Courtesy of PASA imagesThroughout its 19 years in existence, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) has consistently upheld its mission to “promote profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.” One of PASA’s newer innovative actions involves a collaboration of local famers and restaurants coming together to develop healthier choices for the dining-out community, called Farm Meets the Table.
Local growers benefit from selling their items on a commercial scale. Local buyers not only benefit from buying foods with maximum freshness and great taste, they also help keep dollars in the local economy, which in turn benefits families within the community.
PASA hosted its premier Farm Meets the Table event last year on April 12 at Restaurant Alba in Malvern. The inaugural event featured a presentation by Alba chef/owner Sean Weinberg on how to buy from farmers and how to sell to chefs.
“We had a really nice turnout last year,” said Weinberg in a telephone chat. “We’re expecting even more this year. There’s even a waiting list for the farmers and the chefs.” The event was such a sucess that Weinberg will reprise his role as host again this year.
“I’m really close to all the people in PASA and I have good relationships with a lot of the farmers,” said Weinberg. “I’m just looking forward to seeing them and having time to really talk about issues [regarding eating healthy, locally grown foods]. Instead of saying ‘we should talk about this,’ we actually will get a chance to talk about it.”
The event will take place Monday, March 14 from 5:30-7pm at Restaurant Alba, located at 7 West King St., Malvern. Registration deadline is March 4 at 5pm.
For more information, contact event coordinator Denise Sheehan at 610-458-5700 ext. 317 or via email at denise[at]pasafarming[dot]org
