1. Snail of Approval Program

Slow Food USA’s Snail of Approval program provides recognition for restaurants, farms, ranches, fisheries, cafes, bars, food trucks, breweries, wineries, caterers, and food producers. Participating businesses receive international recognition through Slow Food network including signage for their location and a spot on a list of Snail of Approval-approved locations that demonstrate commitments based on evaluations in the areas of Sourcing, Environmental Impact, Cultural Connection, Community Involvement, Staff Support, and Business Values.

2. Cooks Alliance

Cooks Alliance program participants are chefs in the community. The program brings together chefs from across the nation who work to ensure restaurants represent food diversity, preserve local food cultures and traditions, and emphasize the importance of sustainable and ethical food production. Cooks Alliance chefs seek out opportunities to serve items from:
Slow Food Presidia – small-scale food productions that protect traditional and artisanal products that are at risk of disappearing
The Ark of Taste – a living catalog of delicious and distinctive foods facing extinction. By growing and sharing these foods, they are kept alive
Earth Markets – Slow Food-certified farmers markets where vetted local producers sell directly to consumers, ensuring the food you buy is genuinely good, clean, and fair
and Slow Food communities – local groups of people who share Slow Food values and unite around a specific objective, such as protecting and promoting traditional beekeeping practices

3. Plant a Seed Program

Plant a Seed is a FREE seed program that provides seeds for Ark of Taste ingredients. These seeds are available for school gardens, community gardens, and individual home gardens. Each kit includes seeds, seed markers, and information sheets about the varieties. This is great for anyone interested in food access, gardening, preserving and biodiversity. Ark of Taste varieties represent heritage and/or endangered foods.

What Your $60 Membership Includes

The $60 annual membership, just $5 per month, goes toward Slow Food USA. The local chapter does not receive any of this money, which is why your additional donations help so much. Slow Food USA uses the membership funds to support and grow the programs listed above, along with providing training and resources for local chapters like ours so that we can promote our own local programs.

Chapter members can attend two local chapter events each year at no charge. Any funds donated above $60 are returned to the local chapter. We can use those funds to cover expenses related to having a website, paying chefs and other presenters for their time, and to purchase resources for events and booths. Members receive other perks throughout the year.

While we are a local chapter of a national organization, this is OUR chapter and it is community-driven.

We are seeking people passionate about event planning, social media/communications, partnerships with local organizations, and people who want to lead specific program areas (gardening, restaurants, education, food justice).

This is collective work — not one person’s burden
We focus on shared passion — good, clean, and fair food for all
We have local autonomy — our members decide what matters most to our community
We connect to larger movements — we are part of something global while acting locally
We invite you to join us to shape this together.

We acknowledge that we do this work on the traditional homelands of the Kalapuyan people, whose deep knowledge of this land’s foods, plants, and ecosystems long precedes and informs our own efforts toward a sustainable food future. We honor their enduring connection to this land and recognize that meaningful food-related work of any kind must include Indigenous voices and leadership.