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.

2008 Press Releases

April 20, 2008
NEW ANALYSIS OF AT-RISK FOODS IN NORTH AMERICA
The Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) Alliance announces the first continent-wide analysis of at-risk food species and varieties in North America. More than 1,000 unique seeds, breeds, fruits, nuts, fish and game are currently threatened or endangered across the continent. The RAFT Alliance has not only identified which foods are vulnerable, but is calling for the restoration of regional food networks, farms, wildlands and waters to prevent such extinctions.  

2007 Press Releases

November 19, 2007
SLOW FOOD NOMINATES YOUNG VICE PRESIDENT
An international delegation of youth attended Slow Food’s International Congress in Puebla Mexico and presented a six-point proposal that establishes opportunities for leadership by, investment in, and engagement of youth in the Slow Food movement and organization. Their presentation was met with enthusiasm by Slow Food leaders, culminating in the nomination of 20 year-old Kenyan student John Kariuki Mwangi as one of three International Vice Presidents of Slow Food.

November 2, 2007
YOUTH FOOD MOVEMENT
New York City, NY: In order to highlight the work being accomplished by youth around the country, and to inspire international Slow Food leaders to bring these models for youth engagement back to their home countries, Slow Food USA and Slow Food International are sponsoring a delegation of Youth Food Movement representatives to attend the Slow Food Leaders Congress in Mexico this coming week.

August 30, 2007
THE SLOW FOOD USA ARK OF TASTE SETS SAIL ON THE WISCONSIN STATE CAPITOL STEPS
On September 15th, 2007, rare American heirloom fruit, vegetables and livestock such as the Native Wisconsin Cranberry, the Mississippi Cotton Patch Goose, the Florida Wilson Popenoe Avocado and the Inland Empire Old-Grove Navel Orange from California will be welcomed onto the Slow Food USA Ark of Taste.

August 10, 2007
SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT BECKONS AMERICA’S YOUTH
Slow Food USA is pleased to announce the expansion of their Slow Food membership chapters to college and university campuses across the country.  In response to demand from college aged students eager to get involved in the national conversation about food and the environment, Slow Food USA and its program Slow Food in Schools, will bring together a diverse group of students who are passionate about food and sustainability issues.  

July 20, 2007
ARK TO DOCK IN BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA
Slow Food USA to Board Bison onto the ‘Ark of Taste’ Next Week -- Erika Lesser, executive director of Slow Food USA, is expected to make the formal announcement of the bison addition to the Ark of Taste when she addresses the International Bison Conference in Rapid City,
South Dakota.

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.

2004-2005 Press Release Archive

2001-2003 Press Release Archive

Slow Food in the Press Archive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Pam Sommers
(212) 387-3465
psommers@rizzoliusa.com

SLOW FOOD REVOLUTION
Carlo Petrini in Conversation with Gigi Padovani

Translated by Francesca Santovetti
 
“Taste buds are neither conservative nor liberal, and, though it may be impossible to change the world, one should at least be able to change the menu.”

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.  Defined by principles of environmental sustainability, economic equality, social justice, and, of course, high quality and taste, the Slow Food movement represents both gastronomic and political ideals, and in doing so, it addresses cultural trends of international relevance.

A sign of “progress” in post-war Europe, and most especially in America, was the encroaching industrialization of food production.  As the ability developed to ship foods efficiently from formerly unimaginable distances, and to package them for extended shelf life, we exchanged flavor, the gift of food enjoyed in its own season, and genuine nutrition for misguided convenience, and efficiency.   In Slow Food Revolution Carlo Petrini collaborates with Gigi Padovani, to trace the birth, growth, and purpose of this movement to protect and encourage all that is genuine in our culinary heritage.  Starting in the 1980s Petrini was dismayed by this reduction of integrity all the way up the food chain from farm, to vendor, to cook, to table.  He spoke and protested and rallied like-minded friends until his cause achieved enough momentum to be considered a genuine movement, with the ability to arrest and reverse this trend.  Today the Slow Food Movement is active in 50 countries and has a worldwide membership of over 80,000.

The Slow Food Movement not only focuses on a slower, more natural and organic lifestyle that complements nature, but also works to preserve endangered culinary traditions, conserve natural biodiversity, and protect agricultural practices threatened in this age of mass consumerism. The book takes the reader on a gastronomic journey through the practices and traditions of the world's ethnic cuisines, from the artisanal cheeses of Italy, to the oysters of Cape May, and the native American turkey.  Slow Food Revolution includes testimonies from members like Alice Waters, illustrating exactly what Slow Food is doing, and what still needs to be done.

Slow Food Revolution describes for the uninitiated the Movement’s determination to celebrate and protect sustainable agriculture, “real” food, and the individual cultures that gave birth to our culinary patrimony.  This attention to food is not the gourmet-driven pursuit of a culinary elite, but a grass-roots movement to save that which is most precious to us all—the unassailable pleasure of food grown with respect for the earth, and for the people who grow and eat it.

About the Authors: Carlo Petrini is the founder and driving force of Slow Food.  He was recently included in Time Magazine’s list of “European Heroes” as a great innovator.  Gigi Padovani is a regular contributor to La Stampa, one of Italy’s leading daily newspapers.  He is also the author of Nutella: An Italian Myth.

Excerpts from this book are available to accompany your coverage.  To arrange, please contact Pam Sommers at 212 387 3465 or psommers@rizzoliusa.com.

Credit for excerpts from the book must read SLOW FOOD REVOLUTION by Carlo Petrini and Gigi Padovani, Rizzoli New York, 2006. 

SLOW FOOD REVOLUTION: A NEW CULTURE FOR EATING AND LIVING
By Carlo Petrini and Gigi Padovani, Translated by Francesca Santovetti

Hardcover 5.5” x 8.25” /  240 pages
$26.95 U.S.
Rizzoli New York
ISBN: 978-0-8478-2873-9
Release date: Fall 2006