Good, clean and fair. It is the eco-gastronomic philosophy of the Slow Food movement founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in the 1980’s in a reaction to fast food.

The international Slow Food movement has more than 80,000 members in 100 countries. Nearly two years ago it was adopted in Prince Edward County by a group of 10 people, a convivium, spear-headed by Petra Cooper, and it has become one of the 26 such conviviums in this country.

JJ Syer displays one of the baskets of fresh vegetables raffled during the
Slow Food harvest dinner at Harvest restaurant in Picton last Friday.

This group held their 2nd annual Good, Clean & Fair Dinner at Harvest Restaurant in Picton last Friday. Local grower Sandi Taylor described the principle values of the movement.

“We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or human health; and that its producers should receive fair compensation for their work,” said Taylor as she read from the Slow Food members’ companion. “That’s it. In a nutshell. That’s it.”

Taylor also acknowledged work done by Cooper in developing the local sensibility for slow food.

“I personally refer to her as mother seed,” said Taylor. “It was Petra’s seed of an idea and the germination of that idea for Slow Food that really has brought us to the point that we are at tonight.”

The Prince Edward County Slow Food Convivium has expanded from its original 10 founding members to more than 30 members. Cooper spoke about some basic principles linkedto movement including the importance of biodiversity; the importance of archiving and preserving culinary practices; linking producers and consumers in an effort to relearn how to appreciate and taste food and, with that, appreciating the practice that goes into making great food.

“As health concerns and nutrition become closer related,” she said, “the notion of where food comes from and knowing more about its production is a really really current topic.”

Food celebrity Jamie Kennedy has owned a farm in Hillier for the past five years and has recently taken up permanent residence here with his family. Kennedy spoke about Slow Food’s Terra Madre, a world meeting of food communities, held in Turin, Italy in 2006.

“Terra Madre centred on enabling people in their own communities to do things that start to chip away at the global industrial food complex. Kind of like taking back communities from the world economy,” said Kennedy. “Issues that we have today — sprouting from a growing distrust of mass marketed, mass produced food, ties in so well with the work we are doing in our own communites.

“We are a generation of people who are discovering gastronomy in a big way. Food culture in the ’70s didn’t exist,” said Kennedy, urging the gathering to take confidence in their community. “It all leads us to sharing around a table, leading back to Carlo Petrini’s first purpose. “Ideas are exchanged around table where there is good food being consumed, good wine; good conversation with wonderful people,” Kennedy said, “and I think that that is what is happening right here.”