soul food
Posted by Lynsie Watkins Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:21:00 GMT
Two nights ago, Colin and I were fortunate enough to participate in a very special dinner. The dinner, hosted by PEC (Piedmont Environmental Council-the Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaigners) and prepared by Jonathan Hayward in his restaurant, Toliver House, was an exquisite event which drew quite the crowd of locally-minded folks. Every aspect of the four-course meal was local. From the meat to the cheese to the wine to the herbs to the whiskey-local, local, local. What better time of year to enjoy the amazing things that come from Earth and are so well-nurtured by our farmers and chefs.
We got the lucky job of bringing our very own ice cream, which I must say made me quite proud. Interspersed throughout each course were the farmers and winemaker, who would discuss the origins of the food on our plates, and the struggles and triumphs that mingle together when owning and operating a farm in Virginia. There’s nothing quite like shaking the hand of the farmer who hours before pulled the very beets out of the ground that you’re happily digesting.
When it came time to discuss our ice cream and serve it around to the 50 guests, I was feeling perfectly content surrounded by such like-minded individuals. Finally, I had a captive audience that had an innate understanding of what it is we’re creating at Perfect Flavor. They understood our struggles, and rejoiced in our triumphs. And then they ate the ice cream. All of it.
When I say I’m an artist, people ask me how I feel about my work being constantly created for the purpose of destruction. I don’t see it that way. We are what we eat, so I believe my art lives on long past its shelf-life.
Visit Erika Howsare’s C-Ville Weekly blog, "This Just In" to find out who exactly was there and to learn more about how to find this local food on your own, and how to become involved in PEC. Membership is an easy $25 and goes a long way. Look for more of these dinners to come!
http://www.c-ville.com/index