SFEE Annual Auction is LIVE!

Nov 13, 2024 | Blog, Events, Feed the Forks, In The News

Our annual fundraising online auction is LIVE!

We have a fantastic array of items and experiences up for bid. Whether you prefer a golf outing with friends at an exclusive club, restaurant gift cards to some of the East End’s most adored spots, or sipping local wine while getting behind-the-scenes tours from the winemaker — we’ve got you covered!

Your participation in this year’s auction not only supports our local businesses, but is essential to continuing to advance SFEE’s good, clean and fair food initiatives and educational programs. With your ongoing support, we have accomplished so much! As the most active Slow Food chapter in the country, we have much more to do! So be on the lookout for links to the auction.

Bidding for auction items ends Sunday, November 17th at 8 PM sharp.

START BIDDING NOVEMBER 13!

Taste the Forks, Two Chefs, Two Dinners, One Great Cause

Nov 3, 2024 | Blog, Events, In The News

Taste the Forks
Two Chefs, Two Dinners, One Great Cause

Chef Jason Weiner, Almond, Bridgehampton – Thursday, November 14th @ 6:30 pm
Chef Noah Schwartz, Noah’s Greenport – Friday, November 15th @ 6:30 pm

Taste the Forks is a culinary celebration to support Slow Food East End. Two Chefs. Two Dinners for one great cause will help raise money for Slow Food East End Feed the Forks initiatives and kick off their annual auction.

On the North Fork, Chef Noah Schwartz will cook it up at Noah’s in Greenport and on the South Fork, Chef Jason Weiner will cook it up at Almond’s in Bridgehampton.

Both chefs are renowned on the East End for their local sourcing, seasonal menus, and convivial spaces where everyone can count on a delicious night out. Their talents have established a vibrant foodie following, earning both local and international accolades, including the Slow Food Snail of Approval, given by local chapters to local leaders who receive global recognition for their work.

Slow Food, an international not-for-profit organization began in Italy in 1989 protesting fast food when McDonald’s was trying to open in Rome. Today we have members in 160 countries.

Around the world our chapters support good, clean, fair food for all. We work to create a food web of activists and believers in supporting our local chefs who source locally from growers who plant, fish, or raise livestock in good, healthy soils and waters.

Our East End chapter notably began with a few dinner meetings at the American Hotel in the early 2000s, like-minded friends gathered at the table to develop ideas for local engagement to support local growers, generational family farms, and burgeoning CSAs on the East End who paved the way for a new generation of inspired local chefs who trailblazed the farm to table movement.

Since its founding Slow Food East End’s notable accomplishments include:

Development of edible garden programs in over 30 schools on the East end
Flour Power, home bakers producing loaves for food pantries.
Educational celebrations and gathering of all sorts
Awarding local leaders in our field who have made a difference and established a legacy of valuing good clean fair food for all with an internationally recognized Snail of Approval.

Your ticket supports the continuation of Slow Food East End work and new Feed the Forks initiatives.

RSVP for Almond on November 14

RSVP for Noah's on November 15

Inviting All Bakers for our Thanksgiving Bake!

Oct 31, 2024 | Blog, Events, Flour Power, In The News

We’re evolving Flour Power to provide more impact on the East End

As many of you have probably heard, we are transitioning our Flour Power program from bi-weekly baking to quarterly bakes, delivered in partnership with local pantries. This quarter, we are thrilled to support CAST with its Thanksgiving initiative, aiming to deliver at least 150 loaves of our nutritious bread. Since 2020, CAST has been working with partners to provide turkeys, chickens, and all the fixings for Thanksgiving meals to hundreds of local families across the North Fork and Shelter Island. What better way to support our goal of combating food insecurity than by including our bread in these holiday meals!

Thanksgiving Bread Goals

We want our Flour Power breads to be part of each family’s Thanksgiving pickup—because let’s face it, what’s Thanksgiving without bread? Our plan is to deliver breads to CAST on Monday, November 25 for baskets that will be distributed on the following day. CAST expects to make 500 baskets this year!

Dropping off your bread to CAST

Address: CAST: 53930 Main Rd., Southold
Drop-Off Dates and Hours: November 25 from 9 AM to 2 PM
Our SFEE Flour Power cooler will be outside ready for your loaves.

Alternative drop-off for South Fork bakers

Bread can also be delivered to St. Joseph Villa on Monday, November 25 from 9 AM to 2 PM in the Flour Power cooler, 81 Lynn Ave, Hampton Bays.

Bake Ahead and Freeze

We know this time of year can get busy with your own Thanksgiving plans, so we encourage you to bake early and freeze your loaves. If you’re able, we’d love for you to bake more than once.

Here are instructions to guide you in freezing the bread so it stays fresh for our recipients.

To freeze your loaves:

Let your freshly baked loaves cool completely.
Once they are completely cooled, wrap them in aluminum foil and then put each wrapped loaf in a sealed zip-top plastic bag.
On the day of donation, remove the loaves from the freezer, unwrap them, and put them directly into our Flour Power bags (provided at drop-off locations) No thawing is necessary.

Alternative Drop-Off Location

If you have limited freezer space or can’t deliver on the scheduled CAST dates, we’ve arranged an alternative drop-off location, The Vine at North Fork United Methodist Church, which has a large freezer available.

Dropping off your bread early at United Methodist Church

Address: United Methodist Church: 43960 CR 48, Southold, NY
Drop-Off Dates and Hours: November 11, 14, 18 and 21 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Please deliver your bread wrapped in aluminum foil. When we transfer the frozen loaves to CAST, we will put them into our traditional Flour Power paper bags with labels. If you have any issues in delivering to the church, please contact Becky Chidester at bachidester@gmail.com

Please register at the button below for planning purposes.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to sharing the love of baking with our community. Together, we can make this Thanksgiving special for many families.

Happy Baking!

Bread Recipe

Watch Baking Demo Here

Let’s nourish our connections and connect our food ways together.

#SlowTheForksDown #FeedTheForks

October 6: Annual Public Board Meeting & Potluck

Sep 25, 2024 | Blog, Events, In The News

All welcome are welcome to attend our Annual Public Board Meeting and potluck gathering!

Date: Sunday, October 6, 2024

Time: 3:30 – 5:30pm

Place: Golden Acres Organic Farm – 652 Peconic Bay Blvd, Jamesport, NY

Bring a potluck dish to share, we’ll supply the rest! Join us for a casual afternoon gathering. SFEE invites you to attend our annual public board meeting — Slow Food style! We look forward to slowing down together as we share news about our year and upcoming plans. Come meet the current board, connect with other Slow Food members, tour the farm and meet the farmers too, awarded a 2024 Snail of Approval award. Learn how you can be more involved in the work we do.

This is not your average “meeting” — it’s an afternoon of fun: tasting and sharing, laughing and learning. We will be pouring Long Island Wine County wines. Our board members are planning to bring delicious bites from our kitchens too. We hope that you’ll also bring a homemade taste to share, 8+ servings please.

Please do RSVP below so we have plenty of chairs.

RSVP for Annual Meeting Potluck

August 4: Summer Soirée at Share the Harvest Farm & Snail of Approval

Jul 28, 2024 | Blog, Events, Snail of Approval

Celebrating Share the Harvest Farm: A Snail of Approval Award

We are delighted to announce that Share the Harvest Farm in East Hampton has been awarded the prestigious Snail of Approval by Slow Food East End. This recognition honors their extraordinary commitment to combating food insecurity and promoting access to fresh, local produce for everyone in our community.

What is a Snail of Approval?

The Snail of Approval is a hallmark of excellence bestowed by Slow Food to organizations and businesses that embody our values of sustainability, quality, and community focus. It signifies that the recipient is making a positive impact on the local food system and is dedicated to practices that uphold the Slow Food ethos. Share the Harvest Farm exemplifies these principles in every aspect of their operation, and we are thrilled to celebrate their achievements with this award.

About Share the Harvest

Share the Harvest Farm is a beacon of hope in the fight against food insecurity on the East End of Long Island. Their mission is both simple and profound: to ensure that all individuals, regardless of income or social status, have access to fresh, locally-grown produce. Remarkably, 80% of the food they cultivate is donated to those who might otherwise go without.

The farm operates a thriving food stand from May to October, where the community not only benefits from high-quality produce but also frequently contributes additional donations to support this vital initiative. This stand serves as a crucial marketplace for 65 local vendors, showcasing the incredible talent and diversity of East End artisans. The farm is continuously working to expand its reach and support the growing community of local creators.

Share the Harvest Farm is deeply integrated with numerous local nonprofits, including South Fork Pantries, affordable housing complexes, The Retreat women’s shelter, senior centers, Heart of the Hampton, and the Children’s Museum of the East End. Their dedication is reflected in the impressive 24,000 pounds of produce they donated last year alone.

Their approach to giving is refreshingly generous—providing food that they themselves would be proud to eat, rather than leftover or inferior items. This thoughtful commitment has garnered widespread praise and appreciation from across the East End.

Join Us in Celebrating

We invite you to visit Share the Harvest Farm and experience firsthand the impact of their mission. Their work is a shining example of how local initiatives can make a profound difference in the lives of many.

SFEE will be presenting the award at their upcoming annual benefit on the farm, which promises to be an unforgettable evening filled with music, food, and community spirit. Join us on Sunday, August 4th from 5-8pm for a magical evening on the farm under the setting sun. Every ticket directly supports the mission of fighting food insecurity on the East End!

For more information about their programs and get tickets for their annual Summer Soiree please visit their website here.

Thank you for supporting Slow Food East End and our remarkable partners like Share the Harvest Farm. Together, we are making strides towards a more equitable and sustainable food system.

Warm regards,

The Slow Food East End Team

RSVP for the Summer Soirée

May 14: Flour Power Baker’s Workshop at St. Joseph Villa

May 8, 2024 | Blog, Events, Flour Power

We invite you to join Slow Food East End and St. Joseph Villa for an in-person Flour Power gathering.

WHAT: Slow Food East End Flour Power Baker’s Workshop

WHEN: Wednesday, May 14, 5:30 – 7:00pm

WHERE: St. Joseph Villa, 81 Lynn Avenue, Hampton Bays (Drive to end of driveway and Park in lot closest to Main House)

WHO: Everyone who has baked or has ever been interested in learning about becoming a Flour Power baker.

WHY: Food insecurity is a huge issue in our community and our community needs loaves.

We love getting our community together to talk all things Flour Power. We will gather at this beautiful venue on the Shinnecock bay, and our very own Bread Ambassador, Pennie Schwartz, will be there to discuss the finer points of the program.

RSVP for Flour Power Baker's Workshop

WE NEED MORE LOAVES..

If you signed up a while ago and have yet to get your hands in the dough, this evening is for you.

If you are already a baker (Thank you), we’d love for you to come mingle with your fellow bakers and share your expertise — the new bakers always love your experienced tips and tricks.

Bringing our expert baking community together with our novice bakers is always a beautiful thing. We love swapping stories and hearing your experiences, tips, and feedback about the program.

As we like to say, nothing says love more than a home-baked loaf of our deliciously nutritious bread. Flour Power has been SFEE’s community initiative of inspiring home bakers to join us as we continue our work to fight food insecurity on the East End. Since our launch during the pandemic, we have grown to provide loaves to 4 local pantries, 2 on each fork.

Here are some Highlights of our updated Flour Power program…

We have sturdy and secure Igloo coolers at each drop-off location so you can securely and easily drop your loaves.
We have updated the recipe (specifically the amount of flour) for those bakers who prefer to measure rather than weigh their flour.
We have begun distributing complimentary bread baking starter kits (4 metal loaf pans, some ingredients, recipe cards, bread bags…) in a sturdy canvas tote designed to make bread carrying to the drop-off locations easier. These kits will be available to ALL registered bakers, new and existing.
We have also added group dough-making workshops where we can all prep the recipe “together” to bake, so you are more confident in your technique when you take that solo plunge. The “together” is in quotes as these will be group Zoom bake classes so you won’t leave YOUR kitchen while baking. More details at the workshop.

We would love for ALL our current bakers to come to this workshop and pick up their kits and get the updated information.

Share this event info with your friends and neighbors, let’s grow our baking tribe. Come chat with us. And break bread with us (pun intended). The bread we bake is delicious and you will get to hear and sample for yourself why we created this recipe to help feed the forks.

Come prepared to learn, to laugh, and to connect with fellow like-minded community members.

#Slowtheforksdown – #FeedtheForks