Pallet to Palate celebrates origins of SLO County food

Annual event that runs through Aug. 18 is also a fundraiser for local Food Bank Coalition

Katy Budge ktbudge@sbcglobal.net.

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Many Central Coast chefs and residents already support local farmers, farmers markets and food producers, but the second annual Pallet to Palate hopes to ramp up that participation.

“The event is focused on what’s on our plates,” said The Manse on Marsh’s Executive Chef Robert Root, who launched Pallet to Palate last year when he was at The Inn at Morro Bay. This year it began Friday and will conclude Aug. 18.

Though only a one-day event in 2007, “it was a great way to highlight all the amazing local agriculture available in this county, and it was a huge hit,” Root said.

BUILDING A FARMER-TO-CONSUMER CONNECTION

How can you increase your support of local food producers? Chef Robert Root, founder of Pallet to Palate, offers these suggestions:

• Carry a list of farmers market locations and times with you, so when you are out and about you can visit markets in other parts of the county. Different markets often feature different farmers and producers.

• Try a different product each week from the market. If you’re unfamiliar with something, ask the farmers how they prepare it.

• Even if it’s only for a week or so, challenge yourself with only buying what’s at the farmers market — especially in the winter. You’ll learn what’s really fresh and in season.

• Host a potluck dinner party and have your guests bring something they’ve made from ingredients from their local farmers market.

• Ask the farmers what

restaurants they sell to, support those restaurants, and tell them why you’ve chosen to eat there.

• If your favorite restaurants don’t buy from local farmers, start requesting that they do; with enough inquiries they might start sourcing local ingredients, but at the very least it will get them thinking in that direction.

• Attend one or all of the Pallet to Palate events through Aug. 18.

— Katy Budge

TO LEARN MORE ...

Pallet to Palate is scheduled through Aug. 18. (The event began Friday.) The Farmer Chef Dinner Series lasts through Aug. 16, the lunch with Chef Ann Cooper is Aug. 17, the gala dinner is also on Aug. 17, and the farmers market reception is Aug. 18. For more information, including the list of restaurants participating in the Dinner Series, go to www.pallettopalate.com, or call Casey Moss at The Cliffs at 773-5000, ext. 618. (For more information on Chef Ann Cooper, visit www.lunchlessons.org.)

This year, “people really started jumping on board,” he explained, “and we’ve decided to grow it into something that can really make an impact, creating more outreach for our small farmers to both the community-at-large and chefs at local restaurants.”

Something for every palate

Indeed, this year’s Pallet to Palate bills itself as a Farmer-Chef Connection, and will feature several types of events.

These include a prix fixe “Farmer Chef Dinner Series” at 11 local restaurants, a conference featuring the “Renegade Lunch Lady” Chef Ann Cooper and a cooking demonstration/ lunch, a gala dinner at Marisol Restaurant, to an informal farmers market and reception with taste treats from local chefs and wine tasting.Net proceeds from all the

events will benefit the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County.

Networking opportunities

In addition to providing these activities for the general public, part of the mission statement of Pallet to Palate is to “introduce small farmers to local restaurants and help facilitate a working relationship that is mutually productive and financially rewarding,” Root said.

“It’s all really just down to earth,” he added. “It’s about getting food to people and to restaurants, about education, about the health benefits of fresh food, and about supporting our local communities and economies.”

Katy Budge is a freelance writer from Atascadero. If you have a favorite “Local Flavor” you’d like to see featured, e-mail your suggestions to ktbudge@sbcglobal.net.