L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano I n a time w here almos t everyone has readily available access to cheap, fast, packaged food anytime, anywhere, the concept of Slow Food may sound preposterous, inconceivable, and, perhaps, a touch démodé to many. Why go through all of the trouble of acquiring food made w ith attention and care, when you can simply gulp down fast food from the comfort of your car? Slow Food is the brainchild of Carlo P etrini, an Italian gas tronomis t and journalis t, originally from Bra, in the region of Piedmont. In the early 80s, he began to realize that Italy's culinary heritage was in jeopardy, and its sources of food wisdom were being cast aside by modernization, in the form of s upermarkets and fas t food. During the opening of the first M cD onald's fas t food chain restaurant nearby the Spanish Steps in Rome, Petrini began a grassroots campaign where he presented a more healthy and w holes ome altern ative: he handed out large bowls of pasta to passersby right in front of the new McDonald's! Three years after, in 1986, he founded what is known today as the Slow Food movement. Since then, the Slow Food movement has been endeavoring to pres erve traditional and regional cuisine, and promote the cultivation of local agricultural res ources and livestock. They also strive to protect food biodiversity and build ties between producers and cons umers , as w ell as rais e awareness of some of the most compelling topics that have a major impact on our food system. Today Slow Food has over 100,000 members gathered in 1300 convivia – or local chapters – all over the world, as well as a solid network of several food communities that support small scale production of organic, quality food. San Francisco has its Slow Food chapter too. In order to have a better idea of how it operates, and what actions it is involved in, w e interview ed Vera Ciammetti, the Slow Food San Francisco Treasurer, who wears a variety of hats in the sustainable food field. V era, p lea s e b egin w ith telling us about yourself. I am a proud first generation American of Italian immigrant parents who came to New York from L'Aquila, in the region of Abruzzo. I moved to the Bay Area in 1996, and have worked as a non-profit Executive Director in Sonoma County, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Hayward. I currently reside in Alameda. Y ou are th e cu rren t Treasurer of Slow Food SF. Wh en d id you s tart you r collaboration with them? I began my pos ition as Treasurer twelve years ago, and am a very active member of the organization representing Slow Food San Francisco at various local and national events. It was during a trip to Italy in the mid 90′s that I first heard about the S low F ood movement and eventually joined Slow Food San Francisco. Previously I was the Operations Director for Slow Food Nation and worked in the International Slow Food Office to help plan a "Terra Madre" event (N/A: Terra Madre is a project conceived by S low Food). Also, I am the founder of Slow Food Alameda, a chef, caterer, volunteer manager, and res pons ible for coordinating various fundrais ing events including the annual Food From the Heart at the Ferry Building marketplace in February. Ho w h as S low Food S F changed since you first joined the movement? S lo w F ood S an F rancis co s tarted in the late '80s after Lorenzo S carpone, a native Italian and S an F rancis co resident, first met Carlo Petrini, the founder of S low F ood International in Bra. It began with the Slow Food office in New York that helped gather about 20 people from restaurants w ho s hared the S low F ood philos ophy. S an F rancis co's initial membership consisted of only 18-20 people. The firs t meetings w ere held at local restaurants that promoted Slow Food values and had specific themes. One of the first meetings w as an O live O il tas ting at Vivande, moderated by Darryl Corti. Another early meeting included a tas te comparis on between Petaluma cheese and honey and the cheese and honey made in Gran Sasso National Park in Abruzzo, Italy. We have always celebrated the "convivial table" - a gathering of good friends who love food, honor their origins , and res pect producers, pickers, farmers, and land. We believe in good, clean and fair food for all. I think Slow Food San Francisco has always remained true to its roots, but today it is an international organization whose mission is to save the planet and restore good healthy foods for all w hile respecting the environment. We now reach out to youth more than ever to help them understand the importance of being good stewards of our land - they are, after all, our future. What is the most important goal th at S low Food S an Francisco has reached over the years? The events and programs produced by S low F ood S an Francisco are a collection of educational and fundrais ing events aimed to increas e awareness, build community and s pread the w ord and joy of cons cious eating in the Bay Area. We were the first food- centric organization in town; today, there are so many new non-profits that embrace our founding principles. We were the trail blazers who made food and food justice important. We are proud to be the catalyst for the local, organic, s us tainable, humane food movement which is so prevalent in our society today. 2015 mark s th e 25 th anniversary of Slow Food San Francisco. What special events d o you h ave in s tore to celeb rate th is imp ortan t milestone? Our first event is October 25th at Thirsty Bear Brewery in San Francisco. This will be an intimate kick off for 40 - 50 guests. We plan on having many more exciting larger events through the next year. Please, vis it our w ebs ite at slowfoodsanfrancisco.com for more details! BIANCA FRIUNDI Happy 25th Birthday, Slow Food San Francisco! Carlo Petrini, Founder of the International Slow Food Movement Green tomatoes pickled in olive oil by Vera following the Slow Food principles and an old family recipe from Abruzzo SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

• Cover