The Fast Rise of Slow Food

First let’s start with what it is. An idea. A way of eating. A way of living.

It's global, yes, but very local, a grassroots movement that links the joy  of food with a commitment to community and the environment. And it seeks to regain the biodiversity of food that was once so common. Slow Food is all about this and more and it is growing at a not-so-slow pace.

Slow Food USA now boasts 200 chapters as more and more local communities work to strengthen the connection between the (local, seasonal and sustainably grown) food on our plates and the health of our planet.

Marlene Parrish, co-chair of Slow Food Pittsburgh (SFP) and food writer for the Post-Gazette,  likes to start with what Slow Food is not. “It’s not cooking slowly. And we are not a dinner club. We’re also not crock-pot cooking.” 

Her co-chair, Virginia Phillips, also a food writer, smiles in agreement. “We’re looking to support a food supply that is healthful for the planet, the people and the animals that live on it.  We want people that grow food to get a fair wage for their work.  And we want to support taste education.”

America, they say, has lost 93% of its food biodiversity in favor of homogenized food over the past 200 years. “Losing varieties makes you vulnerable,” says Phillips.  “But we can save varieties by eating them.  It’s happening all over the world.”  How?  Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste and Presidia programs identify high quality, traditional foods in danger of extinction and build partnerships with farmers, fishers, breeders and artisans to fund production as well as promote these foods in the marketplace.

Laptop Butchershop
Here in Pittsburgh, slow food advocates are particularly proud of a unique, locally-produced program, Laptop Butcher Shop, that is receiving national accolades from Slow Food USA.  Managed by SFP’s Susan Barclay, Laptop Butchershop helps SFP educate the general public to understand that meat – not just produce – is seasonal.  “If you use it all up from winter and spring, you have to wait for the animals to mature.  So you can’t get chicken ‘til June…they don’t peck around in the snow! People have to learn seasons with all local food,” advises Phillips.

Other Slow Food programs and events are held year-round, traditionally once a month, in both urban and rural settings around Pittsburgh.  Summer emphasizes farmers’ markets and all that is fresh and local; winter is dominated by restaurant events and a diverse array of tastings – from artisanal chocolate and fair trade coffee to extra virgin olive oils and local and regional bacon.

Signature Events
Naturally, sustainability and biodiversity are at the heart of the Slow Food Movement.  But for many, the notion of “restoring ceremony of the table” is equally important.  That’s why SFP signature events – which reinforce annual themes such as Sustainable Fish, Eating the Whole Animal, Eating Close to Home and Urban Agriculture – provide a distinctively delicious way to educate and inform the public.

Notable examples have included a summer Mammal Roast hosted by Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, Heritage Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner, Chefs-Only Sea Salt Tasting with Sashimi, Mushroom Foray and Feast of Seven Fishes with Lidia Bastianich (a strong Slow Food proponent who also sits on the national board).

Partnerships with local, regional and national organizations further extend SFP’s reach to audiences of all ages and interests. Slow Food in Schools, partners with Grow Pittsburgh to support projects related to urban agriculture, for example. Other SFP collaborators include: Pittsburgh Filmmakers, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Sierra Club, Carnegie Mellon Institute, Phipps Conservatory, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Sustainable Harvest and Farm to Table.

Several local restaurants have also been strong advocates of slow food which isn’t always easy since it takes  more effort to find suppliers. But many local chefs – and restaurant owners – willingly make the time to work with local farmers.  Sam Battista at Vivo held the first SFP event in 2001 and Big Burrito Executive Chef Bill Fuller is well-known for his active role in the movement.

Passport Café Executive Chef Shawn Carlson agrees. “One of (owner) Mark Matera’s goals was to support local farmers; he brought it to my attention.  I’m fortunate to be within 5 miles of several farms. So I don’t make a menu and go out [shopping].  I go out, see what’s available and make the menu.   This food is clean, healthy and simple.  Nature provided the beauty of its product, so my dishes may only have four or five ingredients.  Our customers recognize the difference.”

Quality, taste and aesthetics aside, these chefs go out of their way to support slow food because they also believe it’s the right thing to do.  “It’s the conscious choice to resist industrial agriculture and to seek the best quality you can find,” notes Trevett Hooper, chef and owner of Legume Bistro.  “In this country you’re really working upstream.  If you want to be close to the source of your food, it’s an uphill battle.  It’s ridiculous that I can get any cut of meat from Iowa to my door with one call.  But to get a beautiful organic chicken local…it’s harder to do that.  It’s backward!”

But Parrish and Phillips remain ever the optimists.  They’ve written about food for years and they see positive change.  “It will be great to put ourselves out of business,” says Phillips. “The food system is getting better and improving.”

“It will be interesting to see where we’ll be,” adds Parrish. “The young ones get the message right away.  They can see that it is as global as it is local…and as local as it is global.  They are really trying to improve things for everyone on the planet.”

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Captions, from the top:  Chef Shawn Carlson at Kaelin Farm Market; eggs, and beans, at Eichner's Farm in Wexford; Chef Bill Fuller and halibut at Casbah; Shawn Carlson

Photographs copyright Brian Cohen