Big Night: movie showing benefits Slow Food Indy

When: Friday, Feb 10, 2012
Time: TBD
Where:SoHo Cafe: 620 S Rangeline Carmel IN (map)

SoHo Café and Slow Food Indy invite you enjoy the renowned “foodie movie” Big Night.

SoHo Cafe has generously invited Slow Food Indy to be the recipient of their “community give back movie night program." That evening, 100% of each $1 per person admission will go to Slow Food Indy!

Big Night is about the goods: good food, good music, good story.

This 1996 film was written and directed by Stanley Tucci. Featured stars include StanleyTucci, Marc Anthony, Tony Shalhoub, Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini and Ian Holm along with a soundtrack of Louis Prima's greatest hits.

The story line: Primo and Secondo are two brothers who have emigrated from Italy to open an Italian restaurant in America. Primo is the irascible and gifted chef, brilliant in his culinary genius, but determined not to squander his talent on making the routine dishes that customers expect. Secondo is the smooth front-man, trying to keep the restaurant financially afloat, despite few patrons other than a poor artist who pays with his paintings. The owner of the nearby Pascal's restaurant, enormously successful (despite its mediocre fare), offers a solution - he will call his friend, a big-time jazz musician, to play a special benefit at their restaurant. Primo begins to prepare his masterpiece, a feast of a lifetime, for the brothers' big night…

SFI 2012 Annual Meeting: Brief Notes

About 100 folks gathered at the Wheeler Art Community in Fountain Square on Sunday, January 22, to share a potluck meal, elect three new members to the Slow Food Indy board, and to listen to a panel of local cooks, farmers, and community leaders discuss the future of local food in central Indiana. Panel members included:

Neal Brown of Pizzology & Libertine
Matt Davis of KI Ecocenter
Greg Gunthorp of Gunthorp Farms
Dr. Lisa Harris of Wishard Health Services
Laura Henderson of Growing Places Indy
Tyler Herald of Patachou
David Robb of Heartland Farm

During the discussion, a recent report by Ken Meter was referenced frequently. Find links to various lengths of that report below:
Full Report: Hoosier Farmer? Emergent Food Systems in Indiana
Executive Summary: Hoosier Farmer?
Condensed Report: Hoosier Farmer?

At the end of the panel discussion, moderator Laura Henderson asked each speaker for a suggestion of one goal that Slow Food Indy should accomplish in the coming year.

Neal Brown & Tyler Herald suggested that urban agriculture become SFI's focus. Matt Davis echoed that refrain by urging the community to "get more in the dirt." Matt added, "People should know how to cultivate themselves." Greg Gunthorp urged SFI to create avenues for smaller scale producers to sell to larger institutions such as universities, citing the benefit of good, clean, and fair food for patrons of those institutions but also the need for regular demand and regular income as key to the success of local food producers. David Robb recommended that emphasis be brought to producer-only (not reseller) farmers markets as the key interface between producers and consumers (or "co-producers" as Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini likes to call us). Dr. Lisa Harris urged the SFI board to choose one measurable goal in line with SFI's mission and core values. "So that this time next year," Lisa continued, "we can measure our success."

Slow Food Indy's Annual Meeting: Sunday, Jan. 22, 2-4pm

What: Slow Food Indy Annual Meeting & Pitch-In
When: Sun, January 22, 2pm – 4pm
Where: Wheeler Arts Community (1035 Sanders Street in Historic Fountain Square)
What to bring: a dish to share and your own diningware (plates, cups, utensils, etc.)

Please join us again this year for the Slow Food Indy Annual Meeting and Pitch-In. As usual, we will eat together, elect new officers to the organization and hear a summary of the past year of Slow Food. Please bring a dish to share, as well as your own plates/cups/ute​nsils (some local sourcing is, of course, always appreciated).

In addition, we are excited to announce this year’s headlining event for the meeting:
Panel Discussion: Local Food in Central Indiana - Where do we go from here?

Local farmers, chefs, farmers market managers and food policy advocates will discuss the emergence of local food in Central Indianaand next steps that will advance the movement even further.

We hope to see you at the meeting this year. Please contact Tyler Henderson (tylerhenders@yahoo.com) with any questions.

SFI's Annual Father's Day Cookout: rescheduled for fall

Slow Food Indy's Father's Day Cookout is cancelled, but look for more details soon about another event this fall!

Grow SFI by Growing Your Garden: 25% of sales support SFI

Slow Food Indy is partnering with Nature's Crossroads for a fundraiser that pays in dollars and daikons, cents and celery.

When you buy seeds from
Nature's Crossroads through a SFI link,
25% of sales go to SFI.

Nature's Crossroads is dedicated to supporting organic gardeners in Indiana and surrounding states with the organic/Earth-friendly seeds, fertilizers and supplies that make sense for where we grow. They believe that gardening is a great way to improve the environment, beautify our homes, get some exercise, and play in the dirt while providing healthy food for our families. And they're working to increase the number of organic gardeners in our region through community partner programs, school fundraisers, and educational outreach.

Their list of locally grown seeds include vegetables and greens, fruits, herbs, flowers, and even specialty chili peppers, Asian varieties, and bulk seeds. Browse their 2011 catalog and be sure to purchase your seeds and supplies from a SFI link to Nature's Crossroads!