2007 Press Releases

May 10, 2007
SAVE THE DATE! SLOW FOOD NATION 2008
On May 1 – 4, 2008, Slow Food USA will hold an unprecedented public event, Slow Food Nation, at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.

May 9 , 2007
SLOW FOOD SF'S GOLDEN GLASS EVENT COMING THIS JUNE
Top Italian indigenous & regional wines complemented by gastronomic delights from leading Bay Area restaurateurs and food producers

April 19 , 2007
Native Foods Celebration at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe
Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) and the Institute of
American Indian Arts (IAIA) are bringing together over two dozen farmers, ranchers, gatherers,
historians, cooks and food activists for a Native Food Producers’ Retreat at IAIA in Santa Fe, NM. To
complement this retreat, a free public celebration will be held on Sunday May 20 from 10:00am to
4:00pm on the IAIA campus.

2006 Press Releases

September 21, 2006
SLOW FOOD REVOLUTION: Carlo Petrini in Conversation with Gigi Padovani
Can food be political?  The question might seem frivolous, but to Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, and to the more than eighty thousand worldwide members of the movement, the question is vital, and the answer is yes, absolutely. 

September 8, 2006
Terra Madre 2006: October 26-30 in Turin, Italy
Largest International Gathering of Small-Scale Farmers and Food Producers, Including 500 from the U.S. Chefs and Universities Will Also Attend  

August 26, 2006
Slow Food USA holds its first Sustainable Seafood Gala
On September 25, 2006, Slow Food USA will hold its first Sustainable Seafood Gala at Agraria Restaurant in Washington, DC, to highlight the importance of responsible fishing practices, sustainable food systems and ocean conservation.

May 9, 2006
Ragya—Tibetan Plateau’s First Yak Cheese Export
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Trace Foundation announce the advent of Ragya Yak Cheese, a unique and aromatic creation from the high-altitude land of Tibet.

March 14, 2006
Slow Food's Terra Madre Katrina Relief Fund awards grants to 12 Gulf Region producers and restaurant owners in an effort to help rebuild the local food system
New Orleans, Crescent City Farmers Market, March 21st, 2006, 10am: Slow Food USA will distribute $30,000 to twelve local food producers and restaurant owners who have been heavily affected by Hurricane Katrina.

January 19, 2006
The Slow Food Guide to San Francisco
When people around the world think of the San Francisco Bay Area, they immediately think of delicious food. Its restaurants, farms, vineyards and specialty food producers are at the epicenter of cutting edge food in America.

2005 Press Releases

November 1, 2005
Slow Food USA releases 4th Annual State-by-State Guide to American Heritage Turkey Producers
4 Years Later, Slow Food USA Still Connecting Americans to High Quality, Locally-Grown Birds.

September 19, 2005
SLOW FOOD USA CELEBRATES REGIONAL / SUSTAINABLE / ARTISANAL FOODS
On October 2, 2005, Slow Food USA will hold Urban Harvest, its festive tribute to the farmers and food artisans who provide New York and the surrounding region with foods that are delicious, ecologically sustainable, and humanely produced.

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. 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.

2004 Press Releases

NOVEMBER 9, 2004
THE BETSY LYDON SLOW FOOD ARK USA AWARD GOES TO MICHAEL PHILLIPS, ORGANIC ORCHARDIST
In celebration of the life and work of Betsy Lydon, who devoted herself to sustaining small scale food producers by encouraging local, seasonal eating and an appreciation for diversified farming, the first annual "Betsy Lydon Slow Food Ark USA Award" is to be presented tonight at the Savoy Restaurant, to Michael Phillips, a farmer and author based in the Northern White Mountains of New Hampshire.

AUGUST 26, 2004
SLOW FOOD LAUNCHES TERRA MADRE: A WORLD MEETING OF FOOD COMMUNITIES
An alternative to the current industrial food production system exists: one where food quality and variety are valued, rural regions thrive, and links between producers and consumers are strong.

MAY 15, 2004
SLOW FOOD USA NAMES ERIKA LESSER AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Slow Food USA is pleased to name Erika Lesser as its new Executive Director, effective June 1st. Erika returns to the National Office in New York City with over four years of experience with Slow Food.

MAY, 2004
SLOW FOOD USA'S CRAWFISH BOIL SPONSORED BY MCILHENNY CO. AND TABASCO
Taste the terroir of Avery Island at the first ever Slow Food USA Crawfish Boil! This afternoon event will be the largest Slow Food USA fundraising event of the year.

2001-2003 Press Release Archive

Slow Food in the Press Archive

If you've got inquiries or would like to discuss story ideas, upcoming events, or the movement in general, please contact Kate Evanishyn at kate@slowfoodusa.org or 718.260.8000.

The Disappearing Gravenstein
Effort started to preserve Sebastopol's apple orchards

Friday, August 5, 2005
By TIM TESCONI
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Gravensteins are rolling out of Sebastopol orchards right on cue, but acreage continues to decline, with fewer of the spicy apples hitting markets this year.

The shrinking acreage is so alarming that one international food group fears the Gravenstein could become nearly extinct in Sonoma County. Even with an average Gravenstein crop this year, there remain fewer roadside apple stands in Sebastopol as orchards are converted to wine grapes or rural estates.

Slow Food USA, dedicated to preserving artisan foods, has put Gravensteins on its Arc of Flavor, pegging it for salvation along with other regional delicacies, such as the Delaware Bay oyster.

"The Gravenstein is not only a wonderful, flavorful apple, it has a long illustrious history in Sonoma County. It's part of our agricultural heritage and must be preserved," said Michael Dimock, a Santa Rosa-based agricultural consultant and leader in Slow Food USA.

During the past six decades, the county's Gravenstein orchards have declined by almost 7,000 acres, down to 960 acres, according to county crop reports.

The county's apple industry has been in sharp decline for 30 years. A worldwide glut of apples has pushed prices down, forcing apple farmers to either sell out for ranchettes or convert their land to vineyards.

Gravensteins are the first apples of the season to be harvested, giving them an advantage in the fresh fruit market. But the Gravenstein is a delicate apple that doesn't ship well and has a short shelf life, giving an edge to the ubiquitous Red Delicious from Washington state.

For more than a century, Gravensteins, known as the pride of Sebastopol, have been part of the town's landscape, economy and culture. The major road through Sebastopol is named Gravenstein Highway and there's a Gravenstein School. On Aug. 13 and 14, Sebastopol celebrates the hometown apple with the Gravenstein Apple Fair at Ragle Ranch Park.

In October, Dimock said, Slow Food USA will have a fund-raising event for the Gravenstein. The money will be used to develop a marketing program and tell the story of the Gravenstein, the favored apple of plant wizard Luther Burbank.

"The bottom line is to increase the market for Gravensteins so that Sebastopol's remaining apple growers stay in business or even expand production," Dimock said.

There are only a handful of growers left who pick and polish the red-and-green striped Gravenstein for the market. The surviving ranchers are driven more by the way of life than financial returns.

On Wednesday, Dave Hale, whose family started farming in Sebastopol in the 1880s, picked his first Gravensteins of the season, putting out the "open" sign at his red barn along Gravenstein Highway North.

Hale sells all of his fresh apples right off the farm or at farmers markets. That eliminates the middleman, so he can squeeze more profits from his apples and stay in a farming business he loves.

"It's survival. I enjoy many aspects of apple ranching, but the low return isn't one of them," said Hale, preparing a load of apples for the Marin Farmers Market.

At Hale's apple farm, a 40-pound lug of Gravensteins sells for $28 and a 10-pound box is $12.50. On Friday, Gravensteins were 79 cents a pound at Andy's Produce Market in Sebastopol.

Jolly Perkocha of Los Altos was among Hale's first customers, buying a lug of Gravensteins for her annual baking spree that includes pies, crisps and tarts. She said she might even make some applesauce.

"Gravensteins make the best homemade applesauce. It has a tang to it that no other apple can match," Perkocha said.

Depending on the location of the orchard, the yield in the aging Gravenstein orchards is either average or below average this season. Heavy rains during late spring hit when many apple trees were in bloom.

"The wet spring didn't do us any good. We're down a little bit in tonnage this year," Lee Walker said.

Walker and his family produce Gravensteins and two dozen other varieties on their 100-acre Sebastopol ranch on Upp Road, off Graton Road.

"Gravensteins have become a speciality item," Walker said. "People really love their flavor and drive for miles to get them."