2006 - 2007 Press Releases

2004-2005 Press Release Archive

2001-2003 Press Releases

November 1, 2003
HERITAGE TURKEYS GROW IN CALIFORNIA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS!
In 2003, Slow Food has helped secure 10,000 orders for heritage turkeys including 2,000 in California.

November 1, 2003
HERITAGE TURKEYS RISE AGAIN!
Slow Food USA is working with 45 heritage breed farmers in 17 states to help sustain breeds of turkey such as the Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Jersey Buff, American Bronze and Blue Slate.

September 16, 2003
SLOW FOOD USA DESIGNATES OCTOBER, 2003 AS "AMERICAN FARMSTEAD CHEESE MONTH"
Slow Food USA is naming October 2003 as "American Farmstead Cheese Month." America's cheesemaking tradition is deeply rooted in our nation's farmsteads, where cheeses are born of the connection between the land, the animal, and the producer.

June 12, 2003
SLOW FOOD USA CONVIVIA LEADERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY MEET IN VERMONT
From May 30th to June 1st, 2003 delegates from 80 of Slow Food USA's 110 local chapters (convivia) met in Shelburne, Vermont at Shelburne Farms for the second National Leader Congress.

April 23, 2003
SLOW FOOD USA LAUNCHES THE AMERICAN RAW MILK FARMSTEAD CHEESE CONSORTIUM
Slow Food USA inaugurated the American Raw Milk Farmstead Cheese Consortium with a cheese tasting and evaluation at the French Culinary Institute in New York City on Saturday, April 12.

June 4, 2002
RECLAIMING A LEGACY
Slow Food USA is honored to announce Iroquois White Corn (also known as Tuscarora White Corn), an ancient heirloom corn grown by Iroquois Indians, as the newest food to board Ark USA.

AUGUST 1, 2002
SUMMER BOUNTY CELEBRATION
Slow Food U.S.A. and COPIA join together to present a very special summer celebration at COPIA on Sunday, August 25, 2002, from 10am to 5pm. A walk-around organic produce tasting in COPIA's South Garden, six exceptional tasting seminars, a selection of winning short films from the Slow Food Film Festival and more!

February 5, 2002
EVENT ADVISORY - Traditional New England Feast
Chef Jasper White, known for his culinary talents using traditional New England ingredients, will collaborate with Slow Food Boston, food historian Sandy Oliver and cookbook author/Maine home cook Karyl Bannister to assemble a 5-course New England feast February 5th, 2001 at his Summer Shack in Cambridge, MA

November 15, 2001
THE SNAIL PICKS UP THE PACE
Slow Food U.S.A. and Brooklyn Brewery together will donate more than $2,000 to the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children's Benefit Fund thanks to money raised at two recent events celebrating the diversity of U.S. food traditions: Cheese 2001 and America's Great Regional Breweries.

November 15, 2001
SLOW FOOD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHELSEA GREEN PUBLISHING
Slow Food is proud to announce an agreement with Chelsea Green Publishing, an independent publisher that specializes in "books for sustainable living". Chelsea Green will become Slow Food's publishing partner in North America.

November 15, 2001
SLOW FOOD U.S.A. MOVES TO NEW OFFICES AT THE FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE
On October 15th, Slow Food U.S.A. moved into new, beautiful offices on the French Culinary Institute campus in downtown New York City. The days of walking to the post office each morning are over!

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.

November 1, 2003

HERITAGE TURKEYS RISE AGAIN!

Slow Food USA is working with 45 heritage breed farmers in 17 states to help sustain breeds of turkey such as the Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Jersey Buff, American Bronze and Blue Slate. Of the 400 million turkeys consumed each year in the US, all except 10,000 are one variety: the Broad Breasted White. These birds are overbred for white breast meat and have lost the ability to run, fly and breed naturally. Many are unhealthy and never see natural sunlight and have their beaks shaved off so that they don't injure one another in their cramped and stressed environments.

In 2003, Slow Food has helped secure 10,000 orders for heritage turkeys. This is a doubling of 2002 sales. This growth of population is crucial not only because maintaining genetic diversity within any species is crucial to a secure and sustainable food supply but also because these birds are infinitely better tasting than their industrial cousins.

Slow Food USA's work in 2003 follows two years of efforts to save heritage breeds. In 2002, less than 5,000 heritage turkey breeder birds were left in the United States. Working with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Slow Food USA boarded four heritage breeds onto its Ark of Taste, a project dedicated to saving foods in danger of extinction. This step was followed by more than a year's work with hatcheries, farmers and Slow Food members. The end result was a doubling of the heritage turkey population in the US and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy upgrading the Bourbon Red breed from Rare Status to Watch Status on their census counts. Today, 44 farmers are selling turkeys locally and Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Ranch (gsrt@alltel.net) is sending 1,500 birds via the mail order department of Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan (www.zingermans.com) to consumers without a heritage turkey supply near them.

Numerous restaurants and markets around the country are helping support the heritage turkey cause including: Zingerman's Deli (MI), Great Chow (MN), D'Artagnan (NJ), Tre Piani (NJ), The Health Shoppe (NJ), Dean and Deluca (NY), City Bakery (NY), Ottamanelli's (NY), Grange Hall (NY), Primo (ME), Three Tomatoes (VT), Inn at Blackberry (TN), Southside Grill (TN), Harvest (WI), The Motley Cow (IA), Pastaworks (OR), Acme Chophouse (CA), Theo's Restaurant (CA), Chez Panisse (CA), Dean and Deluca (CA), JZ Cool (CA), Produce Express (CA), Angeli Caffe (CA), Berkeley Bowl (CA), Molly Stone's (CA), Campanile (CA) and Bristol Farms (CA).

For a full list of heritage turkey farmers, please contact the national office at the number below or log onto our website and read the latest issue of the Snail. Slow Food USA plans to organize projects to help save other Ark products in 2004. Recent boardings include the Elephant Heart Plum, the Crane Melon, the Marrowfat Bean, the American Buff Goose, the Pilgrim Goose and 129 varieties of native American apples from 25 states.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT: Slow Food USA National Office
PHONE: (212) 965-5640
EMAIL: info@slowfoodusa.org