Snail of Approval

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.

Local Farmers

One tenet that Slow Food Orlando prides itself on is our support of our local farmers and artisans…

Why is this so important?
This commitment extends far beyond just the ‘feel good’ aspect of knowing about your food sources. The option of buying your food locally benefits both your personal health as well as the health of the environment. Lets start with your personal health which includes eating foods that are picked fresh, that are not only delicious, but also contain the highest amount of nutrients. Don’t forget that plants were once living organisms, and once they are picked, they literally begin to die while losing their nutrient value within the first day after harvest. In terms of the health of the environment, you now lower your carbon footprint because less fossil-fuels are used in order to transport your food.

What about the economic benefits of buying your food locally?
According to BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies), roughly $0.45 out of every dollar stays in your local community. The ongoing support of local farmers creates demand for more food, allowing the farmers to keep their land and stay in business. Without the support for farmers, they go out of business, and that once arable land now becomes a new subdivision or business development.

How do you find local food?
Harmoni Market is a great advocate for buying locally sourced foods. Check out their new Local and Slow section within their market. When making a visit to your area farmer’s markets, be sure to ask the vendors if they are, in fact, farmers and what methods they use to grow their food. There are many distributors at our area markets who are buying product shipped from all over the place. Defining ‘local’ is very much a challenge because of the types of growing seasons and the varying climates throughout Florida. Slow Food Orlando has defined ‘local’ as the entire state, but we have a preference of purchasing food at a distance of roughly 50 miles from home.

We hope you will take the time to connect with your local farmers and artisans, and enjoy your bounty around the table with family and friends.

Taking the Time to Slow Down

Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, our world has continued to expand at a rapid pace.  Today, as our technology becomes evermore sophisticated, men and women are putting more hours in at work and less time connecting with other people. For many, it is utterly irrational to consider taking the time to patiently sit down at the table for a meal.  A normal day’s meals may look like a pastry and coffee during the morning drive, a processed lunch at the office desk, and maybe a run to the local fast-food restaurant for dinner.  When are we ever going to take the time to Slow down? 

Slow Food is a nod to the contrast with fast-food values.  Slow Food is a reference to living an unhurried life, which begins at the table.  Why do we work so hard anyway?  Shouldn’t we take the time to reconnect with our family and friends over the dinner table at the end of a hard day at work? Should we not appreciate the mere fact that we are able to even do so?

Slow Food Orlando is committed to providing education to the community about food sustainability coupled with providing access to pure, local food - for all.  Our programs include bringing Slow Food education into local schools, supporting local farmers markets that have been developed in areas that don’t have access to local food, and putting on events that showcase local farmers and food artisans.

We hope that you will take the time to join us at Slow Food Orlando, and begin to reconnect with your family and friends starting at the table.