It was an incredibly delightful feeling to recognize many of the faces who walked past the registration table at this evening’s San Diego Urban Slow Food’s one year anniversary celebration at the Vela Restaurant (the Hilton Hotel in downtown San Diego). What was even more exciting was seeing how many of these familiar friendly faces came doting bags of nutrient dense non-perishables to donate to the evening’s SuperFood Drive. In just 3 hours we collected almost two full barrels of healthy foods. Beans, Grains, Nut butters and Canned fish galore!
There is a very special group of food-loving individuals in the urban San Diego community. Some may call them “foodies” and I am proud to be a part of this passionate group. These are people who care where the food they eat comes from; they care to meet the farmers, brewers, growers and distributers of the fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, eggs, dairy and meat they eat. These “foodies” delight over restaurant menus that boast locally grown produce and they swoon over the week’s freshest picks at the farmer’s market or in their CSA box. These people enjoy getting together with good food, good wine and good friends to celebrate the slow food movement of awareness and enjoyment of what we eat. What may sometimes go unnoticed is the fact this this group of intelligent, food-conscious individuals are also very generous when asked to give to others. I received countless words of encouragement and praise for SuperFood Drive’s efforts as well as many people who stated they would like to learn about additional ways they can help with the cause.
Cheers to all of the Slow Food Members who bring a community consciousness to accessibility of locally-produced, organic, healthy foods. And cheers to San Diego Urban Slow Food’s 1st year as an official chapter. May the years that come be as successful as 2009.