Slow Food of NNJ

[njduchess]

From time to time, I have posted about events being sponsored by the Northern New Jersey convivium of Slow Food. It occurred to me that perhaps there are many people who do not know about Slow Food, so I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about Slow Food in general and specifically what we are doing in Northern New Jersey.

The movement started in Italy in the late eighties, as a response to the infiltration of fast food outlets into that country. Carlo Petrini decided that people needed to slow down and appreciate the pleasures of the table. At the same time, local farmers and artisan food producers needed to be recognized and supported.

Today, Slow Food is an International Organization, and we are part of Slow Food USA. We are dedicated to spreading awareness and nurturing appreciation of slowing down to enjoy healthy, locally grown food by connecting New Jersey residents with earth-friendly farmers, chefs, and food makers. The goal of Slow Food NNJ is to develop school gardens in every town in northern NJ.

These are some of the events that we have coming up:

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 25th, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm, we are co-sponsoring an evening with Floyd Cardoz of Tabla at the Montclair Adult School. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $20.

May 19th is our major fund-raising event of the year and it will benefit the Greater Newark Conservancy. On Saturday afternoon from 1:00 – 4:00, we are hosting a Fine Food and Wine Tasting at the Van Vleck House in Montclair. We are bringing together chefs from top restaurants and artisan food producers specializing in cheese, bread, charcuterie, and chocolates. There is also a bounty of gift certificates and gift baskets mostly food-related that will be raffled off. Most of the participating restaurants and producers are listed on our website.

In months when we don’t have a special event featured, we host a drop-in dinner at a restaurant where we will work with the chef on a special Slow Food menu. These are educational, fun, and delicious.

We hope you will have an opportunity to visit our website and join us at an event.

Slow Food NNJ

[MJP]

I can vouch that Slow Food is a wonderful organization. My father was the head of the North Jersey convivium for a few years and I got to tag along on some of the events. If you guys ever go up to the Bobolink Dairy again, I'm definitely going along.

[njduchess]

Thanks for the kind words. We have been talking about planning a trip to Bobolink Dairy. It was done several years back, but it's definitely time to do it again.

By the way, Bobolink will be represented at our May 19th event.

Marie

[njduchess]

This past Wednesday night, Chef Floyd Cardoz of Tabla spoke at the Montclair Adult School in a joint event with Slow Food. Who knew he was an Essex County resident! He talked about finding a lot of his ingredients at Kings in Verona. Of course, he has access to so much more in New York City, but he does do some of his shopping locally.

His presentation included his own background and history along with an interesting discussion on spices and how they are readied for incorporation into dishes. He explained his philosphy about formulating his creations -- and he's quite opinionated (in a good way). A cooking demonstration included marinated hanger steak, tumeric mashed potatoes, and braised green. We were all treated to a tasting of these items that had been prepared ahead.

Chef Cardoz is currently promoting his first cook book, One Spice Two Spice, and copies were available for sale and he was available to sign them.

So sorry I don't have pictures, but I will definitely post some at our next event.

[Curlz]

Chef Cardoz's lecture/demo/tasting was one of the best I've been to at the Montclair Adult School. He was knowledgeable, funny, grounded, and more than happy to answer questions from the audience, including those about where he likes to eat/shop in the area. I took a few notes and will post those as soon as I put my hands on them. And the food was delicious, too! Best $20 I've spent on 'entertainment' in a while.

Tabla and Bread Bar have been high on my list for a while now, and this just sealed the deal for me; the next time I'm able to plan a meal in the city, that's where I'm headed!

[njduchess]

Curlz: We are so thrilled that you enjoyed session with Chef Cardoz. I have only dined at Tabla once and that was two years ago. Now that I know the man behind the restaurant and his philosophies, I will be back there for another visit in the next week or two. He was inspiring, for sure. I have to admit I've never been at any other Montclair Adult School classes as a point of comparison.

Slow Food has some other chef-guided educational events planned, and I will be sure to post about them in advance.

Marie

[coughy]

I was at Montclair High School also for an enjoyable evening with Floyd Cardoz. I found him to be funny and entertaining and most certainly not full of himself as other big name chefs are known to be. I look forward to other events - keep us posted.

robin

[njduchess]

The Slow Food NNJ team is working on the final touches for our Fine Food and Wine Tasting for May 19th to benefit the Greater Newark Conservancy School Garden Program. These are some of our own New Jersey artisan food providers who will be there: D’Artagnan, Bobolink, Donna & Company (chocolates), and Gina’s Paneficio. Just a few of the many restaurants serving a signature dish are Fascino, the Grain House, Restaurant MC, Culiariane, Campania, Blu, Piquant Bread Bar and Grill, and Mezzogiorno. Gary’s Wine will be providing the wines, and about half of them will be sustainable and organic. There is also going to be a raffle where lots of restaurant gift certificates will be offered, including Grammercy Tavern, Stone Barns at Blue Hill and the restaurants featured at the event. More information is here. Fine Food and Wine Tasting

The next event coming up is a Trip to Viking Village at Barnaget Light on June 9th. They are one of the largest suppliers of fish and seafood on the Eastern Seaboard. We are going to tour the fishery and learn the history of fishing in New Jersey. In addition to being able to purchase the fresh catch, we are going to enjoy a lunch of scallops, prepared several ways. We tried to make this trip last year, and it was planned for a full moon that mixed with a Nor-Easter. It had to be cancelled, but this year it’s planned for a weekend without a full moon. More information is on our website here. Viking Village Info

[paul jaouen]

I guess I missed this in April. I think Tabla is an incredibly good restaurant. The mix of Indian with new world cuisine in the upstairs dining room is superb. Chef Cardoz does a wonderful job of pairing dishes with wine. Corkage is a reasonable $15. They also have a good and reasonably priced wine list.

[njduchess]

Carlo Petrini, Slow Food founder, will be in New Jersey next week. On Thursday, May 17th, he will be at Princeton University. At 6:30 pm, he will be doing a book signing of his new book: Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, and Fair. At 7:30, he will present a lecture. It will be held in the McGosh Auditorium 50. It is located on Washington Road between Prospect Avenue and Williams Street. Parking will be available in lots 10 or 10A on William Street. No RSVP is necessary. If you are planning to attend, try to get there early. They have reserved a second auditorium where overflow guests can view the lecture in simulcast. There is no charge for this event.

If you are in Manhattan and can't make it to Princeton, he will also be a the American Museum of Natural History - Le Frak Theater on Tuesday, May 15th, at 7:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased through the Museum and there is a charge of $15 for non-members and $12 for Slow Food members. Refer to Event SLOW FOOD NATION.

[njduchess]

Just want to remind everyone about Carlo Petrini's local appearances this week in Princeton and NYC. For those of us in the Northeast, where we can try to eat good, clean and fair food year round, we are coming into the season where we can add local to that list. He is sure to be inspiring.

In regard to Saturday's Fine Food and Wine Tasting event, with the orders that came in over the weekend, we are pretty sure we'll be sold out or close to it by week's end. If you'd like to come, you can get a ticket here: Click

Marie

[njduchess]

Today is our Fine Food and Wine Tasting. If you're attending, please stop and say hello. I'll probably be at the raffle table for most of the event.

Marie

[njduchess]

This is a reminder to those who are thinking about joining us for our Viking Village (fishing village) Tour and Lunch on Saturday, June 9th, at Barnegat Light. The deadline for reservations and mailing of your check is next Friday, June 1st. More information is here: Slow Food

The Fine Food and Wine Tasting last Saturday was a great success. The restaurant offerings were incredible as were the wines poured. Pictures will be posted on our website soon, and I will advise when they are up.

Marie

[njduchess]

Slow Food of NNJ is sponsoring a Tomato Day at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown this Sunday, August 12th, from 1:00 to 4:00. This free event will feature cooking demonstrations by three chefs: Judy Mancini will offer cooking-with-children recipes, Joseph Cerniglia of Campania will feature Sicilian tomato dishes, and David Felton of the Pluckemin Inn will demonstrate tomato canning. In addition, educational walks, talks, and crafts are offered. It should be a fun day and here is where you can find more details: Tomato Day

Hope to see you there. Marie

[Josefinajoisey]

Can't wait. I'm a new member and I'm looking forward to getting some pointers on improving my tomato crop as well as what to do with my bounty! See you then

[njduchess]

Slow Food of NNJ has a full season of food-related events planned for the first half of 2008. As they come up, I will keep you updated.

Our first event is particularly for all of the Moms who are concerned about the food being served in their children's school cafeterias. We are holding a screening of "Two Angry Moms" at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 53 East Hanover Avenue, Morristown on Thursday, January 17th at 7:00 p.m. This is a documentary that asks the question: What happens when two "fed up" moms try to change the school lunch program. Amy Kalafa, the film's creator and producer will be there to lead a discussion following the screening. We're also serving healthy snacks.

Ticket information here: Two Angry Moms

[njduchess]

Slow Food is hosting a Savory and Sweet Chocolate Dinner at the Church Street Cafe in Montclair on Saturday, February 23rd. It is an interesting menu planned around this special ingredient. Here is a link to the menu and more information.

Savory and Sweet Chocolate Dinner

We have also joined forces with Terra Tea Salon, to host a Book Club. The upcoming session will be our third. The book choice is Slow Food Nation and the discussion will be at the Terra Tea Salon in Montclair on Saturday night, March 29th, at 7:00 pm. If you would like to participate, please e-mail us at slowfoodnnj@yahoo.com.

Take it slow.

Marie

[njduchess]

I haven't posted about our events for a while, and I apologize for that. Our Italian Wine Education series is coming up at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum beginning on November 14th.

Our wine tastings will be hosted by Gary Tonucci, our Italian Wine specialist. The first session will feature wines to pair with the Thanksgiving meal. We also will be tasting cheeses from Bobolink. A book discussion will be led by Peter Conway on Passion on the Vine by Sergio Esposito.

The next two will feature Italian sweet and sparkling wines and Italian super whites.

For more information about these events click here: Wine Series

We have an event in January: Local Harvest: Farms, Food, Family. I will post more information as we get closer to the event.

Edited October 25, 2008 by njduchess (log)

[Curlz]

Thanks for the alert, Duchess! The classes look great.