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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Erika Lesser, erika@slowfoodusa.org,
718.260.8000
Eleanor Bertino, eleanorpr@aol.com,
415.788.1953
FEBRUARY 22, 2005
ELEANOR BERTINO ELECTED TO SLOW FOOD USA'S
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Eleanor Bertino, noted publicist for many of the Bay Area's
finest food establishments, was elected to the Board of Slow
Food USA in January. Ms. Bertino began her food career as
a host at Chez Panisse in 1979. She is the principal of Eleanor
Bertino Public Relations, a San Francisco based firm representing
fine restaurants and artisan food producers, which she launched
in 1983. Her client list includes A16, Acme Chophouse, Frisson,
Jardinière, Mecca, E. Guittard Chocolate, MIJITA and
the Ferry Building Marketplace; and she also provides pro
bono services to many sustainable food organizations.
Ms. Bertino has been an active member of Slow Food's San
Francisco chapter for several years. In 2004, she organized
a special screening of the film, The Future of Food, at the
Castro Theater that sold out, attracting over 1,400 people,
and spawned several media stories about the film and the debate
surrounding genetically engineered food. She also attended
Terra Madre, Slow Food's recent gathering of 5,000 small food
producers from around the world held in Turin, Italy.
Bertino's seating will raise the size of the Board to 11
members from across the nation. "We are thrilled to have
Eleanor join the team. Her communication skills, vast network
of colleagues, and long-standing dedication to food quality,
and human and ecological health will be fully utilized and
appreciated," said Michael Dimock, Slow Food USA's Board
Chairman. Other members of the Board include Chris Carpenter,
Napa, CA; Peter De Garmo, Portland, OR; Lynn Eve Fortin, Albany,
CA; Kelly Gibson, Chicago, IL; Allen Katz, New York, NY; Corby
Kummer, Boston, MA; Carlo Petrini, Bra, Italy; Jeff Roberts,
Montpelier, VT; Alice Waters, Berkeley, CA. The Board meets
quarterly.
When asked prior to her election why she was willing to serve,
Bertino stated, "I have a deep commitment to Slow Food's
values and I would like to bring its message to the widest
number of people. My hope is that this country will further
awaken to the pleasures of the table and will become motivated
to fight to maintain those pleasures in a number of ways,
including supporting and honoring the small artisan food producers,
who NPR's Sylvia Poggioli so perfectly calls the 'caretakers
of the earth.'"
Slow Food USA is a nonprofit eco-gastronomic organization
that supports a biodiverse, sustainable food supply, local
producers, heritage foodways, and rediscovery of the pleasures
of the table. For nearly two decades, Slow Food has worked
tirelessly to celebrate and sustain the agricultural and culinary
traditions of people around the world. Slow Food USA has brought
this commitment to the US with these groundbreaking programs
supported by a network of 140 convivia (chapters) and 12,000
members:
- Ark of Taste and Presidia - dedicated to identifying and
revitalizing foods, farmers, and traditions that are at
risk of extinction
- Slow Food in Schools - a unique program of garden-to-table
projects in schools that cultivates the senses and teaches
an ecological approach to food
- Terra Madre - an international network of 5,000 food producers
from 130 countries, including over 500 producers from the
US, united by a common goal of global sustainability in
food
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