Posted Nove 3, 2010
Corbin resident Dolores Mackey is still reaping the rewards of the work invested in her backyard garden this year.
“This was a good growing season,” Mackey, 71, said as she stood among her soon-to-be harvested broccoli patch Friday morning.
Mackey is among a group of area residents who have joined the growing slow food movement, which aims to improve nutrition, encourage environmentally friendly farming practices as well as increase the pleasure gained from eating by consuming locally grown foods.
The public can learn more about the new group, Slow Food London, as well as the benefits of slow food Thursday at Laurel County Public Library when a free tasting of local foods will be offered before a presentation by Chef Albert Schmid. Schmid, chair of hotel-restaurant, hospitality and beverage management at Sullivan University in Louisville, will explain how easy it can be for families to adopt the slow food philosophy.
“I just think it’s so important that people start taking more interest in the origins of their food,” Mackey said.
Another member of Slow Food London, Jane Rice Williams, 54, said the local group is one of three chapters statewide of the national Slow Food USA.
About 20 people are actively involved in the London group, Williams, of London, said.
The local group formed after a reading group this spring at Laurel County Public Library that focused on slow foods. Williams said the books they read included “Slow Food Nation,” written by Carlo Patrini, founder of the slow food movement.
Williams said her family has been eating locally for years and the result has been they’ve enjoyed tastier food and the reassurance that they aren’t being exposed to excess chemicals.
Another benefit is knowing the food suppliers–the local farmers who provide the meat and vegetables Williams’ family enjoys.
Among the goals of the slow food movement is to make people think about something they may never have considered–where the food on their plates comes from.
“I hate that we’ve lost that here but we’ve regained it in my home,” Williams said.
Williams emphasized that participation in Slow Food London isn’t limited geographically and she hopes people from throughout the Tri-County will join.
The free tasting is from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday at Laurel County Public Library, located off KY 192 in London. Schmid will speak from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Registration for Schmid’s presentation is requested by not required by visiting www.laurellibrary.org or by calling Gwen at 606-864-5759.
More information about Slow Food London can be obtained by emailing slowfoodlondon@aol.com and information about the national movement is at www.slowfoodusa.org.
Becky Killian can be reached at bkillian@thetimestribune.com
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Copyright © 2010, The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.