The 2017 Food Summit, a gathering of scholars, farmers and food lovers, is organized around the theme “Dynamic Traditions, Resourceful Communities.” The Summit will take place on Saturday, October 28 at Appalachian State University’s Plemmons Student Union in the Parkway Ballroom.
The morning session features a discussion with Ronni Lundy, author of the widely acclaimed Appalachian cookbook "Victuals," while afternoon events explore how communities are building economic and ecological wealth from food waste recovery. The purpose of this year’s summit is to explore what makes High Country communities both unique and uniquely regenerative: self-healing, self-sustaining, innovative and resourceful.
Lundy’s "Victuals," the James Beard Foundation’s 2017 Cookbook of the Year, chronicles the dynamic evolution of Appalachian Foodways and profiles up-and-coming Appalachian chefs. She will be joined onstage by Shelley Cooper, one of the chefs profiled in "Victuals," and Dr. Jessica Martell, the Summit’s Co-Organizer who teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences.
In the afternoon, Linda Bilsens of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance will discuss how food waste composting can regenerate communities, both socially and ecologically. Breakout sessions will highlight local perspectives on food waste, including the Food Preservation Project, a new collaboration between Boone’s F.A.R.M. Cafe and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.
A locally-sourced lunch will be catered by F.A.R.M. Cafe.
“At last year’s Food Summit, we had important conversations about food insecurity, both on campus and in the community,” comments Dr. Jacqui Ignatova, Martell’s Co-Organizer who teaches in Sustainable Development. “The conversations that the Summit made possible led to the opening of the Watauga and Ashe County Seed Libraries as well as the Appalachian Food Pantry in the Office of Sustainability.”
“It is my hope,” Ignatova continues, “that by examining our community’s history of resilience, alongside new ideas that promote local self-reliance, we will encourage concrete steps that can enable the High Country to continue to build as a regenerative community.”
“Having Ronni Lundy, the author of the Best Cookbook in the United States, visit us is a tremendous honor,” says Martell, who, like Ignatova, is also a Blue Ridge Women In Agriculture Board Member. “With Ronni, chef Shelley Cooper and ethnobotanist Jim Veteto all participating in the same event, we get to highlight the unique and diverse food shed of Appalachia. We want Appalachian and the Boone community to celebrate what is naturally around us.”
“This Summit is an embarrassment of riches,” she adds. “It is truly transdisciplinary and provides an exemplary model of campus-community collaboration. All of us work together -- across disciplines, colleges and professions -- with ease and enthusiasm.”
Lundy has both personal and professional ties to the area. “Appalachian State,” she says, “is tremendously important to all of us who write and work in the region. Appalachian students are passionate explorers who come out of school with a strong and proud understanding of who they are and where they come from. It’s such a gift to the region.”
“I am looking so forward to my Boone visit,” Lundy continues, “and to seeing the opportunity that the Food Summit presents for deepening our sense of community at home as well as our value to the world at large.”
Tickets are $30 for the General Public and $15 for Students. They may be purchased online at www.foodsumit.brwia.org. Some will be available at the door.
The 2017 Food Summit is sponsored by Appalachian State University's College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE), the Sustainable Development Department, the Center for Appalachian Studies, the Department of English, the Office of Sustainability and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.
For more information, visit www.foodsumit.brwia.org.
###
Appalachian State 2017 food summit, www.foodsumit.brwia.org
Appalachian State 2017 food summit, www.foodsumit.brwia.org