Events Calendar
SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2010| FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST
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September 7th
Time For Lunch Campaign - National Day of ActionSupport Slow Food USA’s Time for Lunch campaign. While Slow Food Orange County does not have any events scheduled, our neighboring chapter in Los Angeles has many events planned. Please visit http://www.slowfoodla.com/archives/001062.html to find out more, and support our friends efforts in Los Angeles.
September 12th, 4:00 PM to 9 PM
Green Feast
San Juan CapistranoThis is a farm to table celebration of local food. This unique fundraising event will be held in The Ecology Center gardens in San Juan Capistrano, adjacent to one of Orange County's few organic farms, South Coast Farms. Local, organic items will be highlighted in a seven course meal prepared by our guest chef Richard Mead, of Orange County's renowned Sage Restaurants. Fresh caught seafood, seasonal vegetables, free range, grass fed meats, local seafood and organic/biodynamic wines will be served family-style in an al fresco setting in the fields. The local farmers of our dinner items will join us as guests and each will share a brief story of how each item journeyed to our table. While at the center, guests will also enjoy a tour of a working organic farm, exploring concepts in ecological agriculture and local food production.
For additional information and to purchase tickets
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October 17th
Second Annual Simultaneous SuppersEach of these meals will be prepared in a member’s home by a Slow Food member/chef team, each guest will be treated to a multi-course dinner, including wine. Each chef will follow the slow food principles and philosophy of good, clean and fair. Please consider which dinner you would be most like to take part and make your reservations soon as each dinner has a limited seating capacity.
Host Stacey Blaschke
Cost: $65 per person including wine, and is tax-deductible as a non-profit contribution.
6:00 PM in San Juan Capistrano (8 guests maximum)
Fig and Toasted Almonds Baked Brie, Fall Greens with Pomegranate and Walnuts, Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon, grass fed beef braised in red wine with bacon, onions and mushrooms served on a bed of egg noodles, Tarte Tatin (Upside Down Apple Cake) with Creme Fraiche.
Purchase tickets
Host Jen Ford (10 guests maximum)
6:30 PM in Huntington Beach
Fuyu Persimmon Salsa with Wild Smoked Salmon on Pumpernickel, Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Blue Cheese, Caldo Verde* with All-Natural Chicken or Soy Chorizo, and Pumpkin-Apple Harvest Cake. *Vegetarian option per request upon reservation.
Purchase tickets
Host Robyn Doan (6 guests maximum)
6:30 PM in Fountain Valley
Shrimp Rolls Duo, wild caught whole shrimp rolled in rice paper, and Crab Noodle Soup, fresh crab & herbs in rice vermicelli soup, Lemongrass Ribeye Skewers, skewered grass fed rib eye in lemongrass garlic, grilled and served with herbed basmati rice, Fall Pumpkin Crème Caramel made from scratch with locally farmed pumpkins.
SOLD OUT Purchase tickets
Host Roger McErlane (8 guests maximum)
Dinner at 6:00 p.m. in Laguna Beach
Selected cheeses, olives, and salami, Roasted Course Ground Polenta topped with Braised Wild Mushrooms, Butter Lettuce and Fennel salad with Lemon and Olive Oil dressing, Bouillabaisse Lobster, Crab, Fish, Clams in a light saffron tomato broth, served on Bed of Pasta, French bread, Apple Pie with Ice Cream.
SOLD OUT Purchase tickets
Host Thomas Ryan (12 guests maximum)
6:00 PM in Newport Coast
Salumi Plate with Olives and Crusty French Bread, Spicy Mustard, Roasted Pumpkin and Leek Ravioli Seared Diver Scallop, Truffle Sauce, Autumn Greens, Early Citrus, Dried Pears Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Champagne Vinaigrette, Braised Kobe Style Short Ribs, Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, and Chocolate Irish Car Bomb. Vegetarian option per request upon reservation.
SOLD OUT Purchase tickets
This event last year was sold out and drew wonderful reviews from our diners. This year we have enlarged our event to include five different locations, each with a unique and personal menu.Two of the participants this year are professional chefs and the other three are wonderful cooks. In addition, to epicurean food and discussion, the primary purpose is to raise funds to assist Slow Food OC in supporting Hart Community Homes, a foster care youth training program, at their Monkey Business Café project. Slow Food OC is in the process of building vegetable gardens that will serve as a source of organic herbs and produce at Monkey Business Café.
October 17, 10AM to 3PM
Fullerton Reads Book Festival
Fullerton Main Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave.The goal of "Fullerton Reads," said Maureen Gebelein, director of the Fullerton Public Library, is to "provide opportunities for people of all ages, cultures and ethnic backgrounds to come together to explore issues important to us all." The book selected to be the focal point of the "Fullerton Reads" program is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. The book tells the story of how Kingsolver’s family was changed by one year of eating only food produced either on their Southern Appalachian farm, or in the area. Capitalizing on the agrarian and conservation lifestyle championed in Kingsolver"s book, the Fullerton Reads Book Festival will feature programs about "Organic Food in Orange County," "Drought-Resistant Planting," "Saving the Planet with Your Fork," and more. A tour of drought-tolerant demonstration gardens planted at both Fullerton City Hall and the Fullerton Police Department will be included with the "Drought-Resistant Planting" program.
Slow Food Orange County will be hosting a table at this event and we are looking for volunteers. If you are interested, please email Outreach Chair Heather Stoltzfus at outreach@slowfoodoc.org.
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Pie Making Class
November 15th, 2PM to 5PM
Nothing says "the holidays" like homemade pie. Join Chrisi Hughey, pie enthusiast and blogger, at naughtypies.com, on November 15th and learn how to make the perfect pie crust. Workshop participants will work in teams of two. Each team will bake an artisanal, holiday pie, such as pumpkin, sweet potato, apple-cranberry or pear pies. While the pies bake, Chrisi will lead a taste test to demonstrate how the choice of fat, butter vs. shortening, affects the overall flavor and flakiness of the crust. Participants will leave the workshop with confidence ( I can make a pie crust!), recipes and pie.
Please bring a take-home container. Workshop is limited to 16 participants.
Location: Chapman University, Orange (address will be e-mailed to attendees after purchase of tickets)
Cost: $12 per person
Purchase tickets -
Tamale Making Class
December 5th, 2PM to 6PM
Learn how to make your own tamales! It’s easy, simple, and fun. Join Chef Robyn Doan, of True Natural Foods, for an amazing tamale making experience. Fill your tamales with homemade mole sauce, locally grown vegetables and cheeses, natural meats, and peppers in the most tender, soft masa wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves steamed to perfection. Stay and enjoy our fresh made tamales with drinks, all included, and go home with a bag of tamales. Proceeds from this event will benefit Monkey Business, a nonprofit organization that supports and teaches independent living skills for foster care young adult boys.
Location: Monkey Business Café, 301 E. Amerige, Fullerton
Cost: $45 per person
Purchase tickets -
General Membership Meeting and Potluck
January 10th at 4PMThe General Membership Meeting and Potluck will be held at the home of John and Lesley Cox
Address: 10462 Sierra Circle, Los Alamitos, CA 90720Volunteers needed for Monkey Business Café Kitchen Garden Project
January 9th, 16th and 23rd, 8AM to 3PMSlow Food OC and Monkey Business Café have enjoyed a long-standing relationship. From this relationship a vision has grown—a vision to design and build a kitchen garden that will allow the young men of Hart Community Homes to grow, harvest and prepare their own fresh produce and herbs for the Café.
SFOC member Fred Tarnay has completed the basic irrigation system. Now the actual improvements to the planting areas can begin! The work will involve construction of a fence and raised beds, placement of amended soil, extension of the drip irrigation system and planting.
Much of this work requires physical labor: digging, pouring concrete, sawing and bolting, shoveling and planting. Therefore, we are looking for volunteers who aren’t afraid to sweat, shovel and get their hands dirty. No gardening experience is necessary. This project provides an excellent opportunity for novice gardeners to learn how to build raised beds, prepare the soil and plant seeds. Most importantly, while you learn (or show off your honed skills), you give back to our local community.
The project will extend over the three Saturdays:
- Saturday, January 9 – Place 4 ft. high perimeter fence post in concrete footings.
- Saturday, January 16 – Construct six - 4 ft x 8 ft raised redwood planting boxes.
- Saturday, January 23 – Place amended/composted soil; plant and irrigate; complete the fence.
We need four to eight volunteers each weekend. If you are interested in joining us for any of these weekends please contact:
Steve Widmayer by phone at 714.838.6232 or by email at secretary@slowfoodoc.org -
Tortellini Workshop
Saturday, February 20, 4PM To 6:30PMThe hands on workshop will walk you through the process of making semolina pasta dough from scratch and then using it to make two Tortellini dishes, one with butternut squash filling served with sage and butter sauce and a second dish with spinach and cheese filling and served with a classic red sauce. We will serve the results produced by the class at a light meal including salad and wine.
Our teacher will be Maria Carrdore, a wonderful Italian woman, and a fantastic cook. Maria grew up in Italy and was cooking with her mom since she was a small girl. This is a opportunity to be taught by someone who learned authentic Italian cooking from her family.
Bring your pasta machine, if you have one, and a medium to large bowl. All other ingredients will be provided. We will set up ten two person teams and go through the process together. This will be an unforgettable experience, so sign up now as class is limited to a maximum of twenty people.
Location: The residence of Maren Pederson, 16691 Phelps Lane, Huntington Beach CA 92649
Cost: Slow food members $35, non-members $45
Purchase tickets -
Potluck and Guest Speaker Anuradha Prakash, Food Science Chair at Chapman University
March 7th 4 PMSpeaker Topic -Frankenfood: Dispelling Myths
Our potluck will feature a special guest speaker. In Slow Food circles, genetically modified foods are generally looked down upon — and often for good reason. Many of us are familiar with stories of corporations suing farmers over patented seeds and developing plants in order to sell the corresponding weed and pest deterrents. Is it possible that there could also be benefits to GMOs? Anuradha Prakash, Chair of the Food Science program at Chapman University, will explain the technology behind genetically modified food. Come discuss the opportunities and challenges, including environmental and sociopolitical considerations, that GM foods present.Please bring a potluck dish to share.
Location: The Monkey Business Cafe, Monkey Business Café, 301 E. Amerige, Fullerton
Rethinking School Lunches with Chef Ann Cooper
Saturday, March 13th 9AM - 10:30AM
Join us at this Slow Food O.C. sponsored event where special guest Chef Ann Copper will be speaking on Rethinking School Lunch. Chef Ann is a celebrated author, chef, educator, and enduring advocate for better food for all children. With childhood obesity at sky rocket rates in the United States, Chef Ann"s, also known as the Renegade Lunch Lady, mission is changing what we feed our children for lunch. "My life’s work is to transform how we feed our children in school each day, from highly processed to highly nourishing food — one school lunch at a time." As a well known advocate she has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, Newsweek , and Time Magazine and has appeared on NPR’s "Living on Earth", ABC’s Nightline, CNN, PBS’ To The Contrary and the CBS Morning Show and many other media outlets.For more details about Chef Ann visit her site at http://www.chefann.com
Location: Environmental Nature Center, 1601 16th St., Newport Beach, CA 92663 949-645-8489
Cost: Free
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Carlsbad Aquafarm Tour - Members Only Event
April 17th, 2PM to 4PMScallops have eyes. Blue ones. Offer a strand of kelp to an abalone, and it will grab it from your hand - reaching out from under its shell with its muscular foot. For those of us accustomed to seeing such creatures only on a dinner plate, the shellfish at the Carlsbad Aquafarm are very much alive.
Join Slow Food OC for a tour the Carlsbad Aquafarm located on the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon and discover the wonders of the lagoon. The 5-acre business has been sustainably raising oysters, mussels, abalone, brine shrimp and different species of algae since 1985. John Davis, Carlsbad Aquafarm’s owner, calls it a "living reef you go out there, you come out of the water and you’re alive with things." The aquafarm's products go nationwide to chefs, restaurants, and wholesalers; the aquafarm also raises seahorses, seaweed and octopuses for aquariums. After the tour, stay with us while Chef Thomas Ryan shucks oysters and prepares mussels for us to enjoy right from the farm – can’t get much fresher than that!Location: Carlsbad Aquafarm, 4600 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad 92008
Cost: $10 per person, price includes tour from 2-3 p.m. and shellfish tasting prepared by Chef Thomas Ryan from 3-4 p.m.
Purchase Tickets
Deadline to buy tickets: April 3rdSlow Food OC Booth at Green Scene Plant and Garden Show
April 17th-18thVisit us in Fullerton at the Green Scene Plant and Garden Show on Saturday and Sunday April 17-18th at the Fullerton Arboretum
For more info: http://www.aboretum.fullerton.edu -
Cheesemaking Part Deux: GOATS!
May 15th Noon-5PMJoin Slow Food Orange County for our second annual cheesemaking class. The theme for 2010 is GOATS! Heather Stoltzfus will lead us in techniques for making two goat's milk cheeses: both a simple chevre as well as feta for the more advanced cheesemaker. In addition, members Pam Thomson and Kevin Razban will provide artisanal goat cheese samples and wine pairings. Last year's class, featured on the front page of the OC Register Food Section, sold out very quickly so don't wait to get your tickets! Ticket on-sale date will be announced through the SFOC newsletter.
Sponsored by Whole Foods Market.Location: TBA
Cost: $75 per person
Maximum: 20 people
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Second Annual Slow Food BBQ, Bommer Canyon, Irvine
June 26thSlow Food Orange County will hold its second annual BBQ in Bommer Canyon, in the City of Irvine, at One Bommer Canyon Road. The BBQ is an event for the whole family and will focus on awareness of good, clean and fair food. Food will be prepared by Chef Thomas Ryan, Executive Chef of the Big Canyon Country Club, and volunteers. Additional events include a one-mile hike, a raffle and a guest speaker. Don't miss this event this year as last year this event sold out!
Estimated cost: $45
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