Tag Archives: local food

Salt Lake City Announces Awardee, Location of the New Culinary Incubator Kitchen Project

Salt Lake City is pleased to announce that Square Kitchen has been awarded a competitive $350,000 grant to develop a culinary incubator kitchen in the Poplar Grove neighborhood. The new Square Kitchen will provide accessible and affordable commercial kitchen space to budding food entrepreneurs, in addition to regulatory, marketing and business resources.

“There is high demand for local and organic food options in Salt Lake City,” said Mayor Ralph Becker. “Square Kitchen will help to build and diversify our local food economy by removing the barriers that are preventing new companies from starting in the food sector – specifically the lack of commercial kitchen space and accessible business resources.”

Earlier this year, Mayor Becker and the Salt Lake City Council approved $600,000 to support the development of a Culinary Incubator Kitchen in Salt Lake City. $350,000 was available through a competitive grant process, while the additional $250,000 was made available through a loan. Proposals were submitted last summer to create and operate a culinary incubator kitchen.

The selection of Square Kitchen is another important step forward for a project that began over two years ago. In 2013, Salt Lake City’s Food Policy Task Force, in partnership with the Sustainability Division, worked with Carbaugh & Associates to conduct the Culinary Incubator Kitchen Feasibility Study (PDF). This study identified a strong demand for an incubator kitchen, while outlining the key components needed to create a successful project for the Salt Lake City community.

Square Kitchen, LLC was established in March 2015 by Analia Valdemoros, MCMP and Tham Soekotjo with the mission of building a culinary kitchen incubator facility accessible to all community members. Together, Valdemoros and Soekotjo have over 16 years of diverse experience as urban planners, entrepreneurs and local food business owners.

“Square Kitchen is thrilled to work with Salt Lake City in providing new and experienced food entrepreneurs with an affordable state-of-the art kitchen facility, sizable storage space, training opportunities to grow their food business, and most importantly, a gathering place to cultivate and increase food diversity in our city,” said Valdemoros and Soekotjo.

Square Kitchen is finalizing site plans and will break ground on the new facility in early spring 2016. The new kitchen plans to open its doors for business in July 2016.

For more information and to follow the progress of the Culinary Incubator Project, please visit www.SLCgreen.com.

Salt Lake City Awarded Grant to Expand Access to Healthy Foods in Glendale & Poplar Grove Neighborhoods

Photo: Real Food Rising

SALT LAKE CITY – Salt Lake City, in partnership with Green Urban Lunch Box, Utahns Against Hunger and Salt Lake Community Action Program’s Real Food Rising, has been awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farmers Market Promotion Program grant that will establish a mobile market and farm stands in the Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods of Salt Lake City.

“Salt Lake City is striving to create an equitable local food system that provides healthy and affordable food for all residents,” said Mayor Ralph Becker. “For many residents in our Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods, it can be a challenge to access healthy whole foods. This project will bring fresh, local fruits and vegetables to residents who live in the largest food desert in Salt Lake City.”

The $54,421 in grant funds will be used to coordinate and operate five mobile markets and three farm stands from June to October 2016, which will be hosted by Glendale-Mountain View Community Learning Center, Hartland Partnership Center, Neighborhood House, Sherwood Park and Sorenson Unity Center. All locations will accept SNAP/EBT and Double Up Food Bucks.

The 2013 Salt Lake City Community Food Assessment found that the Glendale/Poplar Grove area has low supermarket access and some of the lowest vehicle ownership rates in the city. Of key significance are the lack of a full-service grocery store and an abundance of fast food outlets and convenience stores within the target community, which has, lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture to classify these neighborhoods as food deserts.

Future updates on the program, slated to launch next summer, will be posted at SLCgreen.com.

Double Up Food Bucks

SLCgreen is excited to highlight the Double Up Food Bucks program, which began July 1^st, 2015 and is available at 19 different farmers’ markets around the state.

Back for its second year, this program helps low income families who participate in SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) stretch their food dollars by matching dollar for dollar on farmers’ market and farm stand purchases. This win-win-win program helps families afford fresh, healthy produce, while also supporting local farmers, and keeping food dollars within the local economy.

“According to a study completed by Sustainable Seattle, every dollar spent at a farmers’ market generates $2.80 of local economic activity. The benefit of Salt Lake City’s portion of the grant has potential to contribute as much as $336,000 to our local, Salt Lake City economy while increasing access to healthy food among our food insecure residents.”

Salt Lake City is committed to developing a more accessible, healthy, and equitable local food system. Food Security is one of the twelve core areas in the City’s Livability agenda. Therefore, Salt Lake City has committed $60,000 to the Double Up Food Bucks program. This funding will support the program in conjunction with additional Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grant funding awarded to Utahns Against Hunger.

So far this season there have already been 500 SNAP/ food stamp transactions at local farmers’ markets. With nearly 32,000 individuals participating in SNAP in Salt Lake City, the Double Up Food Bucks program will help even more families put fresh fruits and vegetables on the table.

For more information about how the program works, and where you can find a farmers’ market near you that supports this program, click here and visit the Utahns Against Hunger website.

Winter Farmers Market Opens this Saturday!

Hooray!

Saturday, November 8th is the opening day of the Winter Market at Rio Grande Depot. Featuring a stunning array of fresh, local produce, grass fed meats, artisan cheeses, and unique packaged foods – this market has it all! Hours are 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Support your local producers and reap the benefits of fresh, local food. And, of course, remember to bring your reusable bags. Next market is November 22!

Fruit: Local apples are in season. Enjoy many varieties including; Rome, Beauty, Johnathan, Fuji, Golden, Red Delicious and Granny Smith. Also, Asian Pears if you’re not feeling the apple spirit.

Vegetables: sweet potatoes, tomatillos, winter squash, pumpkins, peppers, onions, lettuce, leeks, kohlrabi, eggplant, broccoli rabe, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, chilis, cabbage, radish, and beets.

Vendor List for November 8

On the Portico:
Amour Spreads
Asian & Heirlooms
Biocentric Bros
Blue Spring Farm
BlueTree Cattle Co.
Canyon Meadows Ranch
Chad’s Produce
Charming Beard
Clifford Family Farm
Crumb Brothers
Drake Family Goat Dairy
Earth First Eco-Farm
Epicurean Chefs
Farmer Next Door
Frisky Fresh Fish
Garden Goodies
Lau Family Farm
Laziz Foods
Parker Farms
Pyne Farms
Red Rock Pistachios
Rico’s Mexican
Riley’s Farm Fresh
Rino’s Italian Heirloom
Salt Lake County Jail
SLC Walnuts
Smith Orchards
Spring Creek Farms
Tequenos Factory
Zoe’s Natural Garden

Upstairs on the Mezzanine:
Beehive Cheese Co.
Beltex Meats
Blue Copper Roasters
Caputo’s Market and Deli
Cheese Bread Mania
Chili Beak
Chocolate Conspiracy
Cupcakes by Kasthuri
Desire Dessert
Good Grains Gluten Free Baking Co.
Grandma Sandino’s Sicilian Sauce
Mamachari Kombucha
Mountain Town Olive Oil
Oolite Cheese Co.
Rosemain
Salsa Del Diablo
Slide Ridge
Sugar House Libations
Sugared
Terrapin Station
The Queen’sTea
Tulie Bakery
Urban Pioneer Foods
Van Kwartel
Vive Juicery
Vosen’s Bread Paradise
White Lake Farms
Winder Farms

Urban Farming Open House

Are you interested in gardening and farming? Do you want to know where your food comes from? Would you like to start a community garden in your neighborhood? Are you interested in leasing land for small plot farming? Do you care about local food?

You’re invited to attend Salt Lake County’s Urban Farming Open House!

What: Urban Farming Open House

Where: 2001 South State Street, South Building Atrium

When: November 12 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Learn more at SLCo.org/urbanfarming.

Challenge Yourself to Eat Local!

Get ready to eat local! Eat Local Week returns to Utah on September 6 and runs through September 13.

Eat Local Week celebrates the regional harvest, promotes local agriculture and the preservation of Utah’s agricultural heritage, and bringing people together.

Take the Pledge

The Challenge is simple — eat as local as you can! There are three levels to choose from:

Hardcore: This level will be a challenge-eating only food grown, produced or caught within 250 miles from where you live. This means cutting out some vices that might seem difficult to most. You may have to leave behind your coffee, chocolate, olive oil, booze and fine French cheeses, and you will have to do a little more label reading and research. But finding a deeper connection with your local food resources will make it all worth the effort.

Easy-Does-It: This challenge suggests selecting three vices – maybe coffee, chocolate, and olive oil (or French cheese, Spanish cheese and Vermont cheese), whatever it is you feel you can’t live without, but isn’t produced locally. We also suggest giving yourself a break at this level. We suggest three not-totally-local meal allowances in the week. Maybe you are out with friends or have a business lunch that you can’t skip, allow yourself a little more leniency so you can remain successful.

DIY: For newbies we suggest trying to eat one entirely local meal a day, or consider trying to use one or more local ingredient in every meal you eat for the week. Find something you eat a lot, maybe milk or tomatoes or a grain like wheat and replace your usual brand with a locally made product. Even small changes in your habits can have a huge impact on the producer, environment, economy, flavor, nutrients and you.

Take the pledge now!

Update us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #eatlocalutah hashtag.

Find an Event

There are a lot of great events taking place during Eat Local Week. Here are a few highlights:

Taste Local Utah – Utah State Fair: Join Utah’s Own in celebration of more than 30 locally grown, processed and manufactured products, Sept. 4, noon to 8 p.m., in the Specialty Events Tent at the Utah State Fair.
21st Annual Tomato Sandwich Party: Help us kick-off Eat Local Week, and start you Eat Local Challenge off right at the Tomato Sandwich Party. Enjoy an afternoon at the Grateful Tomato Garden with friends and neighbors and sample our amazing heirloom tomato harvest. We will be serving unique varieties of heirloom tomatoes grown in our Youth Gardens, with pesto made from our homegrown basil, and fresh locally made bread. There will also be live music and fun activities for kids, so bring the whole family. Sept. 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Eating Alabama @ Brewvies: In search of a simpler life, a young couple returns home to Alabama where they set out to eat the way their grandparents did – locally and seasonally. But as they navigate the agro-industrial gastronomical complex, they soon realize that nearly everything about the food system has changed since farmers once populated their family histories. A thoughtful and often funny essay on community, the South and sustainability. Sept. 8, 7 p.m.
Quickle (Quick Pickle) at the Tuesday Harvest Market. Come make a quick batch of pickles that will taste like summer in a jar! Refrigerator pickles are a fast and easy way to preserve some of the abundant harvest to enjoy in the weeks ahead. We’ll help you make your creation at our booth after you’ve chosen your ingredients from the market. Jars and supplies provided.

Explore all events during Eat Local Week.

Popperton Plots: A Community Garden for The Avenues

Today Mayor Ralph Becker gathered with Jeramy Lund of the Community Foundation of Utah, Ashley Patterson of Wasatch Community Gardens and local gardeners to dedicate the Popperton Plots community garden in the Avenues neighborhood.

“Salt Lake City recognizes the important role community gardens play in supporting our local food system,” said Mayor Becker. “We are delighted to dedicate Popperton Plots, the first community garden to open under our expanded Green City Growers program.”

This spring, Green City Growers was awarded $50,000 in grant funds to support the development of two new community gardens including Popperton Plots. The award included $25,000 from Partners for Places, an initiative launched by the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN).

Partners for Places is a matching grant program that creates opportunities for cities and counties to improve communities by building partnerships between local government sustainability offices and place-based foundations. The Community Foundation of Utah provided the $25,000 grant match and will manage permanent endowments.

“We are committed to sustainable nonprofits and sustainable communities, and this project is a demonstration of both,” said Community Foundation of Utah Board Chairman Jeramy Lund.

Five additional parcels of city-managed land are currently available for community garden access. Residents are encouraged to review the available parcels on SLCgreen.com and, if interested, complete an application for the organization and creation of a community garden.

Applications are due November 1, 2014.

Salt Lake City works directly with Wasatch Community Gardens and community members to develop gardens within City limits. Wasatch Community Gardens is a community-based nonprofit that has served Salt Lake County for over 25 years.

Other media coverage:

Farmers Markets are in Bloom!

Summer is kicking into gear, and Farmers Markets are returning to Salt Lake City! The highly popular Downtown Farmers Market opens this Saturday, June 14th at Pioneer Park. Spring and early summer crops include greens, herbs, asparagus, strawberries, kale and spinach. Baked goods, locally-raised meats, jams and spreads, sauces and local crafts are also available.

SLCgreen will be there, so be sure to stop by our booth to grab information about home composting, air quality and all of your curbside sanitation services in SLC. Our booth is located on the north side of the park.

And if you do stop by the market this Saturday, head to the center of the park to catch the 2014 Clear the Air Challenge kickoff event at 10 a.m. We’re gearing up for another summer of driving less, driving smarter to reduce vehicle emissions and help clear the air!

Here’s our quick rundown of Farmers Market opportunities in the city.

*Downtown Farmers Market
Sat: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Jun 14 – Oct 25)
Tues: 4 p.m. – dusk (Aug 5 – Oct 21)
Historic Pioneer Park, 300 S. 300 W.

*International Rescue Committee’s Farm Stand
New Roots Farm Stand Valley Center Park (4013 South 700 West)
Every Saturday from June 14 until October 11 from 1–3 p.m.
Information: 801-328-1091

*9th West Farmers Market (formerly the People’s Market)
Sun: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (May 11 – Oct 26)
International Peace Gardens, 1000 S. 900 W.

*Sugar House Farmers Market
Fri: 4pm – 8pm (Jul 11 – Oct 13)
Sugarmont Plaza (2200 S. Highland Dr.)
The Sugar House Farmers (mini) Market is in full swing right now!
Stop by every Friday in June and early July for a mini version of the full market.

*University of Utah Farmers Market
Thurs: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Aug 28 – Oct 9)
U of U Tanner Plaza, 201 S. 1460 E.

*SNAP/Food Stamps accepted

Give Hope, Opportunity & Training to New Farmers

Photo: Shawn Peterson

The Green Urban Lunch Box, a project of the Community Foundation of Utah, is preparing to launch an incubator farm in the spring of 2014.

An incubator farm offers urban farmers access to land on which they can start their own growing operations with guidance from experienced farmers. The Green Urban Lunchbox’s planned incubator farm is located in Layton, UT on an old fruit orchard leased from the Utah Department of Transportation.

Continue reading →

The Challenge of the 100 Mile Meal

Photo by Jeremy via Flickr.

This evening, Salt Lake City Green and Mayor Ralph Becker will host the 100 Mile Meal: Food with a Salt Lake City Story. The meal represents a celebration of Salt Lake City’s local food, farms and economy, while illustrating a commitment to sustainable agriculture.

Did you know the average meal in the United States travels 1,500 miles from the farm to your plate? Food that travels long distances impacts:

Environment. A larger carbon footprint due to fuel consumption and polluting emissions.
Food Security. Limited accountability due to large processing and distribution chains leaves food more vulnerable to contamination.
Nutrition. Fruits and veggies are most nutritious (and delicious!) when they are fresh.
Economy. Local farms mean more local jobs and revenue.

The 100 Mile Meal features seasonal ingredients sourced from farms within 100 miles of Mayor Becker’s office. In this day and age, this was no easy feat.