We are grateful for Register-Guard reporter Samantha Pierotti, who wrote a nice article about our group. The article is published in print and online at www.register-guard.com. Vanessa is a paid subscriber to the RG, and was able to paste the text of our part of the article here.
New foodie group comes to Eugene, plus hot food at Oakway Golf Course
A local food writer is reviving a group focused on the intersection between local producers, sustainability and your dinner table while an ambitious duo has brought food back to a kitchen mostly dormant for two decades. Slow Food South Willamette, a food group focused on sustainability and food justice in Southern Oregon, is soon to host its second meeting. Chapter founder Vanessa Salvia says the group focuses on connecting farms, customers, and chefs on a local scale so local folks are all buying, selling, and using the best ingredients they can.
Slow Food South Willamette
Vanessa Salvia was aware of the Slow Food Eugene chapter that was operating in the 2000s, though she never was a big part of it. But she remembers farm dinners and a community feeling, and always had the feeling that she admired the group’s ethics. Slow Food, an international organization that focuses on “good, clean and fair food for all” has over 70 chapters in the United States, and three in Oregon. After Slow Food Eugene stopped meeting, Salvia decided to start a new local chapter. Slow Food South Willamette was born. “The time felt right, and it felt like an important thing to do,” Salvia said. “And as soon as I started talking to people I got green lights, so it just seemed like a good time to get involved.”
The Slow Food movement started in 1986, when a McDonald’s opened near the Spanish Steps in Rome. A man named Carlo Petrini and other founders were dismayed by the celebration of homogenization and fast food culture in a place so rich in food history. Since then, the movement has focused on food advocacy, sustainability, and preserving food culture. These ideals are carried into local movements as well.
“Carlo Petrini’s action of protesting that McDonald’s led to a global movement as time went on,” Salvia said. “Over 200 countries have slow food chapters.”
Salvia reflects the ideals of Slow Food in her personal life. She has been writing freelance in Eugene since 1999, and a large chunk of her career has been focused on food and sustainability. She is also a certified Master Recycler and has worked with Eugene Area Gleaners and the OSU Extension Service to further her passion for food justice. In the future, Salvia wants to organize farm tours, tastings, and lessons for chapter members, and is looking forward to having fun and sharing food with other passionate foodies. “There are so many great producers here, and a Slow Food chapter would help shine a light on them,” she said. “It’s a way to celebrate food and engage with food justice with a global community in a way that would be harder to do individually.”
Slow Food South Willamette was accepted into Slow Food International on Feb. 1. The group will have a booth at the ReImagine Earth Day celebration on April 19. On May 17, the group will have its second informational potluck at Osteria DOP, and on May 23, the group will be hosting a fundraiser at Crow and Cart, where 50% of the proceeds will go toward their chapter. For more information, check them out online at slowfoodsouthwillamette.org/.