Nick Mancini

11:30am - 12:30pm
Get Smart: Samantha Heller’s Nutrition Prescription for Boosting Brain Power, Samantha Heller, MS RD CDN, Registered Dietitian, Clinical Nutritionist, Exercise Physiologist

1:00 - 2:00pm
Get it Local: Finding all Your Cooking Needs in and around Fairfield County with Analiese Paik, Founder and Editor of the Fairfield Green Food Guide

2:15 - 3:15pm Panel Discussion

From Classrooms to Cafeterias: Why Public Schools are Important in the Fight Against Obesity and the Fight for Sustainable Food Systems

Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Deputy Director, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Bruce Gluck, Food Services Director, New Canaan Public Schools
Michelle Flashman, Curriculum Leader and Instructor , Family and Consumer Science Department, Fairfield Public Schools

Please feel free to stop in at any time to attend the following family friendly activities! For everyone - of all ages and all stages of life! All talks, demos, and displays are designed to help build confidence in your kitchen and comfort at your table.

Location:
Barlow’s Restaurant (in the school)
10:30am Healthy Eating Choices for the Whole Family, JoAnn Koebbe

11:30am Healthy Eating Choices for the Whole Family, JoAnn Koebbe

12:30pm Cooking in the Classroom: the Fairfield Middle School Curriculum, Michelle Flashman

1:30pm Cooking in the Classroom: the Fairfield Middle School Curriculum, Michelle Flashman

3:00pm Healthy Eating Choices for the Whole Family, JoAnn Koebbe

Instructors & Classes
JoAnn Koebbe, Certified LEAN Coach & Health Counselor
Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, Nutrition are the key components to this interactive, FUN, lesson in making healthy eating choices. For everyone, children, parents, grandparents.

10:30 am, 11:30 am, 3:00 pm, 3 sessions, 30 minutes each

Michelle Flashman, Family & Consumer Sciences Curriculum Department Leader, Fairfield Public Schools
Discover what Fairfield middle school students are learning about food in the cooking classroom!

12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, 2 sessions, 30 minutes each

Location:
Family & Consumer Sciences Classroom

SPEAKERS & DEMOS
10:00 - 10:45am Whole Foods, Whole You — Amie Hall

10:45 - 11:00am Gluten Free and Flour Power — Amie Hall

11:00 - 11:30am Small Batch Baking and Buying local breads — Michael Mordecai

11:30 - 11:45am Whole Foods, Whole You — Amie Hall

11:45am - 12:45pm Food Scientists! — Valerie Wilke

1:00 - 2:15pm An Introduction to Health Supportive Cuisine - Sue Cadwell

2:15 - 3:15pm Lunch Box Fun and Co-op Bulk Buying - Valerie Wilke

3:15 - 4:00pm    Re-thinking the School Lunch Menu - Bruce Gluck and Amie Hall

Instructors & Classes
Amie Guyette Hall, Health Counselor and Cooking Coach, From Your Inside Out

Whole Foods, Whole You! We all know we should eat better food. This workshop helps us understand WHY. Kick off the day’s events with this helpful way of understanding the food mood and chronic condition connection that we are all trying to conquer. Insightful, eye opening.

10:00 am - 10:45 am, 11:30 - 11:45am

Gluten Free & Flour Power. A supportive introduction to alternative flour and pantry products.
10:45 am - 11:00 am

Michael Mordecai, Fairfield Bread Company, Bread Baker
Learn about small batch baking and buying local. Bread is the staff of life, and Michael shares
11:00 am - 11:30 am

Valerie Wilke, Chef, Blood Root Restaurant
Food Scientists!
Become the food scientist that you and your children want to be! Find encouragement and discover fun, fabulous ideas of how to experiment around the rainbow!
11:45 am - 12:45 pm

Lunch Box and Co-op Bulk Buying
2:15 - 3:15pm

Sue Cadwell, Owner, Health in a Hurry
An Intro to Health Supportive Cuisine. Easy recipes & food samples. Grains, Greens and Soy.
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Bruce Gluck, chef and Food Services Director in the New Canaan Public Schools
Rethinking the School Lunch Menu
3:15 pm - 4 pm

SELF GUIDED KITCHEN TOUR
Visit 5 interactive family friendly stations that will expand your food knowledge and build comfort in your kitchen.
Topics include Glorious Greens, Great Grains, The Mighty Bean, Flour Power, and Power Tools!
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

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