LA’s finest chefs sign the Locally Grown Food Pledge

15 of LA’s finest chefs signed the Locally Grown Food Pledge as part of the 30th anniversary celebration. Chefs pledge to continue to buy local foods for use in their restaurants and when possible increase their local food orders. Chefs are getting local foods direct from farmers at LA’s farmers’ markets or through specialized distribution firms with local food lines.

 Cook like the pros…… buy from your local farmers’ market! 

Ben Ford signs the Locally Grown Food Pledge

The Los Angeles Locally Grown Good Food Pledge

We the undersigned support and encourage the use of Good Food: food that is healthy, affordable, and fairly and sustainably grown. Farmers’ Markets are an important source of Good Food and we are proud to be part of a county with the largest number of farmers’ markets in the country.

We recognize that food purchases have the power to reform the food system, sustain local family farmers and their employees, support sustainable farming practices, reward good environmental stewardship and increase access to fresh and healthy foods in the restaurant and food service environment.

By signing this pledge we declare our commitment to the growing Good Food movement and join with other concerned food consumers to provide lasting support for Good Food in our foodshed, which is from San Luis Obispo County to San Diego County and inland.

We will continue to buy and serve locally grown food in our restaurants and pledge to increase it as much as possible.

Name & Restaurant

Jaime Martin Del Campo               La Casita Mexicana

Ramiro Arvizu                                   La Casita Mexicana

Evan Kleinman                                  Angeli Caffe

Michael Cimarusti                           Providence

Nancy Silverton                               Mozza

Tara Thomas                                     Traxx

Mary Sue Milliken                           Border Grill & Ciudad

Kenneth Mc Caskill                         Engine Co. No. 28

Neal Fraser                                        Grace & BLD

Benjamin Ford                                 Ford’s Filling Station

Eric Greenspan                                The Foundry on Melrose

Paul Buchanan                                 Primal Alchemy Catering

Michael Poompan                          Renaissance Hotel-Long Beach

Eric Clkosky                                      Farmers’ Kitchen

Claud Beltran                                   Worldwide Produce & Noir Food and Wine

Schedule of Events

Tomorrow’s event has a full lineup of chefs, free food, free bags, great information and more. Don’t miss it!

10:00 – 10:30

Press Conference
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Councilwoman Jan Perry, Deputy Secretary of Trade Development Robert Tse, L.A. County Agricultural Commissioner Kurt Floren

ALL DAY: 10:00 – 2:00

Fruit & Vegetable Samples – Taste the Harvest Booth

Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese Salad – Worldwide Produce Booth

Exhibition of 20 Finalists from the Open Ideas Competition: Redesign Your
Farmers’ Market – GOOD / Architects’ Newspaper / UEPI Booth

Free bags dyed with fruits & veggies from ECOBAGS and Fresh Pressed – GOOD Booth

Afghan Food Samples – East & West Gourmet Afghan Food Booth

Nutrition & Diet Information – Ask a Dietitian Booth

Live Music and Entertainment

11:00 – 12:30

Chef Jeffrey Saad, Spice Smuggler
Chef demonstration — SEE-LA Booth

11:30

Salsa Tasting Contest — SEE-LA Booth

12:00-12:30

Erik Knutzen & Kelly Coyne, Homegrown Evolution
Self-irrigating planters demonstration — GOOD Booth

12:30-1:00

Sara Marie Paul, Ramirez Farm CSA
Community supported agriculture discussion — GOOD Booth

12:30 – 2:00

Chef Tara Thomas, Traxx Restaurant
Chef demonstration — SEE-LA Booth

1:00-1:30

Carrot Cake Cutting — SEE-LA Booth

Mike Blockstein, Public Matters & Sharlene Gozalians, Healthy Eating Active Communities
Stories of Where Do I Get My Five? videos, and MarketMakeovers.org — GOOD Booth

1:30-2:00

Tara Kolla, Silver Lake Farms
L.A. urban farmer, grower of flowers and loofahs — GOOD Booth

Press Conference Time Change – 10am

The press conference with Mayor Villaraigosa has changed, it will now begin at 10:00am.  Please plan accordingly and join us for a great celebration of the past, present, and future of L.A.’s beloved farmers’ markets.

3 Days and Counting!

What do Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilwoman Jan Perry, chef Evan Kleiman, food critic Jonathan Gold, L.A. County Ag Comissioner Kurt Floren, and you all have in common? A love of farmers’ markets, of course! Join them, and many many other food and market lovers on Thursday for 30 Years and Growing.

At 10:30 10:00 (new time!) Mayor Villaraigosa will honor the original organizers of L.A.’s first farmers’ markets at a press conference and announce the City’s plan to increase access to good food for all. Join us for this press conference and celebrate after with great food and free entertainment.

Can’t make it to Thursday’s event? Support you local farmers all year by shopping at a market near you. Eating fresh, tasty, and sustainably grown local foods is a choice you can make every single day to improve your health, the environment, and our regional economy. Learn more about the many reasons to eat locally here.

4 Days and Counting!

Tomorrow is the deadline for the Farmers’ Market design competition, send your submissions in ASAP to be considered. Winners will be announced on September 3rd and the top 3 designs will be printed in GOOD and The Architect’s Newspaper!

It’s not too late to enter the salsa contest.  Click here for full details and a contest entry form.

New chefs and guests are confirmed daily.  Check here for the most up to date list of who will be joining us to celebrate the rich history of farmers’ markets in LA!

Leave your car at home and join us at the event.  City Hall is a short walk from both Union Station and the Red Line’s Civic Center station, click here to plan your trip via public transportation.

More Exciting Announcements!

30 Years & Growing is next Thursday, September 3! We are busy putting together a fantastic day of programming including a press conference, entertainment, contests and most importantly, good food. Confirmed guests and activities include:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, delivering remarks at a 10:30am 10:00am (new time!) press conference
Councilmember Jan Perry
Robert Tse,  Deputy Secretary of Trade Development, California Dept. of Food and Agriculture
Kurt Floren, Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner

Vance Corum, and other organizers of LA’s first farmers’ markets, including 20 original farmers and organizers from the first Gardena market

Evan Kleiman, chef/owner of Angeli Caffe and host of the weekly radio show Good Food on KCRW, will serve as emcee for the event
Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic for the LA Weekly will announce the winner of the Redesign Your Farmers Market contest (there’s still time to enter, deadline is September 1!), and serve as a Salsa Contest judge
Nancy Silverton, chef/owner of Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and co-founder of La Brea Bakery
Jeffrey Saad, chef, Spice Smuggler, and runner up on The Next Food Network Star
Jaime Martin del Campo & Ramiro Arvisu, chefs/owners La Casita Mexicana
Mary Sue Milliken, chef/owner Border Grill and Ciudad
Susan Feniger, chef/owner Border Grill and Ciudad and Susan Feniger’s Street
Eric Lukosky, chef, The Farmers’ Kitchen
Claude Beltran, executive chef, Noir Cafe
Kenneth McCaskill, chef of Engine Company No. 28
Tara Thomas, chef, Traxx Restaurant
Neal and Amy Fraser, executive chef and director of operations, Grace
Michael Cimarusti, executive chef, Providence
Eric Greenspan, chef/owner, The Foundry on Melrose
Christine and Robert Moore, Little Flower Candy Co.
Ben Ford, executive chef/proprietor, Ford’s Filling Station

East & West Afghan Gourmet Foods
World Wide Produce

Urban farmers from many local programs like the Stanford Avalon Farmers in Watts, Crenshaw High School’s Eco Club, The Garden School Foundation, 24th Street Foundation, North Hollywood Farmers and more.

A Taste the Harvest booth sponsored by SEE-LA offering free samples of seasonal produce from heirloom tomatoes to stone fruit, including chef demos, to be announced.

A Salsa Contest sponsored by SEE-LA and the Arts District/Little Tokyo Farmers’ Market. View the contest rules, anyone can enter! Contest begins at 11:30am.

A booth sponsored by GOOD, The Architect’s Newspaper and edible LA focused on design solutions for local food including Erik Knutzen & Kelly Coyne, Homegrown Revolution; Sara Marie Paul, Ramirez Farm CSA; Mike Blockstein, Public Matters & Sharlene Gozalians, South L.A. Healthy Eating Active Communities (HEAC) Initiative; Tara Kolla, Silver Lake Farms; and an exhibition of finalists from the Redesign Your Farmers Market contest.

A booth sponsored by Farmlab

A timeline chronicling the history of farmers’ markets in Los Angeles and graphics designed by the 30 Years & Growing team: Joseph Prichard, Michelle Park and Manuel Garcia

Free produce bags from ECOBAGS printed by Fresh Pressed

Over 40 local farmers, prepared foods and fresh food vendors as well as local artisans

And it wouldn’t be a birthday without cake! We’ll celebrate 30 years with the cutting of a carrot cake, which means free carrot cake for all attendees.

Check back often as this list is updated frequently. And we’ll see you at City Hall on September 3!

Calling all Salsa Makers!

The 30 Years and Growing event festivities will include a salsa contest.  Start harvesting your tomatoes, chopping your onions, and finding the hottest locally grown peppers.

Salsa submissions are due on the day of the event.  Full contest details can be downloaded here.

Judges will include local officials, community members, and chefs.

Farmers’ Market Design Competition

As we celebrate about the past, present, and future of farmers’ markets in LA, the organizers of 30 Years and Growing invite you to submit a plan for how good design can improve upon the modern farmers’ market experience.

The contest deadline is September 1. Winners of the design competition will be announced at 30 Years and Growing, the top designs will be on display for all to see at the event.

For full contest details are online here.

This contest is brought to you by GOOD, The Architect’s Newspaper, The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College, and The Los Angeles Good Food Network.

30 Years and Growing Invitation

Celebrate 30 Years of Farmers’ Markets in Los Angeles – September 3rd

Join us for 30 Years and Growing, a celebration of the 30^th anniversary of Los Angeles’ first farmers’ market.

The Gardena market, which opened June 23, 1979, was the first of many great markets in Southern California. This milestone will be celebrated by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LA area community members on September 3, 2009.

When: September 3, 2009, 10am – 2pm.  Press conference at 10:30 10:00am (new time!).

Where: Lawn of City Hall, 1st and Spring St. Downtown Los Angeles (map)

What: 30^th Anniversary celebration with local foods marketplace, press conference, entertainment, salsa tasting contest, and more!

Keep checking back, this site is growing.