Slow Food® Utah

PROJECTS – SLOW FOOD UTAH

Showcasing Slow Food Utah on–going activities, including:
Slow Food in Schools | Feast of Five Senses | Thank Your Maker | Chef – Producer Mingle

Slow Food in Schools program featuring the "Schoolyard Garden" and "Taste Education" projects.

• Slow Food in Schools is a garden–to–table program with children that cultivates the senses and teaches an ecological approach to food. The objective is to awaken children to the enjoyment and health benefits of quality foods and the principles of land stewardship. Striving to make connections between the food we eat and where it comes from. Opening eyes to new possibilities. A growing program joining over 20 garden–to–table programs across the United States, Slow Food in Schools helps children develop an appreciation for real, wholesome food and an understanding of sustainable food practices.

  Slow Food Utah’s Slow Foods in Schools program is presently in a pilot stage at Riley Elementary School in the Salt Lake City School District. Christi Paulson is a first–grade teacher at Riley Elementary and has spear–headed this pilot program. The program currently consists of two projects:

   

• Schoolyard Garden

  The Schoolyard Garden will be a window into gardening for students at Salt Lake’s Riley Elementary School. The Garden has outdoor and indoor components.

  Construction of the Outdoor Garden Boxes began when Students, Parents, Teachers, Staff and Slow Food Volunteers met Saturday morning, September 9, 2006, bright–and–early, to build the garden–boxes that will be the corner–stone of the Schoolyard Garden. (See the photographs in the Photo Gallery.) Later, the boxes were filled with soil and will be planted in the Spring of 2007.

  Meanwhile, Indoor Grow–Labs were constructed during late–Autumn of 2006 and then planted by first grade students. Students take turns every week watering the plants and enjoy watching them grow. During this time the students will learn about plant biology in terms practical to their age. This provides students with the practical experience of growing crops from seed, and shows them that it can be done even in the cold of Winter.

  The Schoolyard Garden project has been received warmly by students and teachers at Riley Elementary, and many students are excited to watch the project grow. This project is supported by all who attended the Second Annual "Feast of Five Senses" fundraising dinner that Slow Food Utah organized, and Pine American Restaurant hosted Sunday, May 21, 2006. Thank you to all who volunteered and contributed. A great beginning.

• Brief write–up and photos of indoor garden at Riley Elementary School in Salt Lake City. (First grade Inquiry Activity addressing the question: "Is it possible to grow food indoors?") [Salt Lake City School District.]

   

• Taste Education

  Taste Education includes introducing children to different varieties of foods and includes some cooking skills lessons. This project is presently on–going at Riley Elementary School in the Salt Lake City School District.

  If you are interested in helping plan the after school classes for the rest of the school year, we will hold a meeting Thursday, January 4th at 7:00 p.m., send us an e–mail for the location.

  If you are interested in helping teach the classes, classes are set for 2007 on January 9 &10, February 13 & 14, March 13 & 14, April 17 & 18, and May 15 & 16 from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. (4:00 to 5:00 with time for preparation and clean–up) please contact Slow Food Utah by e–mail.

• Contact: For more local information on the Slow Food in Schools program in Utah, to inquire about hosting the Slow Food in Schools program in your school, or to volunteer please e-mail Slow Food Utah. (Teachers who are interested in adopting this program for their schools are invited to get involved too. The program at Riley Elementary is a pilot program, with the longer-term objective including expanding it into other schools in Utah.)
• Further information on the Slow Food USA "Slow Food in Schools" program is available from Slow Food U.S.A.
• Slow Food U.S.A. provides links to several other resources regarding Slow Food in Schools.
• Alice Waters’ "Slow Food, Slow Schools: Transforming Education through a School Lunch Curriculum" provides a good background on the thinking behind Slow Food in Schools.
• Slow Food Utah’s "Schoolyard Garden Project" was recently featured in the January, 2007 edition of "The Food Chain," the newsletter of Slow Food USA. Here’s what they said about us:
• "Garden–to–Table School Projects: Slow Food in Schools is ready for another great year with over 30 active school programs around the country including new projects in Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Hawaii. 2007 will be exciting as we’ll focus on creating more resources for our projects and cultivating relationships with other like–minded organizations. We’ll also expand the Slow Food in Schools program to a wider age range and offer more opportunities for students to get involved in taste education. Currently, Slow Food in Schools projects are in over 50 schools with thousands of children participating in schoolyard gardens, cooking classes and taste education. Slow Food Utah paused for a photo opportunity at the Riley Schoolyard Garden in September 2006. Students, parents, teachers, staff and Slow Food volunteers built garden boxes that will be the cornerstone of the School Yard Garden!"

  ("The Food Chain" newsletter is sent by e-mail to all members of Slow Food USA.)

"Feast of Five Senses" Annual Fund–raising Event

• The objective of the annual "Feast of Five Senses" is to produce a delightful dinner experience for which local chefs contribute their talents, and producers their produce. Proceeds are used to fund Slow Food Utah programs and operating expenses.

"Thank Your Maker" Annual Event

• The objective of the annual "Thank Your Maker" event is of introducing people to locally grown products, and the people who grow or otherwise produce them.

"Chef – Producer Mingle" Annual Event

• During the 2006 year, Slow Food Utah held its first "Chef – Producer Mingle." The idea here is to invite local producers of food–stuffs such as meats, cheeses and vegetable produce to mingle with local chefs. This is an opportunity for these two groups to interact in an informal setting and learn about what each other needs and has to offer.

  Chefs come out of their kitchens and farmers out of their fields to talk shop. Established organic growers offer advice to newer producers. Chefs discover what farmers have planned for the coming year, and farmers learn about the needs of chefs. Seeds for a strong edible community are sewn and nourished.