Food and Beers Speaker Series
Presented by Tides Canada
Hosted by David Beers, founding editor of The Tyee

Iron Chef - the local food edition
Two Vancouver chefs battle it out with barbeques and local ingredients.

Join us for a talk and tour of the exhibit, Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food. Presented by FarmFolk/CityFolk. Free with admission.

October's Speaker:
Karen Howbolt

Topic:
Politics of seeds and our local good system with a global view

Biography
Karen Howbolt has been farming for about 10 years, growing food and seed on Saltspring Island, Saanich, and most currently in Richmond.

She has been involved in market growing, running CSAs, growing and distributing seed for both Saltspring Seeds and Stellar Seeds, and participating in the organic movement as both a farmer and an activist.

Howbolt recently moved back to the mainland and is farming out at the Richmond Sharing Farm which grows food for the Richmond Food Bank and other community meals.

Food and Beers Speaker Series
Presented by Tides Canada
Hosted by David Beers, founding editor of The Tyee

Can The City Feed Itself?
A panel of local food corporate knights from growers & chefs to manufacturers discuss what still needs to be done to ensure a sustainable local food industry in Vancouver.

Join us for a talk and tour of the exhibit, Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food. Presented by FarmFolk/CityFolk. Free with admission.

November's Speaker:
Chris Hergesheimer with Jim Grieshaber-Otto of Cedar Isle Farm

Topic:
Growing local grain and the first grain CSA in the lower mainland

Biography:
Chris Hergesheimer holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Simon Fraser University. He is the founding member of the Local-Grain-Initiative. Hergesheimer's goal is to position himself at the centre of a community dedicated to local sustainable food production in just the way the community miller was central to communities before the mega-marts and the 10,000-kilometre supply chain. Chris organizes FF/CF’S Grain Chain Coordinator whilst he runs his own business, The Flour Peddler.

Jim Grieshaber-Otto of Cedar Isle Farm together with Diane Exley and their two children, manage a community-minded family farm that has been growing small amounts of grain for several decades. About 100 acres in size, Cedar Isle Farm partners with a neighbouring dairy farm to produce silage and hay (for both cows and horses), and pastures Angus beef cattle, layer hens, and free-range broiler chickens.The farm grows a few acres of grain each year – mostly oats and wheat – which is either used as animal feed or sold to friends and neighbors. Although not certified, the farm has long operated under organic principles and is in the process of seeking certification.

Food and Beers Speaker Series
Presented by Tides Canada
Hosted by David Beers, founding editor of The Tyee

How Do We Compare to Other Cities?
Renowned authors of The 100 Mile Diet, James McKinnon and Alisa Smith, return from their travels to share ten local food ideas being trialed in other North American cities.

Join us for a talk and tour of the exhibit, Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food. Presented by FarmFolk/CityFolk. Free with admission.

December's Speaker:
Chef Andrea Carlson of Bishops and Heather Pritchard of Glorious Organics Farmer

Topic:
Co-creation of our local food cuisine

Biography:
Chef Andrea Carlson is a graduate of the Dubrulle Culinary School, Chef Carlson honed her culinary skills under Executive Chef Rob Clark at Vancouver's famed C Restaurant, first as a pastry chef and later as Sous Chef. While at C Restaurant, she pursued her interest in plants and gardens by taking courses in landscape design. From C, she moved to Victoria to work under Chef Edward Tuscon at the multi-awarded Sooke Harbour House with its famed edible landscap. Andrea Carlson has garnered the Prestigious Green Award from Vancouver Magazine. The citation reads: “Her green approach got its formal start in 2003 at Sooke Harbour House on Vancouver Island, a restaurant surrounded by herb-rich gardens, fresh seafood, and local producers. In Vancouver she became deeply involved in local community initiatives, including the Green Table Network (to encourage composting and water reduction in restaurants), Growing Chefs (where chefs visit classrooms to discuss sustainable agriculture), and UBC Farm’s Outstanding in the Field (a gourmet dining series that promotes farming initiatives). When the 100-Mile Diet was catching on, Carlson when she was at Raincity Grill, was the first chef in town to feature a 100-mile menu; more recently, she helped launch the city’s compost program by composting with the mayor.”

Heather Pritchard - Until June 2010, FarmFolk/CityFolk Executive Director ~ Heather has over 40 years experience assisting non-profits, co-operatives and small businesses with financial planning, organizational development and personnel management. She is a member of Glorious Organics Cooperative, a certified organic farm business operating from Fraser Common Farm Cooperative in the Fraser Valley. As an active member in the land cooperative and a grower, producer and marketer of certified organic product, she has first-hand experience with the challenges of sustainable agriculture. Heather co-wrote the FarmFolk/CityFolk book, is on the GVRD Agricultural Advisory Committee, a founding member of the Vancouver Food Policy Council, and Treasurer of the BC Food Systems Network.

Food and Beers Speaker Series
Presented by Tides Canada
Hosted by David Beers, founding editor of The Tyee

Vancouver’s new Food Writing
Meet Vancouver’s food writers as they discuss the current passion for food writing and how urban kitchens are linking their food to the planet.