This week I attended a terrific event at our local “Farm to Table” restaurant here in Roanoke.
place: Local Roots Restaurant in Roanoke
farms featured: Leaping Water Farm and Black Snake Meadery
why: Celebration of the the people who take time to make our food, and do it right.
Imagine if you will, a lovely bright and bricked room with wooden tables and pendent lights. Imagine the warmth of the large oven in the back, coupled with strangers and and neighbors gathering to learn about local food, bite by bite, sip by sip.
My husband and me went with two good friends, drank mead, ate local vegetables (me) and meats, prepared with intention, purpose and care. We savored and discussed each bite.
“Did you taste that squash?” “That ice cream is heaven..”
We smiled, we laughed, we stayed too long. We all commented about how proud we were to be part of a place that care about what mattered.
We also learned about a great local organization that would benefit financially from the event. Happy Health Cooks goes into Roanoke schools and teaches kid to cook, introduces them to food other than pizza, corn-dogs,etc., to teach them the value of healthy eating, of making good choices.
Do you see how these small, individual efforts are really life changing?
One farm rejects pesticides and hormones, and raises cattle, pigs and turkey the way they were raised 100 years ago.
One mother takes time to teach her children that their food choices matter, and takes the message to the schools to spread the news.
One couple learns to make an ancient drink from honey, as a tribute to our land and landscape.
All celebrated in one small building, in one small town, in one state. One meal, and yet, so much more I think.
And what a blessing it was to sit at one of those tables on Wednesday and partake.
