Chattanooga Pulse

With spring weather returning to the Tennessee Valley, many people start thinking about food.  Growing food, selling food, and most especially eating food.  One of the growing local trends in the area is the “Slow Food Movement” that focuses on local agriculture and sustainability.  The Pulse takes a look at the movement (and some more lighthearted food thoughts) this week. Bon appetit!

The Art of Food

by Janis Hashe

Rome, 1986. McDonald’s has announced it is opening next to the Piazza di Spagna. This is the final straw for Carlo Petrini, who organizes a demonstration in which a huge crowd of people wave bowls of penne in protest. Out of this came his founding of the International Slow Food Movement, with its manifesto of “Good, clean and fair.”

Fast forward to Chattanooga, 2000. The Slow Food movement has devotees throughout the world, and is about to mobilize in the Scenic City. A group of restaurateurs, farmers, artisan food producers and others organized Slow Food Chattanooga, led by Tom Montague, now governor of the Southeast region of Slow Food USA.

Current chapter leader Trisha King came to the movement through her involvement with environmental issues, she says.  “I met Bill Keener from Sequatchie Cove Farm, and became very interested in locally grown food being incorporated into our school system,” she says.

“Slow Food is not some elite foodie thing. It’s not an evangelical thing, either. But it is about making the shift to a food system that supports farmers, minimizes the impact to the environment, and re-connects people with food.”

A number of local restaurant owners and chefs incorporate Slow Food principles into their menus, she says, using ingredients and foods bought seasonally from local producers. “212 Market also supports sending local delegates to the biannual Terra Madre conference in Torino, Italy, by sponsoring brunches that help raise the money for airfare,” she notes.

But what can the average, non-skilled-cook do to slow down, even just a little?

“Start small,” King advises. “See what you can buy locally. Find out what is in season. Shop the farmer’s markets at Greenlife and the Chattanooga Market.”

Those wanting to make a bigger commitment can investigate investing in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program (see “One Man’s Slow Food” sidebar). These are available from places such as Crabtree Farms, Williams Island, Signal Mountain Farm, and others, and provide members with locally grown produce weekly.

The local chapter also continues its work with local schools, sponsoring a pilot program at Normal Park, and hoping to reach into other schools soon. It also networks with community garden projects, such as the rapidly expanding one at the St. Andrews Center in Highland Park. “It’s not just about re-connecting people with food,” says King. “It’s about re-connecting communities with food.”

• For more information about the local Slow Food chapter, including events and potlucks that are open to the public, visit slowfoodusa.org and click on “local chapters.”