I had high hopes leaving Portland last Thursday to go down to San Francisco and volunteer at the first ever Slow Food Nation (SFN). I signed up a month ago when the Bread Bakers Guild collaborated with SFN to find professional bakers to help out at the weekend event. I was hopeful that I would have the opportunity to meet bakers from all around the nation and chat about bread as well as an opportunity to talk with people attending the convention about the movement of "good, clean, and fair." When I left the event I found myself wishing I had skipped volunteering to hit the music festival happening on the hill just above the event.
The way I saw Slow Food, with its motto being "good, clean, and fair" was as a movement to inform the world (rich and poor) about farming, buying local, and cooking healthy. What I found, it seemed, was a group of people who could afford not only the $65.00 admittance fee but also fees and ticket prices reaching upwards of $250.00 for benefit dinners. (I realize some of the more "pricey" dinners were fundraisers for Slow Food where the money goes for education and outreach but I didn't realize that fundraising was part of the event). Coming from the point of view of a volunteer, it was still quite expensive to fly out to CA, find accommodations, pay for food and transportation and then on top of these costs, each lecture, demo, and dinner was extra.
I had the idea that the SFN was a spin off of Slow Food Terra Madre. Located in Italy every other year this event brings together farmers and food artisans from all over the world "to give voice and visibility to the rural food producers who populate our world." This event in San Francisco, however, seemed to represent the glamor that California had to offer, celebrity chefs and all.
After much reflection and mixed feelings about the event, I am hoping that the message reached the people who could afford to attend and the essence of the message of building an American food system that is sustainable, just, healthy, and delicious, will "trickle down" and reach the masses.
If this is not the picture of perfection, I'm not quite sure what is. I spend entire mornings dreaming about espresso from the Cellar Door. I have NEVER in my WHOLE life had a coffee as good as the Cellar Door's coffee. The owner, Jeremy and his wife Andrea, roast their own beans and know (as far as I'm concerned) everything I ever wanted to know about coffee...and more. I have drank a lot of coffee from countless places as far reaching as New Zealand, France, and Hawaii and have really enjoyed some coffee, even loved some coffee....but this...this is in a league of it's own. Smooth, consistent, and perfect every time. If you live in Portland, OR or plan on visiting, I would highly recommend just stopping in on the corner of SE 11th and Harrison in an old pharmacy, simply decorated with great character. The music is never so loud you can't think and Jeremy welcomes you to stay as long as you want. I also feel quite spoiled because on my early bake days when I get off around 9am, I will bring him some hot fresh bagels and I get an Americano in trade. I have convinced him he is getting a great deal, but I think I really come out on top! Thank you Jeremy (and Andrea) for all the wonderful cups...we will see you next time!
Yesterday was a fairly busy day...I woke up a 4a.m. to bake two loaves of a chocolate sourdough cherry bread for the NW Chocolate Festival in which I was somewhat coerced into doing a chocolate bread baking demo by a man I met in San Francisco at the Slow Food Convention. Of course before I had to lecture to this group at Whole Foods I panicked thinking maybe I wasn't the baker I thought I was and why are these people showing up to listen to me speak?! Needless to say I survived and could answer all questions about bread except the differences in salts (even after suffering the The History of Salt, I couldn't muster up an answer). 
Just wanted to give you all a sneak preview into the next post which sums up my experience at Slow Food Nation involving just who came to "the table."
As far as I am concerned, there could be no better representation of the peak of summer as the heirloom tomato. These fanciful tomatoes grow in a multitude of varieties with names that will evoke a little giggle such as the Hillbilly and Green Zebra, or arouse your curiosity like the Cherokee Purple and the Mortgage Lifter. While some are quite enchanting with names like Jubilee, Mirabell, and Elfin.
I figure if we do it a third time it will be considered a pattern, however, if we have learned anything from our past two canning experiences it is to "cut the recipe in half and double the number of jars we are using," according to Dave. We had 16 pounds of cukes in all. According to the recipe it was eight pounds of cucumbers per three quarts of pickles. Just so you all don't think we are crazy, we picked double that for six quarts of pickles. Long story short, we have fourteen quarts of pickles...whole, halved, and speared. With pickling spices and without, with garlic and without, processing 15 minutes, processing 10 min. By eight o'clock last night, we decided a cucumber salad for dinner would be just fine.
arriving at the falls in one piece!
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