LET US EAT LOCAL 2011

VIP Experience	Artisanal Purveyors
Just Food Honorees	Event Sponsors
Restaurants	Host Committee
Breweries and Vineyards	Hurricane Relief

VIP Experience

Join us at 6pm to enjoy an extra hour of tasting plus a very special VIP wine experience curated by Pascaline Lepeltier of Rouge Tomate. Lepeltier is an experienced and knowledgeable sommelier from France with many accolades including twice finalist of the Best French Sommelier Competition and the James Beard Rising Star NYC Award. With a special interest in local and organic wines, Lepeltier is a perfect fit for this event and Just Food is thrilled to have her on board. Included in the VIP wine experience: vintage wine tastings from Long Island and upstate vineyards, exclusive food pairings and a special talk by Lepeltier about how these local vintage wines are produced, stored and tasted. Click here to join Pascaline Lepeltier and purchase your event ticket.

To read more about Pascaline, click here.

Just Food Honorees

Honorary Chair: U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

I am thrilled to serve as Honorary Event Chair for Just Food's 2011 Let Us Eat Local. This unique organization connects rural and urban communities and provides them with the training and tools to create a thriving local food system. Working together with the support of Just Food, these communities build the health of New York State’s economy and citizens. Let Us Eat Local celebrates the farmers and community members working on the front lines to ensure the future of our family farms and to make fresh, healthy food accessible for all New Yorkers.

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I have made it my priority to support family- and veteran-owned farms and to improve food access in low income communities throughout New York State. I recently introduced legislation that creates a competitive grant program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will promote increased development and implementation of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Just Food is a pioneer in the CSA movement, having launched CSAs in more than 100 neighborhoods throughout New York City.

In addition to CSA, Just Food supports urban agriculture education, farmers’ market development, and farm-to-food pantry connections. Their programs inspire and empower individual New Yorkers to cook and eat seasonally and engage in making New York a healthier place to live and eat. These are efforts we should all support and joining us for Let Us Eat Local is a great start.

Enjoy!

Kirsten Gillibrand
United States Senator for New York

**Due to a scheduling conflict the Senator will not be able to join us in person at the event.

Lead Honoree: Joel Salatin, Author and Owner of Polyface Farm

You’ve read about him in Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and seen him in the Academy award-nominated documentary Food, Inc. Now, join Just Food at Let Us Eat Local on September 21 as we welcome Joel Salatin to honor his work as a tireless promoter of local, sustainable food systems, a steward of the soil, and a prolific author. Salatin’s newest book, Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World (Center Street), will be released in October.

Read more here.

Farmer Honoree: Deb Kavakos, Stoneledge Farm

Deb farms with her family on Stoneledge Farm, a 200 acre, certified organic farm located in the foothills of theNorthern Catskills, Greene County, New York. Stoneledge Farm has been involved in Community Supported Agriculture since 1996. After participating in a meeting organized by Just Food to connect farmers and NYC residents, the farm partnered with community members on the Upper East Side to start the Carnegie Hill/ Yorkville CSA, one of the first CSA sites in New York City. Deb currently farms for 18 CSAs, including 9 in Manhattan and the Bronx. Over the past 16 years, she has worked closely with Just Food, providing advice and support which has helped to nurture the development of numerous other CSAs.

Community Leader: Classie Parker, Five Star Community Garden, Harlem

Classie Parker teaches canning workshops throughout the city and grows food in the 5 Star Garden in Central Harlem, a Manhattan Land Trust community garden. Her love of canning and her unique and engaging teaching techniques have garnered a national fan base. Born and raised in Harlem, Classie comes from a long line of canners and has been canning since she was 5 years old. As one of Just Food’s most prolific City Farms Trainers, Classie has inspired thousands of New Yorkers to grow and can their own food.

McKinley Hightower-Beyah Honoree: Basilous Falconer, The Bronx Guild High School

As a young person devoted to growing food in the city, Basilous embodies the values of McKinley Hightower-Beyah. Basilous is a gardener and a leading participant in his school's City Chicken Project in the Bronx.

Restaurants

Breweries and Vineyards

Artisanal Purveyors

Event Sponsors

Host Committee

Hurricane Relief

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene, Just Food will direct a portion of the proceeds from Let Us Eat Local to hurricane relief efforts for area farmers. To learn more about the impacts of the storm and what you can do to help, visit Just Food's Hurricane Relief Page.