InFARMation (and Beer!) this Wednesday - Restaurants Sourcing Locally (free event)

InFARMation (and Beer!) on Wednesday, May 12th: Restaurants Sourcing Locally Buying local foods and sourcing directly from farmers is as much a philosophical choice as it is an economic one for many of us, and chefs and food buyers face those same questions to an even larger degree. The struggle to balance cost, time spent, quality, ethics and values, and personal connections underscore the foundation of the relationship between Farmers and Chefs.  

For May's InFARMation (and Beer!), we will be hearing from a variety of speakers who can explain the many angles of local sourcing.  Guests include Deborah Kane of FoodHub, who will demonstrate how this online forum provides opportunities for producers and buyers to connect and that might solve some of the "time spent" problems with ordering.  Chef Sarah Curtis-Fawley of Pacific Pie Company will take the stage alongside two of her sources, Joe Schueller of Rainshadow El Rancho Bison Ranch and Friday of the Sellwood Garden Club Farm.  These folks can tell us firsthand what the barriers to buying and selling locally have been, and what the benefits are that keep their relationships alive and worth the trouble.  And reporter Leslie Cole of the Oregonian's FOODday will discuss what we as consumers who eat out should know and ask so that we can support the restaurants and chefs who are making the effort to source as locally and humanely as possible. We will also be treated to live music by The Sodbusters to help us celebrate our 5th birthday as a non-profit, and the event will run longer than usual to accommodate the festivities! 

This is the first month that InFARMations are on Wednesdays - please join us in Portland at  from 5:30-9:30 on May 12th.  More information can be found on our website. Hope you can join us, and please pass this invitation along to anyone you think might be interested!  As always, InFARMation (and Beer!) events are free and open to the public.

Michele Knaus Friends of Family Farmers  http://www.friendsoffamilyfarmers.org