October 4: Slow Hour at Amber Waves

Oct 1, 2023 | Blog, Past Events

Join us as we celebrate Fall on the Farm with a Slow Hour gathering!

Wednesday, October 4, 4 – 6 pm

at Amber Waves

367 Main St, Amagansett, NY 11930

Slow Hours are designed to be easy! No tickets are needed and it’s free to attend. We just request that you RSVP to help our hosts plan properly.

We enjoy finding noteworthy locations to slow down with our community on the East End. We love bringing our members together to support local businesses and organizations where food and wine are also available to purchase. Best of all, Slow Hour is a chance to meet new friends and local experts who share

passions and knowledge with us.

All welcome, bring a friend.

If you are not yet aware of Amber Waves accomplishments and especially if you already are, October 4 is the perfect time to see and learn more about why Slow Food East End chose to award Amber Waves with our internationally recognized and coveted Snail of Approval Award this year.

We’ll be on site at 4pm but you are welcome to come even earlier, shop the farm stand for delicious homemade provisions and wonderful selection of wines. A bountiful array of goods is available at Amber Waves farm stand which is open until 5pm.

Settle in with a view of the sunset for introductions and a discussion about farming on the East End.

At 5pm our guests are welcome to enjoy a private tour of the farm and ask all the questions you want about Amber Wave farming practices and farming on the East End.

An added treat: Amber Waves is extending on opportunity to enjoy the benefits of one of their most popular membership benefit programs, the Pick-Your-Own Flower program.

Amber Waves created Pick-Your-Own Flower program to open up flower fields to the public for a hands-on farm experience. It is a great way to become more connected to the farm, the land and the community. The flower fields are open from July – October.

Slow Hour guests will be able to choose to become a member for a day for $45 to received a one day pick a flower voucher, or join at one of our other three membership levels for more benefits and more flower vouchers.

Slow Food East End and Amber Waves look forward to celebrating the joys of fall with you!

Amber Waves is a female-founded and run 30 acre farm and non-profit organization celebrating their 15th season this year! They rely on donations and purchases in their market, kitchen, and from education programs to help support their mission-driven work in the community.

As an educational farm their goal is to provide rich educational opportunities in agriculture to aspiring growers, thoughtful cooks, and eaters of all ages. They do this through their robust children’s education program offering farmer and cooking classes to children on the East End, hosting weekly food and farming skills-based workshops for adults, and offering an 8 month long farming apprenticeship program where they train new and beginning farmers each year.

They are also committed to serving their community through their food security program where they donate freshly harvested produce each week to 7 different local food pantries across the South Fork, reaching almost 800 families. They also offer an open access space for all to enjoy seven days a week.

RSVP for Slow Hour

Membership Drive 2023

Aug 31, 2023 | Past Events

LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE, DELICIOUS

Are you passionate about good, clean, and fair food? Do you want to support small-scale farmers and preserve traditional food cultures?

Become a member of the Slow Food Movement! Our global network of food lovers works to promote local, sustainable, and delicious food, and we need your help to make a difference. As a member, you’ll have access to exclusive events, discounts, and educational resources. You’ll be part of a community that’s making a positive impact on the world. Join us today and start celebrating the joys of good, clean, and fair food!

September is Membership Month at Slow Food and as such we look forward to welcoming new members and celebrating our returning members.

Thank you for continuing to be part of the Slow Food East End community! We love seeing you at our events and having you involved in everything we do. One way you can help us move closer to transforming our world and guaranteeing good, clean and fair food for all is by becoming a member. For $60 per year, you can help fuel our efforts here on the East End and strengthen a number of programs, campaigns and initiatives that are changing our world’s oppressive and unsustainable food systems.

We urge you to make the pledge to support our work year-round. This year, we are excited to announce our new Evergreen membership. Instead of a one-time membership payment, you can now pledge to pay $5, $10, $15 or $20 per month to make it easier and more convenient for you to support our work.

Slow Food USA’s membership rates are going to increase in January 2024 to better support organizational efforts in the current economic environment. Join now to preserve the current membership rate!

Join or renew membership!

What does my membership pay for?
The Slow Food USA network of more than 80 local chapters cannot exist without support from our members! Here’s where your dollars go:

Engagement with our earth and heritage plants through our Plant a Seed program, which gives hundreds of free growing kits to schools across the US
Robust learning and growth with our national network around racial equity and justice through trainings, office hours, national book discussions and more
Annual programs like the School Gardens initiative, which sustains gardening programs in dozens of local schools
Support for the USA’s Ark of Taste, which identifies and preserves the stories and legacies of Indigenous and other important foods
News and storytelling content that amplifies a diverse array of voices and ideas from across the Slow Food movement
Administrative support for the complex needs of 80 volunteer-led chapters in the US, so that their initiatives and partnerships can thrive
Maintaining a small but mighty team of Slow Food USA employees, who lead and support these local, national and international efforts

A small portion of your membership dues to Slow Food USA are shared directly with our East End chapter to benefit the programs that we offer locally on the East End like Flour Power and Edible School Gardens.

Let’s nourish our connections and connect our foodways together.

Become a Member Today!

September 18-24: Join us for Negroni Week!

Aug 20, 2023 | Blog, Past Events

Join us for Negroni Week

SFEE is excited to announce that we will be participating in Negroni Week, a global celebration of this classic Italian cocktail, while also supporting the Slow Food Movement. During Negroni Week, which runs from September 18 to September 24th, select bars and restaurants from around the world will participate in Negroni Week in support of the global movement. Many will be featuring a special menu of Negroni variations and donating a portion of the proceeds to Slow Food, supporting our mission to promote sustainable, locally sourced, and traditional food of Slow Food.

The Negroni, a beloved cocktail made with equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, has been enjoyed for over a century. It has become a symbol of the Italian aperitivo culture and is loved by cocktail enthusiasts all around the world. Negroni Week was created to celebrate this iconic drink and raise funds for charitable causes.

For the past 10 years, Slow Food, Imbibe Magazine, and Campari have joined forces to increase their collective impact by using donations raised during Negroni Week to provide incubator grants for activities that support and promote good, clean, and fair food and beverage.

Our East End chapter just received a sizable grant in support of our Flour Power program – an initiative focused on providing high-quality, nutritious, and flavorful, home-baked bread to food pantries in our community.

Participating in Negroni Week is simple, here’s what you need to do:

Restaurants/Bars/Liquor Stores

Register your venue by visiting the Negroni Week website. Registration is open through September 9th. NW Link Donation of $25 or more to support the vital work of Slow Food!
During Negroni Week, celebrate by featuring the classic Negroni or your favorite variation.

Participants will be featured on the global Negroni Week website and have access to a range of promotional materials. SFEE will also promote the week by directing members to local participating establishments on the East End.

Individuals

Visit one of the participating locations during the Negroni week of September 18 to September 24th.
Enjoy a delicious Negroni.

The Slow Food Movement is a global organization that advocates for good, clean, and fair food for all. We believe in preserving traditional food cultures, promoting biodiversity, and supporting small-scale farmers and producers. By participating in Negroni Week, we are not only celebrating a beloved cocktail, and are also doing our part to create a more sustainable and equitable food system.

So mark your calendars and join us for Negroni Week! Come sip on delicious Negronis and support the Slow Food Movement. Together, we can raise a glass for a better future.

PARTNERSHIP

NEGRONI WEEK FUND

Thanks for Coming To Slow F.I.S.H

Aug 16, 2023 | Blog, In The News, Past Events

Seafood was on the menu and everyone’s mind as our Slow Food family and friends at the Suffolk County Marine Environmental Learning Center came together to enjoy a night to celebrate our unique East End Merroir. We tasted oysters from four different local merroirs and incredible fresh local seafood dishes, all paired with local wines while learning so much about sustainable fishing operations in our local waterways.

Our knowledgeable friends at Cornell Cooperative Extension located along the scenic shores of Cedar Beach in Southold study our local waters looking for solutions to keep them healthy, productive, and sustainable so they remain that way for years to come. Commercial and recreational harvesting of seafood is a way of life on Long Island so preserving the viability of this industry and essential food source is critical for our community and marine resources.

Presentations by Cornell Fisheries and Aquaculture specialists were informative and engaging. We learned about Cornell’s “Choose Local F.I.S.H.” (Fresh. Indigenous. Sustainable. Healthy) initiatives to encourage all to discover the variety of local fish choices Long Island has to offer.

Purchasing local seafood enables consumers to know the direct origin of their food. Increased marketing of local seafood supports the economic viability of our coastal fishing communities and small businesses and boosts the economic value of Long Island’s seafood industry while providing consumers with fresher and higher-quality seafood. When purchasing locally caught fish, you can be sure that fish is sustainably harvested and in compliance with U.S. and state regulations which are some of the strictest in the world. So do eat more local seafood!

Guests toured the amazing hatchery, where tens of millions of oyster seeds are hatched, raised, fed, and released each year. These remarkable shellfish are natural water purifiers, each adult filters about 50 gallons of water a day making oysters among the most sustainable seafoods on earth. The CCE hatchery has perfected nurturing the minuscule shellfish seeds in containment away from predators to be released when they reach adult size into local creeks and bays to promote wild settlement. The staff also developed the community SPAT program to enlist community members to learn to grow oysters. Over 1000 locals have taken part in the program so far, many going on to start their own oyster companies. If you are interested in fostering thousands or so babies, new SPAT memberships are available each year.

Four oyster companies provided shellfish, shucked to order by hatchery staff, it was wonderful to do side-by-side tastings to easily compare the distinct flavor differences between oysters harvested from farms in different local waterways. Served were: Davy Jones Shellfish, known for wild-caught and farm-raised oysters; Hampton Oyster Company specializing in deep-water, surface-grown oysters; Montauk Pearls which are seeded in Lake Montauk and followed by deep water finishing in Block Island Sound; and Peconic Gold Oysters which are raised in the beautiful Great Peconic Bay between the North and South forks.

No food tasting would feel complete without wine to accompany the flavors. From sparkling wine to white varietals, classic roses, and ruby reds everyone got to enjoy comparing a variety of wines donated by Long Island Wine Country wineries. We encourage all to enjoy the fruits of our local terroirs as LIWC celebrates 50 years of local viniculture this year.

The additional educational components rounded out the night’s festivities:

* We learned to filet a variety of local fish and to shuck like a pro!

* We were lucky enough to be able to ask the Cornell Marine experts all of our marine and aquaculture questions.

* We met artists and artisans who are inspired by the waters. Thank you Lisl Reuschle of Adrift Designs (@adrift_northfork) who creates art from beach finds, a special favorite was her handcrafted oyster spoons. Al Goldberg displayed his famous handmade custom fishing rods and discussed what rods were best for different waters and species. Al has been a member of the Slow Food East End family for years, he has taught so many local fishermen and hobbyists how to fish properly. Thank you to Rory MacNish, part of the Cornell family and an SFEE friend who donated art and his talents photographing the night.

Proceeds for this event helped support two amazing not-for-profit organizations, Slow Food East End Feed the Forks initiatives and Choose Local F.I.S.H programming.

Thank you to the local businesses who made donations to our raffle and auction:

Al Goldberg

Sea Adventures Day Camp

Choose Local FISH

Stefanie Villani, Author

The CCE SPAT Program

Sea Explorers Marine Camp

We owe a big, delicious thank-you to Lombardi Catering of Love Lane Market. The amazingly beautiful spread they prepared for this event, kept us all happy and satisfied. We really enjoyed savoring the elegantly prepared fresh local fish sliders, salads, and other dishes. Owner Lauren Lombardi is known for her hospitality and delicious locally sourced menus but Lauren has also long been a supporter of Slow Food East End and was previously on the board of Slow Food East End.

Thank you also to At Your Service Party Tents and Events for donating essential and helpful rentals for our special event. If you are located on the East End and looking to support a local business that is ready to take care of all your rental needs, give the new owner, Steve Winick a call AYSPR is located in Mattituck.

ECI Awarded Snail of Approval

Aug 4, 2023 | Blog, In The News, Snail of Approval

The Ecological Culture Initiative, Hampton Bays was awarded a very well-deserved Snail of Approval award by Slow Food East End.

The mission of ECI is to advocate and educate the community in sustainable food production, wellness, and environmental stewardship. They do this through numerous programs including a garden, donating proceeds to St. Rosalies, a seed library at the Hampton Bays library, and a zero waste and composting program to name a few.

In recognition of their work and alignment with the Slow Food values of good, clean, and fair food for all, the Ecological Culture Initiative: ECI was presented with a Snail of Approval Award at Earth Day on April 22nd, 2023, an event they hosted and co-sponsored with SFEE. (link earth day blog here )

Accepting the award was Sr. Kerry Handal, a sister of St. Josephs for over 4 decades who advocated for ECI to establish the gardens and beehives there and works to focus attention on LI’s sustainability issues and solutions. Also accepting was Tony Romano who has led many ECI initiatives such as a successful community composting program which is a model he is hoping can be widely shared and implemented in other Long Island communities.

Snail of Approval Awards has long been a tradition for Slow Food, an international organization in over 160 countries. Snail Awards have typically been awarded to restaurants but Slow Food East End, the largest USA chapter has also decided to award local farms too. Our eco and biosystem depends on local farms that tend healthy soils, they are the source of our best foods. Snail Award winners must be businesses that are structured on principles that Slow Food believes are essential to receive recognition and honor the values of good, clean, and fair food for all.

To learn more visit them at 5793 Sound Ave, Riverhead, NY, United States, New York

ECI joins Ty Llwyd Farms Riverhead, Sang Lee Farms, Peconic; Green Thumb, Watermill; Deep Roots, Southold; Jamesport Farmstead, Jamesport; Amber waves, Amagansett; 8 hands farm, Cutchogue and Quail Hill Farm, Amagansett, as local East End farms having earned the Snail of Approval.

Visit our Snail of Approval page for more information on local restaurants, farms, and food producers who meet these standards and have previously been awarded our coveted Snail of Approval.