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Mission and Special Emphases

The Slow Food Movement began with a protest against the opening of a fast food restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome, which sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization. Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported international organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Slow Food Upstate based in Greenville, South Carolina, is a local convivium, part of the larger international Slow Food organization.

"Slow Food USA envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice-in essence, a food system that is good, clean and fair. We seek to catalyze a broad cultural shift away from the destructive effects of an industrial food system and fast life; toward the regenerative cultural, social and economic benefits of a sustainable food system, regional food traditions, the pleasures of the table and a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life."

Mission Statement, Slow Food USA

Slow Food Upstate is the local convivium of Slow Food USA.

Upstate South Carolina includes: Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Pickens, Cherokee, Oconee, Union, Laurens, Greenwood and Abbeville.

Under the general mission of Slow Food USA, we created a three-fold mission for Slow Food Upstate, with three special emphases areas.

Mission

1) Educational Outreach - Raising awareness of issues and practices related to "good, fair, and clean" food. Providing opportunities for the development of gustatory discernment (tasting good things, making good food choices). Providing practical support and information that empowers people to be responsible and enthusiastic co-producers of the food they consume.

2) Educational "Inreach" and Community Building for those already knowledgeable about and living a slow lifestyle and engaged with slow food production professionally or at home.

3) Convivium - Sharing (eating, cooking, etc.), honoring, celebrating and enjoying together the bounty of slow food.

Special Emphases:

1) Local traditions and production that are slow. By "local" we mean our immediate region (Upstate/Piedmont) but also our State and the south; however we give special pride-of-place to the Upstate. While we intend to honor traditions associated with the dominant historical culture, we also want to honor traditions of minority and immigrant cultures that are a part of our community.

2) Eating and the well-being of the person, environment , and community in the context of a slow lifestyle and outlook on life. While not promoting any one type of diet, we welcome those who follow a dietary program that fits with the Slow Food emphasis on "good, clean and fair" food. We want to encourage and model eating practices that balance health, justice and enjoyment.

3) Accessibility. Our programming should be available and affordable to those seriously interested in knowing about and practicing good, clean, and fair eating. We want to model honoring quality with a fair price in a culture that thinks cheaply about food. We also want to avoid the confusion of conspicuous consumption with good eating.

Membership

Membership is open to anyone. Join us today!
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

Welcome

Upcoming Events

Earth Day at the Children's Museum

Saturday, Apr 17 at 10:00 am

Farm Tour

Saturday, Jun 12, All day

News

A deliciously Slow dinner at High Cotton Restaurant in Greenville

Planned for November, 2010 with Ark of Taste products from Local Farms.

Slow Food Upstate is featured on One Cause, a web site that allows you to shop on line and your selected merchants will contribute a percentage of the sale to Slow Food Upstate. Go to www.onecause.com and become a member, then select Slow Food Upstate as your Cause to support. Add the One Cause browser tab to your computer and select your merchants through the One Cause web site. One Cause will then send Slow Food Upstate the contributions. You must however, access the merchant through the One Cause web site to participate.

These contributions will help further the Slow Food Upstate missions in our area.

Tuesday Local Farmers' Market

Check out the Tuesday Local Farmers’ Market, a weekly farmers’ market at Whole Foods Market in Greenville! Whether you’re on the way home from work, looking for some great veggies for dinner, or interested in showing your kids where their food is coming from, this is the place to be this season on Tuesday afternoons!

Featuring products from a dozen local Upstate growers and producers, the market takes place every Tuesday 3pm – 7pm in the parking lot of Whole Foods Market at 1140 Woodruff Rd (May - October). All sales go directly to the farmers and producers. Cash or check only. Rain or shine.

Participating farmers and producers include:

Bio-Way Farm, Ware Shoals, SC – Eleanor Crescenzi

Firstfruits Farm, Greenville, SC - Janice Woodard

Iszy’s Heirlooms, Liberty, SC – Jeff Isbell

Native Meats, Woodruff, SC – Rollie Knoke

Split Creek Farm, Anderson, SC – Evin Evans

Spurgeon Farms, Taylors, SC – Alton and Dodi Spurgeon

Tail Waggerz Canine Confections & Barkery, Greenville, SC – Cathleen Christie

Upstate Locally Grown, Honea Path, SC – Donna Putney

Billy's Boer Meat Goat Farm, Westminster, SC - Jim, Gaylene and Billy Carson

Booth with a Cause will feature a different local non-profit organization on the first Tuesday of each month.