Stop and think for a minute about the food and drink in front of you today.  Chew and drink slowly, read the ingredients, think about how much time and energy has gone into the food that is finally reaching your mouth.  Even ten years ago, food was just a daily routine, a non entity for many of us.  Go to the store, buy your food, come home, prepare, eat and replay the next day.

Times have changed.  That plate of food in front of you has transformed into one of the most exciting and powerful ways to genuinely make a better world.  Human health, climate change, labor, protection of natural resources, community well being, land use, transportation and the list goes on...they are all intricately tied to your daily food and drink choices.  

As important, gaze upon and then TASTE that food again.  Pop that ripe tomato in your mouth, slice open that ripe avocado or savor that local beef..what a delightful human experience.  We live in one of the most naturally productive growing regions in the world and our access to ‘SOL - Sustainable, Organic, Local’ food is unparalleled.   If the taste and quality of our food was an indicator of wealth, we’d be filthy rich.

Two years ago, Alison Hensley and Heather Hartley, SOL Food co-founders, posed a beautiful vision for the SOL Food Festival to the LoaTree team.   No budget, no partners, no problem.  Now in year two, the Festival has grown.  We have more great food options, more incredible workshops and more opportunities for YOU to plug into a brighter food future.  The bottom line is, this festival is both an incredibly good time and a meaningful way to reconnect with your food.  

We have much to be thankful for and we should enjoy it together.  Everyone knows, the best place to hang at any party is the KITCHEN..well our KITCHEN is about a city block wide.  Thanks for the support...we’ll see you on Saturday!

-David

****

Check the complete festival guide here! Special thanks to the SB Independent.

The Workshops:  Want to learn how to can?  How to portion a whole chicken? How to fillet a fish? What about worms?  Backyard poultry?  Seed saving? Beekeeping? Beer Brewing? Edible Landscaping?  Food policy?  4 stages, over 30 workshops.

The Food: Pizza, tapas, ratatouille, handmade sodas, fresh juices, sopes, sliders and more.  We’ve literally paired local farmers with local chefs and caterers to bring you some of the tastiest SOL Food you’ve ever experienced.  Check the food line up here!

The Drink: The expanded beer and wine garden is a paradise for the discerning palate.  Beers include Firestone, Telegraph, The Brewhouse and Figueroa Mountain.  Wines include Alma Rosa, Martian, Carr and Buttonwood.  You can simply have a ‘taste’ or enjoy a whole glass.  Also, don’t forget about the workshops INSIDE the beer garden headlined by the talk “My Friend Beer” by Pete, The Brewhouse brewer.

The Kids: The Hungry Caterpillar inspired by Eric Carle has returned!  Special thanks to Rachel Gately for putting this together again as kids wander around the festival learning about food as they slowly turn into a butterfly.  Don’t forget about the farm animals, tractors, and a really fun play structure.

The Animals: Goats, chickens, turkeys, alpaca and a baby calf?  Come check it!

The Art: Come check out the Lexicon of Sustainability photo art exhibit at SOL Food.  Want to see an incredible photo illustration behind the buzz and meaning behind the ‘sustainable food movement.’ In all, over one hundred leaders in food and farming from across the country have contributed their valued experiences to this rapidly growing Lexicon of Sustainability.  These insights have been translated into large format “information art” photo collages.

Special thanks to the SBCC Center for Sustainability and Bamboo DNA for making this happen.

The Street: It’s closed...something to celebrate on its own.  The Farmer’s Market will be buzzing, grab your veggies/fruit, you can ‘check’ your veggie bag at the Wheelhouse in cold storage, then walk right over to the SOL Food Festival, right down the middle of Cota Street.  n
translated into large format “information art” photo collages
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS: Been logging those community service hours? Use those hours for this fun event?  Sign up here!  Most critical: Saturday 7am - 11am and 5pm - 8pm.

***The other good stuff.***

Register for Central Coast Bioneers Conference on Oct 14 - 16, San Luis Obispo:

The 2nd Annual Central Coast Bioneers conference is a neat opportunity to head to San Luis Obispo and get inspired to make about making a better world.  World class speakers, workshops and field trips.  Make a weekend out of it.

****

Van Jones: Green for All - The Next American Economy, Saturday, October 29th.   Having a national dialog about building a more sustainable, just economy right here in our town?  What is the green jobs plan for your region?  Let’s make the debate in this country about how to stimulate innovation to build the economy while  improving the planet. Benefits our peeps at Sustainable Vocations.  Let’s do this...

****

Save the Date: Our good friends at Horny Toad are throwing open the warehouse doors and offering 50 - 75% off everything.  Proceeds benefit the Orella Stewardship Institute and the Organic Soup Kitchen.  Get some!

****

Join us for a preview of Revenge of the Electric Car, Wednesday, October 5.

Did you watch the film "Who Killed the Electric Car," about the auto industry's backlash against California's electric car requirements and how GM crushed the EV1?  The film is a cult classic and inspired many of today's electric vehicle owner or future owners to pledget that their next car would be electric.On Wednesday, October 5, CEC and the Sustainability Project are bringing an exclusive preview of the sequel- "The Revenge of the Electric Car"to the gorgeous Marjorie Luke Theater, months before its theatrical debut.

Thursday (tonight!), Sept 29, Kick Off Party for Transparentsea at the Maritime Museum.  Finally...join our peeps at Transparentsea as they launch right up near our hood in Gaviota to paddle many miles to the south to raise awareness about the big beautiful creatures in our ocean.

Cheers to Good Food, Good friends and Good times..