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Announcing Chefs for Farm to
Table
Fundraising Event!
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Greetings, Locavores!
On Saturday, November 6th, Augustine Grille (located in Sawgrass Marriott)
will be hosting this extraordinary meal!
We have six chefs on board for this amazing event--- all donating
their time as well as the purchase of local foods directly from our
area farmers! This event will help to fund an incredible NEW
Children's Gardening Program as well as Slow Food's school garden
grants! We are so fortunate that gardening with children is in
high demand in our area and becoming more important all the time!
We have many schools & organizations contact us for
opportunities to expose their children to gardening activities --
we just need some help from the community in order to make this
Program the very best it can be, through creating the ideal
gardening space for learning and dedicated Educational
Coordinator! Please read about this event and pass it on to any
friends, family & organizations who you think may be
interested!
The meal will consists of five courses prepared by five of our
area's finest chefs, plus hors d' oeuvres and delicious organic
wines paired with each course. Each course will be created with
ingredients grown by our local farmers, highlighting the change in
seasons as we move into winter... our season of abundance. The
farmers will join us for this intimate gathering, so that we have
the opportunity to meet them personally and learn more about their
farming experience in north Florida. In addition, there will also
be a silent auction if you wish to participate and
try to win some of the wonderful and creative items we have to
offer you! These include a month of free yoga, gift certificates
for local restaurants, a Green Market gift basket, a case of
locally made hot sauce, hand-made children's aprons, hotel &
spa packages and much more!
The chefs include:
- David Scalise
of Augustine Grille: Chef David purchases from
many small farms to create his incredible dishes, including our
beloved Twinn Bridges. He also sources from local fishermen and
seeks to support sustainability in both agriculture & seafood
in his purchases. Since Chef David Scalise has joined Augustine
Grille, they have made a name for themselves in the local food
scene, earning the Slow Food Snail of Approval!
- Ted
Peters from One Ocean: Executive Chef Ted Peters
has achieved a distinguished career working at some of the finest
restaurants in Europe and the United States. He has brought his
culinary expertise to One Ocean™ Resort Hotel & Spa in
Atlantic Beach, where he creates an intuitive dining experience for
his guests that explores the North Florida region and offers
innovative, well-balanced and flavorful choices. With 17 years of
experience in the fine dining industry, Chef Peters is a
gourmet-cuisine veteran of international repute. He has made a name
for himself hosting renowned wine festivals, appearing on
distinguished committees and judging panels, as well as immersing
himself in local charities.
- Herman Muller
of Ponte Vedra Inn & Club: "Growing up in
Karnten, a small town in the mountains of Austria not far from the
Italian border, Hermann Muller was exposed to good food young.
Both his mother and father cooked well. "In Europe, everybody was a
good cook," Muller said. But the food he was eating wasn't fine
cuisine. It was "good home cooking," lots of pasta and vegetables
grown in the family garden." Since then, he has traveled the world
cooking, and has landed in Ponte Vedra to share his talent with all
of us!
- Scotty
Schwartz of 29 South Eats: If you haven't check
out this Fernandina Restaurant, you are missing out! 29 South is
dedicated to local food, partnering with several local farms for
everything from pork to veggies, to jams & honey. They also
have a sizeable garden on-site at the restaurant providing organic
fruits and vegetables for the menu. Chef Schwartz has a long list
of culinary accomplishments, including Folio Magazine's 2007 Best
Chef Jacksonville, Florida. The previous year Folio Magazine
awarded 29 South Best New Restaurant Jacksonville. Currently, Chef
Schwartz serves on the International Advisory Board for the Florida
WineFest as Culinary Chairman.
- Thomas
Tolxdorf of The Ritz Carlton: "The Ritz Carlton on
Amelia Island has something no other Hotel has anywhere in the
world. I am talking about the fine dining restaurant known as SALT,
The Grill, at the Ritz Carlton. This restaurant is a
AAA Five Diamond award winning restaurant.The restaurant "Salt" is
the brain child of Executive Chef Thomas Tolxdorf and his associate
Jeff Dziak, Executive Assistant Manager of Food and Beverage. With
the Ritz Carlton brand moving in the direction of outsourcing their
fine dining restaurants to celebrity chefs, these two geniuses came
up with this original "Salt" concept. What a winner! Salt has
pushed this resort into a very special "destination required".
- David Bearl
of The Southeast Institute of Culinary Arts: 2010
American Academy of Chefs Fellow; Chef David is the coordinator of
this accredited program which is part of the American Culinary
Foundation.
This is sure to be an incredible meal & night to remember!
Please keep reading to learn more about the projects this
fundraiser supports!
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BLFN's
Children's Gardening Program
We believe that getting children in
the garden is one of the most important things we can do, both for
them and for ourselves. Kids are much more enthusiastic about
eating fresh, healthy foods when they pull them right out of the
ground... I've seen it over and over again! They also have the
opportunity to learn about life cycles of plants and insects, how a
seed can produce food, and how hard work is rewarded when you
harvest the fruits of your labor. In addition, some may find a
lifelong joy and fulfillment from gardening, much like many people
I know who started at a young age. We also need a future
generation of people who will be growing our food in a responsible
manner... enjoying living the farm life and protecting the soils
and waters that sustain us.
BLFN's *NEW* Children's Gardening Program will begin by revamping
a 2,000 foot section of our current Organic Community Garden in
Neptune Beach... creating a sensory garden, raised vegetable garden
beds, herbs, flowers, and a shade structure where activities can
take place. This Garden will have an Educational Coordinator who
will create bi-monthly activities at the Garden which will be FREE
and OPEN to all children from the community! They can harvest
berries and make smoothies with a hand-crank blender, plant seeds
by the seasons, learn to smell and taste different herbs and make
medicinal salves and sachets with them, create art projects with
nature, learn about beneficial insects and how to identify them,
and so much more!
While we have the vision,
knowledge and motivation, we can't do it without the financial
support of the community! Please come out and enjoy the Farm to
Table dinner with us and help to create the Children's Garden in
our neighborhood! Click here to learn
more.
Slow Food First
Coast
As many of you may know, Slow
Food First Coast is an incredible organization that helps to raise
awareness about local food & local farmers in our area. It is
a chapter of the International Slow Food organization: "Slow Food
is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that
was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the
disappearance of local food traditions and people's dwindling
interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes
and how our food choices affect the rest of the world."
A portion of the proceeds from the Farm to Table event will
benefit the Slow Food First Coast School Garden Grants program,
with a goal of establishing a school garden in every elementary
school in St. Johns County. For more information, visit www.slowfoodfirstcoast.com.
Augustine
Grille
"Elegant farm
to table cuisine, where Executive Chef, David Scalise and Chef de
Cuisine Brett Smith use the finest ingredients sourced from local
fishermen, farmers and artisans who excel in their
craft."
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Event
Details
When: Saturday, November 6th
Where: Augustine Grille, Sawgrass Marriott
Cost: $150 per person
How: You can make a reservation weekly at the Green Market or call
Gretchen at (904) 270-0273.
LIMITED SEATING!! Get your tickets today!!
Event Details
also located on our website here.
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Don't miss out on this incredible event!
Please pass this along to your friends and neighbors who may be
interested.
Sincerely,
Gretchen Ferrell
Beaches Local Food Network |
www.BeachesLocalFoodNetwork.org
1166 3rd Ave. North
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250
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