By Shari Littan

As New Yorkers savor their fading memories of summer, it's great to remember that quality ice cream can be a year-round treat. It seems that every truck and corner in the City offers the latest in high-end products; among this crowded field, the ice cream, sorbets, and toppings from Luca & Bosco offer especially unique and outstanding flavors. A taste of their artisanal goods makes any day a special occasion, regardless of season.

Catherine Oddenino and Ruthie Vishlitzky, founders and co-owners, created Luca & Bosco out of personal inspiration and experiment. As friends, they had ongoing conversations about the City's ice cream offerings. In their view, although New York has many ice cream vendors, the products are limited in flavor and style. Catherine especially missed the variety of inventive ice cream products routinely offered by artisans in California.

The team began testing ideas. They raised $14,000 through Kickstarter to purchase their first ice cream machine. They attended Penn State's "ice cream university" program. They brought their new products to a booth at the New Amsterdam market. While their competitors were still scooping, they sold out, reaching the bottom of their bins of Mint Chocolate Chip, Summer Corn, Goat Cheese Blueberry, and signature Drunk & Salty Caramel (now protected by US trademark). Offered at a comparable price to the competition, they saw their specialty products connect with customers.

In March 2013, when both women lost their full-time jobs, they turned the apparent hardship into an opportunity. Catherine had worked in digital media and Ruthie in city government. That week, they signed their first lease with the Hot Bread Kitchen (HBK) incubator project at La Marqueta in East Harlem. They named their business Luca & Bosco after their furry-faced companions — Luca, Catherine's white Maltese, and Bosco, Ruthie's chocolate lab. Through the connections made at HBK, they eventually secured their current retail spot at the front doors of the Essex Street Market at Delancy Street.

The flavor-forward taste makes their ice cream and sorbet unique. The key to their style is minimizing the heavy sweetness dominant in others' products — reducing sugar gives the subtilties of the other ingredients presence. Luca & Bosco carefully source ingredients, including fresh milk from Battenkill Farms in upstate New York. In addition, Catherine, who must avoid gluten, proudly notes that all of Luca & Bosco's products, including flavors with brownie chunks and cookies, are gluten-free. A taste of their ice cream doesn't melt away or leave a syrupy feel; it lingers like a great wine with a long finish.

Using this flavor style, the partners set out to create recipes that capture personal moments and experiences. For example, Catherine expresses her early food studies in Italy and France with flavors such as Honey Lavender, Rosemary Olive Oil, and Cinnamon Ricotta. The team developed a Gin & Juice sorbet to capture a boyfriend's favorite cocktail. As they've expanded, they've also had to develop crowd-pleasing classics, like Vanilla.

Luca & Bosco is now on its way. In Fall 2013 the team won the title of People's Favorite in Sam Adams' nationwide competition for entrepreneur food producers. In addition, the team is transitioning out of the HBK incubator to their own kitchen space — one of the most difficult obstacles for start-ups in New York. With its new facilities, Luca & Bosco hopes to entice chefs to include their specialty products on their menus. Eventually, they also hope to reach the grocery shelves.

For now, one must visit Luca & Bosco's shop on the revitalized lower east side. From their Mixed Berry Cheesecake to their Whisky Fudge Rebellion (yes, you can taste the buzz), it's worth the excursion. Their range of delicious products is a special pleasure that easliy pairs with special meals, holidays, or just a day out with family and friends.

Luca & Bosco
Essex Street Market
120 Essex Street (btn. Rivington & Delancey)
Lower East Side, Manhattan
LucaAndBosco.com

Shari Littan is a former Slow Food NYC board member and occasionally writes about sustainability and food issues.

Slow Food NYC works to create a food system that is good, clean and fair right here in New York City. Dig Inn Seasonal Market created this limited edition, farm-to-counter tote to celebrate our mutual commitment to real, good food. The tote is $15, and $10 from each tote will support the 2nd Annual Producer Summit, which brings together local farmers, chefs, and distributors to create a strategy to strengthen and expand the supply chain of sustainably-grown food to NYC restaurants.

You’ll find this tote on sale at each of Dig Inn's nine restaurants for the next month (or until we sell out.) Too busy to stop in? You can also purchase one by emailing us at contact@diginn.com.

Want to show us how you’re wearing your Dig Inn + SFNYC tote this fall? Dig Inn will be looking out on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

by Hillary Lindsay

What could be better than a triathlon of running, yoga, and eating to raise money for improvements in our local food system? Please join Slow Food NYC in Prospect Park on September 27th; check-in will open at 9:15 am with activities starting at 10:00.

Slow Food NYC's latest event will generate the funding for the 2nd Annual Producer Summit coming up November 2nd at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, New York. For this year's Producer Summit, representatives from all along the supply chain, including chefs, growers, buyers, and distributers, will gather together to breakdown the communication barrier that currently divides the food system.

Last year's Slow Food NYC Producer Summit was a success and a great step towards uniting these members of the supply chain. The face-to-face meetings across the food industry bred new relationship developments that began building a community with common goals and values.

The key takeaways from 2013 were:

• Enhancing alternative distribution and marketing
  –Buyers need more flexibility to work with diverse producers.
• Strengthening the local food system
  –Transparency throughout the entire supply chain is key.
• Two-way accountability and communication
  –Frequent and clear chef-producer dialogue is essential to a successful buyer-seller relationship.

This year will focus on scaling up and out. The goal is to strengthen and expand local food distribution for lasting change. However, such a significant industry shift will be slow and challenging. The workshops, panels, and structured networking will help foster connections between the participants of all scales in the supply chain to guide this movement forward.

SFNYC Producer Summit 2014 topics will include:

• Using Technology to Manage Food Waste
  -Learn how chefs and distributors can track and manage food waste from purchase to plate.
• Scalability in the Local Food Network
  -Sourcing responsibly from mid-to-larger sized producers, and how small growers can benefit from the economies of scale.
• Institutional Sales and Large Volume Accounts
  -Independent distributors and growers will learn from industry leaders on sourcing criteria, bidding, and cultivating relationships with large restaurant groups and institutions.
• The SFNYC Producer Matrix: Alternative Distribution
  -The SFNYC Producer Matrix vets local growers, fisheries, and distributors and helps match up chefs and growers. Learn from Matrix partners who consolidate local product to facilitate distribution and streamline sourcing.

For more information, please contact Sydney Schwarz: sydney@slowfoodnyc.org

"We've made such progress in access to and distribution of local food. The real question is, how do we keep building on this to create a more robust food economy?"
- Mary Cleaver (Chef, Entrepreneur)

"Food should have a face. Strong communication with restaurants about products enhances the experience of the food."
– Jeffrey Frank (Farmer, Liberty Gardens)

The Producer Summit offers amazing opportunities for the local food landscape, but none of this can happen without the generous community of volunteers and your support. So sign up for this fantastic triathlon during which participants will complete a 2.44 mile run around the upper loop of Prospect Park, partake in 25 minutes of yoga for foodies with yoga-instructor Lindsay Carson and then enjoy a convivial picnic provided by Snail of Approval restaurant Runner & Stone. Check-in will be near the Grand Army Plaza entrance to the park. Check in will begin at 9:15am, run will commence at 10:00am.

Tickets: $30
www.eventbrite.com/e/slow-food-nyc-triathlon-run-yoga-eat-tickets-12465720305

Event Info: slowfoodnyc.org/event/slow_food_nyc_triathlon_run_yoga_eat

Hillary Lindsay is a NYC resident with an anthropology degree who explores culture through food by engaging in work on farms, in restaurants, and in shops, as well as through blogging and social media. Check out her blog at fttdeconstructed.wordpress.com.

By Hillary Lindsay

Sunday, November 3rd, 2014, marked the Second Annual Slow Food NYC Producer Summit at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, NY. As the Slow Food NYC bus crossed over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, entering the Hudson Valley, we were greeted by the stunning hues of autumn illuminated by the morning sun peaking through wispy clouds. The picturesque scene embodied a pastoral perfection, setting the tone for the day. Soon, we arrived at Hawthorne Valley Farm, a 400-acre biodynamic farm with an education center structured around place-based learning and an impressive farm store, all making up a small, intimate village.

The summit brought together members from all along the supply chain to discuss:

• Scalability, distribution, and communication
• Connecting the supply chain
• Creating a community of shared values
• And breaking down barriers

In the Welcome Address, Anthony Fassio, Chair of Slow Food NYC, called the troops to action. The day was for finding solutions, not just talking about problems. "Action must happen now!" Fassio declared. Incremental action furthers the slow food movement — step by step — and a new step in the movement was taken recently when Slow Food NYC's Producer Matrix (slowfoodnyc.org/producer_matrix) partnered with FarmersWeb . The Producer Matrix connects Snail of Approval establishments with local farms, fostering partnerships and facilitating distribution, and is now includes a searchable list of all participants. After the call to action, the panel discussions began.

Scalability in the Local Food Network
This panel of farmers and distributers discussed shifting the practice of buying local from the exception to the norm. A change is needed in both marketing and the empowerment of farmer networks. Many consumers want what they want when they want it and most participants agreed that marketing and education is needed to shift people away from these attitude. Another challenge is in the communication of product availability and demand — consumers and buyers must gain flexibility due to seasonal planning and the flow of the farm. Also, as local farms scale-up, they must find the most cost effective volume and pricing as they balance wholesale orders, CSA's, and market sourcing.

Using Technology to Manage Food Waste
The next panel was concerned with the environmental, economic, and social benefits of reducing food waste as well as techniques for the industry to track, manage, and reduce this waste from "purchase to plate." As Tatiana Orlov of City Harvest stated, "We waste about a third of everything we produce in this country." This figure is even more shameful considering our national food insecurity and the lost potential of distributing edible waste.

Establishments must quantify their food process, tighten margins, and only order what is needed. Compost buckets provide an effective tool for visual education. LeanPath has created a customized digital tracking system for managing waste that both documents food waste and sends notifications to food pantries. "We manage what we measure,"Sofia Johnson of LeanPath stated. When examining trim waste, one can see what's being wasted and make adjustments. Perhaps a new menu item can be produced; for example, broccoli stem waste can be used to make a soup.

The idea of a "zero waste menu" was introduction during the Q&A section that had the room buzzing. The next goal will be to create a waste conscious culture, leading by the example of responsibility and accountability, and using an open dialogue to discuss the waste elephant in the room.

Institutional Sales and Large-Scale Accounts
Representatives from Chipotle, Dig Inn, and Culinary Innovation tackled the challenges of upholding standards at a large-scale in a highly financially driven system with unrealistic demands from clients, customers, and shareholders. A shift needs to happen in the purchasing departments with their pre-approved suppliers through a negotiation of the terms and a reimaging of the large-scale supply chain. Another shift needs to occur in the perception of food. People want local sustainable food, but they still want that perfect shiny apple and 100% bug free kale, yet both blemishes and bugs are natural. Dig Inn urges its customers to get used to it and embrace the nuanced world of food. These perception changes can be brought through marketing with farmer images and stories. Story-telling with transparency and honesty is a key part of Chipotle's new initiatives for the coming year. Getting through to unreasonable customers requires constant dialogue and feedback.

The Slow Food Producer Matrix: Alternative Distribution
The final panel discussed the realities of organizing an effective means of alleviating the pressures of distribution for local producers. Distribution logistics and mitigation calls for a "sweet spot of efficiency," as explained by Mark Jaffe of Fresh Connection, with the perfect truck load/time ratio considering routing, communication, and hidden costs, such as the very real threat of NYC parking tickets. Client understanding, shared collaboration, and joint infrastructure are required for successful distribution. Thus, these distributers aren't just looking for customers; they're looking for partners.

The overall takeaways were:

• The supply can't meet the currant demand, so the demand, expectations, and habits of the consumer must change through increased awareness, education initiatives, and marketing campaigns.
• There's much work to be done, yet there are many opportunities and many people willing to do the work. Passion is breading change and a gradual paradigm shift.
• The supply chain is incredibly nuanced and can't be viewed as a black and white system.
• A shared infrastructure of collaboration, understanding, and adaptability will help to build a more united community and sustainable culture.

To learn more, get involved with the producer matrix, or become a part of the Snail of Approval community email sydney@slowfoodnyc.org.

*Special thanks to the panelists, moderators, Hawthorne Valley Farm, sponsors, and especially to Sydney Schwartz for organizing and running the event.

Hillary Lindsay is a NYC resident with an anthropology degree who explores culture through food by engaging in work on farms, in restaurants, and in shops, as well as through blogging and social media. Check out her blog at fttdeconstructed.wordpress.com.

By Ed Yowell

One does not need an occasion to enjoy a special cocktail, but at our Slow Food NYC December Slur, we have one: we will be toasting Professor Jerry Thomas, considered by many grateful drinkers to be the father of American mixology, and The Pegu Club will be serving one of its signature seasonal libations, the Tom & Jerry, in his honor.

Jeremiah (Jerry) P. Thomas (1830 – December 15, 1885), literally, wrote the book on cocktails, The Bar-Tender's Guide (or The Bon-Vivant's Companion or How to Mix Drinks), published first in 1862. In it, he codified for posterity the recipes of our founding American cocktails. It was his authorship, and his itinerant mixing — planting the cocktail seed like Johnny Appleseed planted apple pips — around the country, from New Haven to St. Louis, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Charleston, and, finally, New York, and on a European tour, that earned him the sobriquet (no doubt occasionally slurred) "Professor."

The Professor's most famed saloon, opened in 1866, was a dive bar located in the basement of an elegant, classical, and still extant, brownstone building, located at 925 Broadway in Manhattan — alas, now a sober Restoration Hardware. It was here that Professor Thomas, with great showmanship and often juggling bottles and glasses, mixed Brandy Daisies, Fizzes, Flips, Sours, and his signature Blue Blazer, a libation dramatically prepared by lighting whiskey afire and passing it back and forth between two mixing glasses, creating a blue arc of flame.

The Professor, in addition to being a renowned bartender, was a well-dressed man-about-town and, reputedly, a "good sport." Towards the end of his life, he speculated and lost on Wall Street, causing him to lose his popular saloon. He passed on, a result of apoplexy, in 1885, at the age of 55. His death was marked across the United States by rightfully respectful obituaries. In the The New York Times, it was noted that the Professor was, "at one time better known to club men and men about town than any other bartender in this city, and he was very popular among all classes."

So, on Tuesday, December 16, 2014, from 7 pm to 9 pm, join some fellow "Slow" folks, and historically-minded drinkers, in a toast to commemorate the life, the liquid legacy, and the passing of a great New Yorker: the Father of American Mixology, Professor Jerry Thomas. We hope to see you there. Where? The Pegu Club, located upstairs at 77 West Houston Street, between Wooster St. and West Broadway, in Manhattan.

Event Info:The Manhattan Slur - The Pegu Club

Ed Yowell is a member of the Slow Food NYC Board of Directors and a Co-chair, with Martina Rossi Kenworthy, of the SFNYC Urban Harvest in Schools Program. Ed is also a member of the Greenmarket Farmer and Community Advisory Committee and a Co-chair of the Food Systems Network NYC.

By Ed Yowell

Fresh carrots, perfectly ripe strawberries, crisp salad greens from local, sustainable, family farmers at farmers markets, from CSAs, and in grocery stores. Are these the foods you like to buy, prepare, and enjoy with your family and friends? If you are reading this, I think I know the answer, "YES!"

Sustainable, small and mid-scale family farmers across the country have been innovating with new, creative approaches to get these kinds of fresh, healthy foods to people affordably, wherever they shop and eat, and – even better – do it using sustainable and organic growing practices. Innovations like direct marketing, aggregation, food hubs, multi-farm CSAs, and on-farm, value added processing are getting more good, clean, and fair food to more eaters than ever before!

But wait, there's a catch. Remember last year when we sounded the alarm about new food safety regulations being developed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)? And how the proposed new rules could make sustainable and organic agriculture, local food, and farm conservation collateral damage in the name of a safer food system?

The most significant incidences of foodborne illnesses, that are responsible for FSMA and the proposed new Produce Standards and Preventive Controls Rules, have been the result of industrial-scale food production and distribution, not the result of food produced and sold by small and mid-scale family farms. Responsible small and mid-scale, sustainable, family farmers support a safe food system and should have the protection of rules that are clear, consistent, and reflective of the scale and risk of their operations.

There is some good FSMA news and some bad FSMA news.

The good news is that the FDA received tens of thousands of comments from responsible farmers and concerned eaters (like you), and, to their credit, they took those comments seriously, re-drafting several key sections of the proposed FSMA rules.

The bad news is that, while the FDA did make some critical improvements, the improvements don't go far enough. They mean well, no doubt, but the FDA still doesn't quite get what it means to be a sustainable family farmer participating in a local farm and food economy.

As someone who cares about sustainable food and farms, we need your help to tell the FDA, Let a farm be a farm!

• Farms innovate. Don't let the rules squash farmers' innovative efforts in growing and selling local food. The rules need to ensure that local food and farms can grow and thrive.
• Farms work with nature. Don't let the rules undermine farmers' sustainability. The rules need to allow farmers to use sustainable farming practices.
• Farms deserve fair treatment. Don't let the rules raise costs for farmers, food businesses, and consumers by imposing unclear, inconsistent, and unfair rules. The rules need to provide options that treat family farms fairly without creating unnecessary, excessive costs.

There is no doubt, everyone has a role in ensuring that our food is safe – from the farmers who grow the food to the eaters who take the food home and prepare it. But, unless we act now, the proposed new rules will have a devastating effect on the small and medium-scale family farmers and businesses responsible for putting local, sustainably produced fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods on our plates – which, in turn, undermines local farm and food economies and affects our health and well-being.

STAND WITH FARMERS, COMMENT BY DECEMBER 14!

It's EASY; customize, cut, paste, and submit your personal message (below) to the FDA
Suggestions for customization are highlighted in bold italics. Submit your customized comment in TWO places – to the Produce Standards Rule (www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2011-N-0921-0973) and to the Preventive Controls Rule (www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2011-N-0920-1553). This is important because the food you love is affected by both rules.

Re: Preventive Controls Rule: FDA-2011-N-0920, Produce Standards Rule: FDA-2011-N-0921

To whom it may concern;

I am a [consumer, parent, etc] who is very concerned about the impact that the FDA's proposed FSMA rules will have on the [farms that I buy food from, my family's ability to find local food, the environment, etc.]. I ask you to let a family farm be a farm – and to treat it like one, not like an industrial factory or corporate mega-farm!

I value safe food and family farms and want to be able to [choose food for my family based on its sustainable production / support my local farm and food economy / purchase local, sustainable, and organic food].

I get much of my food at [my farmer's farm stand, my farmers' market, from my CSA, at a grocery store offering local food] and I want to continue to be able to find the food I love there. These proposed new rules can't subject family farmers to rules intended for massive, industrial agriculture and be so expensive to follow that they put small and mid-scale sustainable family farmers out of business.

Please modify the proposed new FSMA rules to reflect the realities of sustainable farming:

• Farms innovate. Don't let the rules squash local food. The rules need to ensure that local food and farms can grow and thrive. The final rules must provide a clear definition of what FDA considers a farm, and must take a risk-based approach to regulating farms. FDA must clarify the difference between a farm and a facility using common sense and risk-based distinctions that have clear connections to promoting food safety.
• Farms work with nature. Don't let the rules undermine sustainability. The rules need to allow farmers to use sustainable farming practices. FDA should incorporate stronger incentives into the rule for on-farm conservation that supports food safety and protects our soil, water, and wildlife habitat.
• Farms deserve fair treatment. Don't let the rules raise costs for farmers, food businesses, and consumers by imposing unclear, inconsistent, and unfair rules. The rules need to provide options that treat family farms fairly without unnecessary, excessive costs. FDA should find ways to decrease the costs of compliance with the new rules, especially for small and very small farms.

Thank you for your consideration,
[Your full name, city and state, e-mail address]

by Anthony Fassio

When contemplating the better food movement, source verification is the groundwork of the topic. The desire and need to understand the source of our food is built into Natural Gourmet Institute's founding philosophy. The criteria that food should be local, seasonal and traditional are part of Dr. Annemarie Colbin's Seven Principles of Food Selection.

In its current incarnation, the American food system is laden with hidden dangers, which range from added sugars to inhumane living conditions. It is the consumer's right to know what they are putting in their body and how it was produced; source verification calls for such transparency.

By promoting source verification as one of our major initiatives, we hope to help teach the average consumer that food is more than just flavor and texture. Who grows our food, how it is treated, and the processes it undergoes to reach our plates, are all loaded questions. Source verification is not about changing said practices, but simply striving to know as much about them as we can.

Above all, source verification is just as much the consumer's responsibility as it is the makers' and growers' of food. Consumers should make the effort to learn where their food is coming from, how it is grown, the impacts the ingredients they choose have on the planet, and the ultimate effects on their health. It is the consumer's obligation to have an intimate connection to their food – this builds intelligence about sustainable versus destructive growing practices, fosters respect for all labor involved, and opens the conversation to inspire innovative solutions within the supply chain.

In line with this philosophy, NGI employs rigorous ingredient sourcing practices. Every ingredient that comes through our kitchens is carefully selected for its nutritional value and sustainable growing methods. With that said, our practices today are not perfect, but we are constantly striving to achieve a more ideal state. One of the ways in which we are always aiming to improve is increasing local spending. We achieve this by sourcing local ingredients through the Union Square Greenmarket, as well as FarmersWeb (a web service that connects buyers with local producers), whenever possible.

Check out our produce, grains, meat, fish and dairy Ingredient Statements for specific details about our sourcing criteria. An overview of these criteria is now available in a convenient wallet-sized leaflet, which is perfect for use on the go whenever you're shopping for groceries. Stop by our front desk and pick up a copy.

More info:www.naturalgourmetinstitute.com/news/what-is-source-verification

Anthony Fassio is the CEO of the Natural Gourmet Institute and also serves as the Chair of Slow Food NYC.

At Slow Food NYC, we are strongly in favor of plans that lead to affordable housing, but not at the expensive of existing community garden sites, especially when there are plenty of other alternative sites available.  Current plans would indeed compromise existing community gardens and the attached letter explains our position to Mayor Bill de Blasio.  

View the letter from Slow Food NYC to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

In addition, we encourage our supporters to sign onto the petitions below to save current gardens:

Save Electric Lady Bug Community Garden

Protect Harlem Community Gardens

Save La Casita Verde Community Garden

Save Patchen Community Square

Don't Turn 462 Halsey Community Garden Into Condos

Stop El Garden From Being Developed

We urge all Slow Food NYC supporters to join the non-profit, Scenic Hudson as well as City Council Members Daniel R. Garodnick (Chair, Economic Development Committee) and Donovan Richards Jr. (Chair, Environmental Protection Committee) in urging Mayor de Blasio and the City Council to allocate funds in the City's 2015 Capital Budget to protect Hudson Valley farmland – a critical part of our historic, regional "foodshed." (See Scenic Hudson's website for more information.)

Small and mid-scale family farms in the Hudson Valley are a significant source of New York City's fresh, local food — supplying healthy produce, dairy, and meat to many of the city's farmers' markets, restaurants, and food pantries. Protecting this farmland is essential to ensuring our City has access to a resilient, regional source of food tomorrow and for years to come.

The City has wisely invested hundreds of millions of dollars to conserve land in our watershed, thereby protecting our source of good, clean drinking water. Now the City must make the same commitment to preserving an important part of our food supply by the allocation of funds to protect Hudson Valley farmland.

Please take a few moments to show your support for Hudson Valley farms and to help ensure New York City's access to fresh, local food for decades to come. Contact the Mayor's office and your City Council Member and urge them to invest in the protection of our Hudson Valley foodshed. Contact the Mayor's Office via this online form and via social media: @billdeblasio and @nycmayorsoffice. Find your Council Member here.

Thank you for your help in this important matter. A sample text is below. Personalize, cut, paste, and send it today!

Dear Mayor de Blasio or Council Member (Name).

I am a supporter of Slow Food NYC, the local chapter of a non-profit organization dedicated to good, clean, and fair food. Local food is important to me and to our City. I urge you to allocate funds in the City's capital budget to protect farmland in our Hudson Valley "foodshed." Protecting these farms is essential to help ensure far into the future a resilient, regional source of food to meet our City's growing demand for good, clean food.

Thank you

(Your Name)

Have you ever been to the market and seen fruit or veggies that looked all twisted, spotted, and quirky looking? Did you turn around and go right for the produce that was perfect: like yellow bananas still in the bunch and peppers with perfect coloring? I used to look for perfection like that too. But what I’ve found is that quirky produce should be what we seek, not what we avoid.  

Why? As much as 40 percent of all produce goes uneaten because it doesn’t meet grocers’ strict cosmetic standards (NRDC). In short, the produce is classified as ugly. And while you might be able to find some ugly fruit and veg at farmers markets, small corner stores, small grocers and your garden, there aren’t any major retailers in the U.S. selling them. This despite Europe seeing a boom in ugly fruit and veg sales.

I for one, will not watch so much nutritious tasty produce go to waste, I’m takin’ ugly back and you can too! Shop at those smaller stores and farmers markets that already offer them, or go on www.UglyFruitAndVeg.org and demand ugly fruit and veg from your favorite grocers. Engage in funactivism on social media too @UglyFruitAndVeg, which was recently featured on National Public Radio. And stay tuned for Feeding the 5000 NYC, where we’ll be celebrating ugly fruit and veg in the most spectacular way. 

About the Author:  Jordan Figueiredo is a zero waste professional and confessed food waste geek.  After managing the groundbreaking Feeding the 5000 Oakland in October 2014, Jordan is now taking on a larger role in the movement.  He was recently made the U.S. ambassador for Feedback, an organization founded by world-renowned expert Tristram Stuart, that is fighting the food waste scandal all around the world.  Jordan also created and manages the hilarious @UglyFruitAndVeg international social media campaign which was recently featured on National Public Radio.  Jordan is also currently developing a Feeding the 5000 for New York in the fall of 2015.

YOUR FOOD, YOUR PLANET...SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY IN THE 2015 U.S. DIETARY GUIDELINES

by Ed Yowell

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines, published every five years by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS), focus on the diets of Americans, young and old, citing foods that promote health and prevent disease. They are the basis for many government food decisions, including what goes on kids' plates in schools.

AN HISTORIC REPORT RELATING DIET TO THE HEALTH OF EATERS AND THE PLANET

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), consisting of nutrition and health experts convened by HHS and USDA, has reviewed current scientific and medical knowledge and prepared an historic report, the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/10-chapter-5/).

The Scientific Report calls on America to establish a "culture of health," not only human health, as it is based on diet, but also, for the first time, environmental health, as it is impacted by what our largely industrial food system serves up for Americans to eat.

The Committee recommends, "...the U.S. population should be encouraged and guided to consume dietary patterns that are rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate in low- and non-fat dairy products and alcohol...; lower in red and processed meat; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages and refined grains."

With our Slow Food good, clean, and fair principles in mind, and for the benefit of sustainability-minded producers, eaters, and our environment, now and in the future, we support the recommendations of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee regarding Food Sustainability and Safety.

BIG AG AND BIG FOOD DON'T LIKE THE RECOMMENDATIONS. TELL HHS AND USDA THAT SLOW FOOD USA DOES!

The good news is that DGAC made these historic recommendations. The bad news is that HHS and USDA are not obligated to accept them. However, HHS and USDA are accepting comments on the DGAC recommendations. As one might predict, Big Ag and Big Food are busy making their cases against them. You can help make the Slow Food case for healthful and sustainable food, now and in the future.

ACT NOW!

One of the most powerful ways you can show your support for putting sustainability into the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines is to submit your comment to HHS and USDA by the MAY 8 deadline. Take a few minutes to personalize, cut, paste, and send the message below to HHS and USDA.

Here is the comment site
health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2015/comments/writeComments.aspx

Make sure you complete the asterixed (*) fields and submit your comment under the section entitled Part D Science Base, Chapter D.5 Food Sustainability and Safety by checking the Part D and Chapter D.5 check boxes.

Dear Secretary Burwell and Secretary Vilsack:

I am a supporter of Slow Food USA, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to good, clean, and fair food. We believe that everyone is entitled to sustainably and humanely produced, culturally meaningful food that is good for his or her health and well-being, good for the planet, and good for those who put food on our tables.

I congratulate the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on their historic report calling on America to establish a "culture of health," not only human health, as it is based on diet, but also environmental health, as it is affected by what our industrial food system serves up for Americans to eat.

The Committee writes, "Linking health, dietary guidance, and the environment will promote human health and the sustainability of natural resources and ensure current and long-term food security."

(Use one or two of these:

The Committee writes that "the availability and acceptability of healthy and sustainable food choices will be necessary to attain food security for the U.S. population over time."

As the Scientific Report points out: "Meeting current and future food needs will depend on ... developing agricultural ... practices that reduce environmental impacts and conserve resources, while still meeting food and nutrition needs."

Current industrial food production practices generate substantial greenhouse gas emissions, degrade soil, destroy biodiversity and pollinator habitat, and produce significant air, land, and water pollution. We need to preserve these resources for future generations.)

With our Slow Food principles in mind and for the benefit of sustainability-minded producers, eaters, and our environment, now and in the future, I support incorporation of the recommendations of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee regarding Food Sustainability and Safety (Part D. Chapter D.5) in the 2015 United States Dietary Guidelines.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
(Your Name)

And here they are, the winning recipes from Duck Duck Rye, the duck and spirits tasting sponsored by Jimmy's No. 43 and Hudson Vallley Duck Farm that took place at Jimmy's No. 43 on Sunday March 22nd.

A recap of the winners, for those who weren't there to taste the duck and meet the chefs:

Tied for First Place was Ash Fulk from Hill Country BBQ & David Vigil from East NY Farms and Olivia Roszkowski from Natural Gourmet Institute. Coming up close behind them was Brandon Byrd from Parker Red Culinary Experiences by Ted & Honey.

Ash Fulk's secret to the winning duck neck recipe he and David Vigil prepared:

We seasoned them for a whole day and then we covered them in duck fat, which is the way you should do any cooking. Threw them in the smoker for about 6 hours, let it smoke so it has a nice oak on it, chopped them up, then breaded and fried them, just like grandma does—my grandma anyway."

Chef Olivia Roszkowski's SMOKED DUCK CONFIT, HONEY DUCK FAT AIOLI, CRACKLINGS,
BLACK PEPPER PIZZELLES, QUICK PICKLED VEGETABLES

For cracklings:
2 cups duck skin, cut into ½ inch pieces
3 cups cold water

For honey duck fat aioli:
1 whole egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon raw local honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup melted duck fat, room temperature

For quick pickled vegetables:
1 English cucumber, sliced thinly
1 jalapeno, minced
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup brown rice vinegar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon sea salt

For smoked duck confit:
4 duck legs
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon maple crystals
3 cups duck fat
2 tablespoons indoor oak chips

For black pepper pizzelles:
1/2 cup local manchego, microplaned
1 cup stoneground local whole wheat flour
3 eggs, room temperature and beaten
½ cup melted duck fat, room temperature
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
duck fat, to oil pizzelle maker

1. Cracklings: Add skin and cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all water has evaporated, and duck fat turns crispy and golden.

2. Aioli: Add egg, yolk, lemon juice, sea salt, honey and mustard to a food processor and pulse until combined. Slowly stream in duck fat until emulsified.

3. Pickled vegetables: Add sliced cucumber, jalapeno, pepper, vinegar, water, maple syrup, and salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, take off heat, and cool.

4. Smoked confit: Coat duck legs with coriander, peppercorns, salt and maple crystals. Allow to brine for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Rinse brined legs thoroughly under cold water, pat dry, and transfer to ovenproof dish. Coat with duck fat, cover, and bake for 3 to 4 hours, or until tender. Remove from oven, debone and de-skin to serve, shredding gently. Smoke in an indoor smoker, using 2 tablespoons oak chips, for 6 minutes.

5. Pizzelles: Fold in the cheese, flour, eggs, fat, baking powder, pepper and sea salt in a medium bowl. Preheat pizzelle maker and coat with a small amount of duck fat, using a pastry brush. Add a ¼ teaspoon of batter for small pizzelles, and up to 1 teaspoon for larger ones, and bake for 90 seconds, or until golden and crisp.

6. To serve: Place duck confit in desired serving vessel and top with aioli, pickled vegetables, cracklings, and pizzelle.

Chef Brandon Byrd's Duck Pastrami Recipe

Cure:
1/4 cup Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon ground juniper berries
1 teaspoon pink curing salt, #1
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large duck breasts

Rub:
3 Tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons coarsely ground coriander seed
1 Tablespoon coarsely ground juniper berries
1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1. Mix all ingredients for the cure in a small bowl

2. Coat the breasts entirely in the cure mixture. Place the breasts in a even layer in resealable plastic bags, and put in the refrigerator.

3. Flip the bags every 12 hours, curing 72-96 hours. You a looking for a tight feel to the meat.

4. Remove the breasts from the bags, and rinse off the cure with very cold water.

5. Place the breasts in a container and cover with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes for 2 hours.

6. Using a smoker or a grill with your wood of choice, cook at 250F skin side down for about 1.5 hours, until the internal temperature registers 155F.

7. Rest and cool the duck completely before slicing. May be served chilled or warm.

Natural Gourmet Institute is offering a full scholarship to the Sustainable Farming Certificate Program to a member of the Slow Food NYC Community. The Sustainable Farming Certificate Program is a two week hands-on course where students live and work on a biodynamic farm, experience urban farming with one of New York City's leading rooftop farms, Brooklyn Grange, and tour the Greenmarket Co.'s food hub and distribution facility.

This course is designed to give food industry advocates, educators, professional, and supporters a first-hand look at our local food system and create a deeper connection between farm, food, and consumer.

Tuition includes all course materials, accommodation during the farm-stay portion of the program at Hawthorne Valley Farm, and transportation to and from Hawthorne Valley Farm.The winner will also receive 2 tickets to the Slow Food NYC annual fundraiser, the (s)low down.

To apply:

Submit a 300 word or less essay describing how you will apply the Slow Food principles of good, clean, and fair food in your community after completing Natural Gourmet Institute's Sustainable Farming Certificate Program.

Application criteria

• On the Slow Food NYC mailing list. Join the Slow Food NYC mailing list
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Demonstration involvement in school garden programs or the better food movement

Application procedure:

Applicants may submit their essays to certificate@nginyc.com with the subject line "Slow Food NYC". Essays should be typed and sent as attachments in either word or PDF format. Applicants must include their name, phone number, and the email to which they receive the Slow Food NYC newsletter on their essay submission.

Application Deadline: July 17, 2015

The Slow Food NYC – Natural Gourmet Institute Sustainable Farming Certificate Program Scholarship will be announced on July 27, 2015

Ashley Montes, of Discovering New Sabor, recounts her experience at the Fourth Annual Slow Food NYC Spirits of New York event:

I had the opportunity to attend the Fourth Annual Spirits of New York event in Brooklyn at the McCarren Hotel. This event allowed me to meet local artisans of different spirits that use local products to create their spirit. Their products were delicious and their stories were inspirational. The event was filled with great personalities, that helped create a fun yet educational night. I felt very proud to be from the state of New York after learning what all it's local resources are capable of making.

Read the full article at:
discoveringnewsabor.com/2015/06/20/fourth-annual-spirits-of-new-york

By Reana Kovalcik

If I eat meat, does that mean that I don’t care about animals? Absolutely not. Including meat in your diet does not have to mean leaving your values at the restaurant or grocery store door. At Slow Food we promote the consumption of food that is good, clean, and fair. This short credo packs a lot of meaning. When we say good, clean, and fair food, we mean food that is: Sustainably and humanely produced, good for the health and wellbeing of the consumer, good for the planet, and good for those who labor to put food on our tables. For these reasons we hope you will join Slow Food NYC in demanding that our New York State legislators support Bill S59A-2015/A384A-2015 Banning Use of Gestation and Confinement Crates.

Gestation and confinement crates are cruel. According to the Humane Society, the typical gestation crate is about 6 feet long by 2 feet wide—hardly enough room for a sow that can grow to be 600 pounds. Factory farmed pigs are often forced to spend their pregnancies, sometimes their entire lives, standing on hard concrete floors inside these tiny metal crates. Similarly, veal calves in factory farms are taken from the comfort of their mothers after only a few days of life and relegated to cramped pens where they are constricted to the point of being unable to turn around or extend their limbs. They will live the entirety of their short lives this way, up until they are taken to slaughter.

Confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) are unsanitary for the animals, the environment, and for humans. The condition in which these animals are kept and processed during their lives is directly linked to the safety and quality of the meat they provide for consumption. Animals that are forced to stand or lay in close quarters are extremely likely to contact fecal matter, leading to a high risk of Salmonella and E.coli contamination in their meat.

The concentration of animal waste is also a hazard to the environment. According to a 2008 report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, disposal of large quantities of manure on an insufficient amount of land results in the runoff and leaching of waste into surface and groundwater. This waste contaminates our drinking water and decimates aquatic habitats. Concentrations of animal waste also produce airborne ammonia, nitrogen, and other pathogens that can form fine particulate matter and cause respiratory disease. And because ammonia is also re-deposited onto the ground, it can contaminate soil, causing acidification and a loss of biodiversity.

Meat from pigs and calves raise in confinement is not “good” eating. Animals raised in a humane environment and fed on a diet of grasses and native plants produce meat that is high in beneficial omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), and low in “bad” fats. Meat from animals raised in CAFO conditions, however, is often low in omega-3 and good “fats,” and higher in harmful omega-6 fatty acids-not to mention laced with pesticide, steroid, and antibiotic residues. Last, but not least, there’s the flavor. Sustainably produced, pasture-raised meat is full of rich flavors and textures. The same cannot be said for meat from animals raised in stressful and unsanitary conditions.

Many states and corporations are already leading the way. Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and the entire European Union have passed legislation to outlaw gestation crates. Additionally, McDonald’s, Costco, Safeway, Kroger, Oscar Mayer, and more than 60 other food companies (including pork giant, Smithfield Foods) have announced plans to eliminate gestation crates from their supply chains.

What can you do? Talk to your legislators and tell them to support Bill S59A-2015/A384A-2015. Legislators are currently on recess back in their home districts, so now is the perfect time to reach out! Click here to find your State Senator and here for your State Assembly Members. Visit your legislators in their local offices or invite them out with you to visit the sustainable farms and farmers markets in their district. Tell them New Yorkers deserve meat that is good, clean, and fair TODAY. 

Reana Kovalcik is the Development and Communications Coordinator at Wellness In The Schools (WITS), which develops and implements programs that provide healthy foods, healthy environments and opportunities for regular play to help kids learn and grow.

By Gayle J. McCarthy

With the current economic turbulence in Greece, change is the only constant while considering how the country will regain its financial footing — particularly regarding their export market. One of the country's fastest growing exports is wine and, if you've been keeping tabs on New York City's wine scene, you may have noticed more and more Greek wines being poured at restaurants and bars across town. More oenophiles are ordering Greek wines than ever before based on an increased demand for quality, affordable, non-domestic wines featuring an esoteric flare. This trend is more than a quest for something new, it's a desire to taste a story captured in each bottle with a hint of history rooted in the basics: small-batch production, the use of organic materials, and a wine culture dating back 6,500 years.

The Greeks invented the infamous adage "En Oeno, Alethea" ("In wine, there is truth"), and their country boasts the longest tradition of wine making in the world. They are credited with being the first area to develop specialized techniques in the cultivation and production of grapes, with more than 300 indigenous grape varieties. The terroir is highly varied, ranging in topography from mountainous to alluvial to volcanic landscapes, which produce a variety of excellent wines that are easily paired with many dishes. The whites typically range in style from floral, aromatic, citrus fruitiness to bolder minerality, while the reds range in color from light strawberry to a deep purple. Tastes can vary from flavorful and smooth to more age-worthy and complex.

Today, Greece is revitalizing its historic wine culture thanks to a new generation of Greek winemakers who are combining age-old production techniques with a more modern approach to sales and marketing. For example, the mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain of Northern Greece favors traditional production methods such as hand picking, small volumes, non-invasive growing techniques, and eschewing harmful pesticides and chemicals — all qualities reflected in most of the country's esteemed PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) wine zones. These producers have not given in to many of the modern innovations that favor volume over quality and they are working with marketing and sales experts to make sure that these wines are filling more glasses in response to the increased demand for organic and environmentally friendly wines.

Leading the way in introducing and marketing Greek wines to the States is Manhattan-based Eklektikon, an exclusive importer of eclectic Greek wines with a highly acclaimed and diverse portfolio, led by marketing director and company co-founder, Aris Soultanos. Soultanos capitalized on a unique market opportunity by establishing Eklektikon in 2011 with his friend and business partner, operations manager Niko Nichoritis, in order to promote a range of boutique wines from select wineries in their home country.

Since its inception, Eklektikon has taken the city by storm in marketing Greek wines. Soultanos and Nichoritis currently represent six wineries from the Northern region of Greece. Along with making these wines available to interested New Yorkers they are also engaged in educating wine lovers about their selective portfolio by hosting tastings at wine shops and wine dinners at local restaurants throughout the city. Their wines are available for purchase at Astor Wines & Spirits, Sussex Wines & Spirits, and Oak & Steel. Restaurants that serve Eklektikon-represented wines include Molyvos, Ammos, Korali, Print and Oceana, among others.

According to Soultanos, Greek wine exports are poised to benefit from the current chaos of the ongoing economic reform. "The domestic market is shrinking, which means higher quality wines becoming available for exporting to the U.S. and other markets... and at more favorable prices," he said. One possible risk, he points out, is the difficulty in working with ports and custom agencies if relations with the European Union are disrupted. Otherwise, production of Greek wine remains the same with possible minor delays in shipments and bottling activities due to the banks being closed.

Additionally, the economic tide in Greece is turning. The country recently settled its arrears with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the tune of two billion euros, and the banks have finally reopened their doors after being shuttered for a stretch of three weeks — creating a sense of panic and a scrambled run on ATMs across the country.

Greece, however slowly, is moving toward a new sense of normal and Eklektikon's marketing director remains optimistic. "We're not changing our marketing strategy. The whole situation has been a wake-up call to the Greek economy in general, with business becoming more open-minded, more extroverted, and more export-oriented," Soultanos said. "I hope and believe that this (situation) has transformed obsolete mentalities and has made a positive, long-term impact on the Greek business world."

As the world watches what will unfold with Greece's uncertain future, New Yorkers can remain confident that Greek wines remain a sound investment in quality and taste... and perhaps that they are the key to rebuilding a more stable economy at home.

Gayle J. McCarthy is a freelance writer based in the metro area. Her articles focus mainly on food and wine, culinary travel and outdoor adventure. You can follow her adventures on Twitter @gaylejmccarthy

Despite support by 93% of Americans for strong food labeling standards, on July 23, 2015, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 1599, best known as the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know). The DARK Act undermines Americans' right to know by preempting state mandatory GMO labeling laws. You may recall that states, like Vermont and Connecticut have passed GMO labeling laws precisely because the federal legislative branch of government has not taken up serious labeling legislation. Instead, the U.S. Congress passes the the DARK Act: Dressed up to look like truth-in-labeling but is in fact further obfuscation engineered by industrial agriculture.

We are the 93%

We agree with 93% of the Americans: We have a right to know what's in our food. Slow Food USA will write the Senate Committe on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, urging them to vote against this assault on food labeling. We encourage you to do so too! Remember, clear and meaningful food labels are the primary tools that government provides consumers in order to make informed choices. As a result, the DARK Act undermines consumer choice.

We encourage you to join us in this fight by urging your U. S. Senators to reject a Senate version of the Dark Act. Let's make sure the Senate version of the DARK Act never sees the light of day. Act now. Let's nip this in the bud. Sample letter below.

Thank you for your attention on this very important matter.
Richard McCarthy
Executive Director, Slow Food USA

Dear Senator xxxx;

I am a constituent and supporter of Slow Food USA, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to good, clean, and fair food and farming.  93% of Americans support strong food labeling standards.  I am one. I believe Americans have the right to know what they are feeding their families. On July 23, 2015, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, known more accurately by many Americans as the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know). The DARK Act would undermine Americans' right to know and states' rights to tell them by preempting state mandatory GMO labeling laws. Vermont and Connecticut have passed GMO labeling laws precisely because Congress has not taken up serious labeling legislation. Instead, the House of Representatives passed the DARK Act : dressed up to look like truth-in-labeling that is in fact obfuscation engineered by industrial agriculture.  I urge you to stand with the 93% and reject a Senate version of the DARK Act. 

Thank you,

xxxxx

by Ed Yowell

Federal nutrition programs provide for school meals and snacks, meals in child and adult care facilities, and nutrition assistance for low-income mothers, infants, and young children. School food is the largest part of these programs. During 2012, federal school food programs helped provide free or low-cost school meals to more than 31 million children in more than 100,000 public and non-profit, private schools. Federally funded healthy school meals make sure that all our kids have the energy they need to learn and are an important part of the fight against child hunger and obesity.

This September, the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the most recent five-year reauthorization of original legislation, will expire. The historic 2010 Act raised the bar on school food nutrition by calling for more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low and fat-free dairy products. Congress is now on course for legislating the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) Act of 2015.

Most school districts have adapted to and, in fact, embraced the nutritional standards of the 2010 Act. Our NYC Department of Education is among them. However, despite undeniable success nationally, there is push back in Congress and from the School Nutrition Association calling for school district nutrition implementation waivers and delaying implementation of important parts of the Act.

Our children are our most important resource. For their present and future health and well-being, let's make sure we hold the line on, and advance, healthy school food. And, while we are at it, let's get a CNR that also increases support of local farms through school food procurement. SFUSA Executive Director, Richard McCarthy, sent our SFUSA CNR platform to Congressional leaders. In it, Slow Food USA calls for a strong 2015 CNR that will:

• Make significant progress towards ending child hunger and food insecurity in America;
• Ensure that all our children have year-round access to high quality, nutritious foods, local and regional whenever possible, in their schools and through other child nutrition programs;
• Maintain nutrition standards and support high-quality nutrition education to help reduce obesity and diet-related disease and ensure productive, healthy generations to come; and
• Support and strengthen regional farm and food economies through child nutrition procurement policy, thereby helping preserve farmland, supporting small and mid-scale family farm viability, and reducing unsustainable environmental impact.

You can see the full Slow Food USA CNR platform here. And, you can help in the fight for a strong CNR by sending our message to your Senators and Representative by e-mail or Facebook. You can find your Senators here and your Representative here. Here is the message:

Dear Senator or Representative xxxx,

I am a constituent and supporter of Slow Food USA, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to good, clean, and fair food and farming. I call upon you to support a strong 2015 Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) that will: make significant progress towards ending child hunger; ensure that all our children have year-round access to high quality, nutritious, local food; maintain nutrition standards and support effective nutrition education; and support and strengthen regional farm and food economies through school food procurement. You can find the Slow Food USA CNR Platform here:

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/blog-post/letter-to-congress-reauthorize-the-...

Thank you for your attention.

[Your Name]

by Andres Castello

It does not get much better than sharing gelato with friends, outside, on a warm summer day.

Owners Monia Solighetto and Alessandro Trezza hosted the 'Slow Gelato' class on their outdoor patio at L'Albero dei Gelati in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on Wednesday August 12th.  The Italian café features a new flavor of house made gelato every week along with other Italian and local treats: paninis, salads, meats and cheeses, paired with an exclusively biodynamic wine list.

Ms. Solighetto began by teaching the class what constitutes true gelati; what makes it different from ice cream and how to identify an artisanal gelato versus a commercial, factory-made variety.

We learned that gelato can be milk-based or a water-based sorbet. Milk-based versions are made with cream and milk, with a fat content that ranges from 2%-6% (American ice cream typically contains 20% fat or more). Gelato and ice cream are both delicious and universally loved, but gelato is crafted to optimize flavor and texture using significantly less fat and sugar. The lower fat content intensifies the flavors of the ingredients and creates a lighter, but still creamy, end product.

Inspired by their Italian background, the couple makes what they call "Slow Gelato". It is made only with fresh, seasonal ingredients; no vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils, mono and diglyceride, fatty acids, chemical stabilizers or thickeners, or food coloring are used.

The gelateria is well known for experimenting with non-traditional flavors, like black-squid ink or cheddar & green lettuce. While customers in Italy were initially hesitant, here in New York patrons are open to strange and new experiences. At the event, we tried some traditional flavors like gianduia and less traditional flavors like the salted butter and speck.

According to Solighetto, you can identify a good gelato by following the visual cues, using your taste buds, and asking about the ingredients. Gelato should not radiate unnatural hues; nature's colors are much more subtle than the neon-green, blue, and fuchsia ice creams that can be found in the typical supermarkets. Colors should come from the fruit and the ingredients themselves. They can sometimes be bright, like in sorbets, and other times more subtle like butter or a pale-cream mint gelato.

The couple's guide to knowing good gelato says it "should satisfy in the perfect way." If, after you consume a bit of gelato, you notice a feeling of fullness, it means that too much fat was used to make it. You also shouldn't feel parched after having your gelato; thirst indicates that too much sugar was used in the recipe.

So, it turns out, we can indulge and feel great eating gelato! It's a win-win!

Solighetto went on to explain that, as a gelato maker, you have to observe, measure, and balance the variables that each ingredient brings to the equation. In the warmer months, sorbet is made with fresh fruit in season and at the peak of their flavor. You can make strawberry gelato in the summer months, but the gelato makers warn that fruit changes with the season; strawberries in June aren't the same as in May. At the start of each day, the fruit is brought in, sugars are measured using a refractometer and a new formula is crafted. There is no one recipe for each flavor; each batch is unique as each ingredient is!

You can visit these gelato crafters at their Park Slope location on 5th Ave and soon you will also be able to get your gelato fix with a visit to Williamsburg.

www.AlberoDeiGelati.com

Andres Castello is a freelance writer based in NYC. A hospitality and religion alumnus from Boston University; his writings focus on the Alchemy of food. You can follow him on Instagram @andresrcastello.