Written by Josie Reeve
Monday, November 20th marked the second year running that the team at Farm2Facts teamed up with Slow Food UW, celebrating the role that healthy, fulfilling food plays in everyone’s lives. The night was a celebration of community, togetherness, and of course, good food.
Slow Food UW is a student-led campus organization with the mission of “providing good, clean, and fair food for all members of the community”. The organization hosts two meals a week, family dinner night on Mondays, and Slow Food café on Wednesdays. Slow Food operates with a pay-what-you-can system, increasing food equity access for members of the campus community, as well as the larger Madison community. The majority of its food is sourced from local, sustainable farmers from around the state of Wisconsin. Slow Food relies on volunteers, consisting mainly of students, many of whom have been volunteering with the group for many years. This year’s collaboration was spearheaded by Bella Smith, a member of both the Farm2Facts team and Slow Food UW. She is currently a Slow Food family dinner night intern. In her own words, “Slow Food is a fantastic opportunity to get in the kitchen and connect with people you may not normally spend time with. The food itself is always delicious, but beyond that I really appreciate the values and message that Slow Food is putting forth, and the community that it has created, all over a shared love of good food.”
Family dinner night invites participants to slow down and enjoy; both the quality of a home cooked meal, but also the company of those around them. The Slow Food X Farm2Facts collaboration dinner featured Swedish meatballs and gravy, with lentil and turkey options, along with turnip au gratin and cranberry sauce. Dinner concluded with a generous slice of carrot cake.
Farm to Facts is incredibly excited about the ongoing opportunity to continue partnering with Slow Food UW, joining in recognizing the important work on food justice, both here on campus and around the state.
