2015 Eat Local All Year Long! - Montgomery County

One evening while assisting in a class I noticed a  flyer on the news/information board in the classroom.

I contacted the person listed on the flyer, introduced myself and  asked if I could attend the event. The response was quick and an enthusiastic "yes". I would attend the event as an observer.

The day of the event I nervously entered the room. Chefs and growers sat at round tables chatting. I sat a nearby table observing. A student facilitator encouraged me to join a table and listen. The first group I joined was  represented primarily by growers. They grew apples, squash, berries (strawberries, blueberries), vegetables of all kinds. As a small grower the primary concern was finding buyers of the product.

The second table I joined was represented primarily by chefs. The chefs discussed the importance of  quality standards in the ingredients they selected for their restaurants. Small growers were encouraged to work with local produce delivery companies to move their products.

A couple of attendees asked about my background. When I disclosed I was blogger and talked about the access to food and participating in the SNAP Challenge (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) the chefs began to share more about their efforts to find fresh and local food for their clientele.  Several chefs and growers agreed to grant me interviews. They will appear in upcoming blog posts.

I followed the chefs and growers into the kitchen to watch them begin using local produce to create meals for everyone to eat. The owner of Comus Market, David,  shared  with me that he planned to prepare a kabocha squash stew for the group. He asked a student if he knew how to cut vegetables. The student replied that he didn't. I replied that I did, took my jacket off, and washed my hands. I assisted David with cutting kabocha squash, peppers, and other ingredients. One of the chefs I sat with earlier and walked by and asked, "you're a blogger and a cook? Wow!" The knife skills training at L'Academie de Cuisine was paying off !

Sadly, I had to depart before the meals were presented and consumed .The kitchen smelled fantastic, chefs were approachable and answered questions and worked together well. Want to see more pictures? Visit the Universities at Shady Grove page.

Many thanks to the Universities at Shady Grove, Chef Callahan, and the Students from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES) Hospitality and Tourism Management program for allowing me to attend the Chefs Summit.

The first recipe Challenge has been issued. Recipes are due 1 May 2015. I encourage you to participate.


Be well,
Technicolor girl

image created by Ink+ LLC