A Seat at the Table is 4 Weeks Away!

On Saturday evening, July 17, 2010, the inaugural and absolutely unique “A Seat at the Table” local food feast and fundraising celebration will be held in the Poughkeepsie Farm Project farm fields.

*The event has a new ticket price level of $150 per person - tickets are available through July 9th.

A Seat at the Table is a 5-course dinner comprised of local, farm fresh food prepared by Megan and Charlie Fells of the Artist's Palate, paired with wine and served al fresco at a long table on a summer evening in the middle of the farm fields - no tents, just natural atmosphere.

This event is not just a fundraiser for, but also an expression of, the PFP's mission to improve access to locally grown and healthy food through our education and food justice programs.  It brings together local farmers, chefs and members of the community to explore the connection between the earth and the food on our plate. All sit together at long, linen-draped tables in the middle of the fields, while sipping local wines and eating a five-course family style meal prepared by Megan and Charlie Fells of The Artist's Palate, two of the Hudson Valley’s celebrated chefs, using fresh, local ingredients for the meal. The event honors the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table and celebrates our connections to the community and collective work towards a just and sustainable food system.

• The purveyors of local products are all invited to have a seat at the table, partly as a thank you for what they have donated to the cause but also to give all present the rare opportunity to interact with the people behind our food and to promote the providers of high quality and fresh food in the Hudson Valley.  Purveyors include Bread Alone, Coach Farms, Millbrook Winery, Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Sprout Creek Farm, Stout Ridge Winery and Wild Hive Bakery and Cafe.
• The PFP is working in a very active way to create seats around the table for those who might not otherwise experience convenient access to healthy food, namely our neighbors whose level of income or location of residence/access to transport may make fresh food difficult to procure.
• None of us really has the choice for healthy food until we have positive learning experiences that support that choice. We are making a concerted effort to make farm-based and fresh food learning experiences widely available to local youth, who are in the midst of a public health crisis stemming from obesity (47% of youth in the Poughkeepsie City School District are obese or overweight, which is even higher than the alarming 1/3 national rate).  Youth farm visits to the PFP incorporate experiences connecting to the source of our food, cooking and eating fresh from the fields.