Over the last year of Slow Food Orlando Board meetings, we seem to have had a recurring discussion about how to recognize restaurants in our region that are supporting their patrons rights to good, clean and fair food. While we didn’t exactly want ourselves to mimic Zagat, we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel either. We needed a one-stop shop for anyone and everyone to find fresh, “Slow” restaurants. Well, finally another Slow Food Chapter did the leg work for us and they call it “Snail of Approval.” Through the Snail of Approval, an individual, business or organization may be nominated in the areas of restaurant/café, drinking establishment, purveyor/market, producer/artisan or other. The final decisions are made through the Slow Food board members who will be particular about whether or not a “Slow” process is involved, and whether or not the products or process belong to a particular tradition. Additionally, Slow Food board members will pay particular attention to quality, authenticity and sustainability.
Slow Food Orlando will be working on the Snail of Approval process in the coming months. Since the organization is volunteer-run and has minimal resources, due-diligence may not be done on every nomination submitted. Harmoni Market will be one of the first restaurants listed on the Snail of Approval. We hope that you will start to consider yourself a co-producer and begin encouraging many of your other favorite restaurants to begin relationships with many of our area farmers and artisan food producers.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
That is great! As a local member I would be interested in helping with this initiative. As a restaurant worker I would be interested to know if there is going to be a window decal or register/menu logo that will be distibuted and displayed with pride in order to raise awareness or slow food and the restaurants efforts.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
didn’t notice how old this post was until after I commented. any chance of resurecting this idea?