ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Join The Utopian Seed Project for their inaugural ‘Trial to Table’ fundraising farm feast, hosted at Franny’s Farm in Leicester NC. This new non-profit’s mission is to support diversity in food and farming, and this feast will showcase the crops and varieties from their 2019 trials.
“We want it to be clear that seed equals food, and a wonderfully diverse farming system can and should support a wonderfully diverse culinary experience,” says Chris Smith, executive director of The Utopian Seed Project.
Chef Stephen Goff (Aux Bar), Jamie Swofford (The Chef’s Farmer), and Keia Mastrianni (Milk Glass Pie), plus local collaborating businesses, will create a myriad of marvelous dishes designed to showcase a range of culinary possibilities with foods known and new. “We don’t actually claim to have discovered anything new,” says Smith. “But we are certainly helping our community rediscover lost foods and flavors.”
Dr. David Shields, culinary historian and champion of flavor, is the guest of honor. Dr. Shields will offer a short keynote address to help ground the event in the importance and history of the food on offer at the feast.
Some highlights include:
- The Pickle Plate: Steve Goff is known as the ‘Pickle Guy’ for good reason. Delights on offer will include okra kimchi, cowpea green chimichurri, sweet potato leaf kraut, pickled cowpea pods and more. Fermenti will bring their own skills to the table with a tangy fermented okra.
- Experimental Flours: In partnership with OWL Bakery, we will have okra seed sourdough, sweet potato bread, okra seed and cornmeal savory muffins and more.
- Roots: among other things, we will have preparations of taro, sweet potatoes, arrowroot, yacon, turmeric and the American groundnut. Milk Glass Pie is working on a rendition of the historic arrowroot pudding.
This is just an overview of some of the initial brainstorming around this fabulous feast. The Chef’s Farmer will be brewing an okra flower and roselle shrub, and Yoga Bucha is working on a roselle and okra silk kombucha.
“This is going to be a true celebration of food,” says Smith. “Definitely not to be missed!”
Tickets are $65 and limited. The Utopian Seed Project is also selling ‘Help a Friend’ tickets for $130. If you are able to afford it, then this higher ticket price will directly support their free ‘Scholarship’ tickets.
Reservations made via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
–Chris Smith, Utopian Seed Project