In November 2022, Slow Food East Bay shut down a street in West Berkeley and held a sprawling Bean Feed complete with six chefs, three wineries, two aligned nonprofits, one farm and a copious number of bean-centric fun and games.
We’ve had an incredible year-long Plant a Seed campaign filled with planting, growing and eating beans — now it’s time to celebrate them together around a table! Our chapters are teaming up with chefs in their regions and are getting creative with how to celebrate and share the stories of the beans from the 2022 Plant A Seed kit in so many inspiring ways, from sit-down dinners to bean street fairs to bean soup fundraisers and more.
I am a PhD student researching beans, and I truly think beans are the perfect food. I have yet to meet a food that can check so many boxes: support thriving local food systems, advance sustainability goals and environmental health, culturally relevant to cuisines around the globe, incredibly versatile in the kitchen, delicious, and — of course — nutritious.
