The annual Farm to Fork Picnic, which Bon Appétit magazine called the “country’s best all-you-can-eat-feast”, is expanding to a delicious weekend full of local food events June 5-7, 2015.  Benefiting beginner farmer programs at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and the W.C. Breeze Family Farm, Farm to Fork celebrates our region’s rich bounty of local foods and honors the skillful farmers and chefs who artfully produce and prepare them.  This year’s Farm to Fork events will have a special focus on North Carolina’s seafood, a critical but often overlooked component of our state’s local food system.

Paul Greenberg, The New York Times best-selling author of Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food and American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood, will be the weekend’s distinguished guest.  Four Fish won the James Beard Award in 2011 and was the basis for a Time Magazine cover story.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5th
Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham

The weekend will kick off with a dinner at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Friday, June 5, featuring five acclaimed North Carolina chefs, including Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston and the Peabody Award-winning PBS series A Chef’s Life, Chris Coleman of The Asbury in Charlotte, Amy Tornquist from Watts Grocery and Hummingbird Bakery in Durham, and two additional chefs to be announced soon.  Greenberg will be the guest of honor at the dinner and speak briefly about the purpose and importance of addressing overfishing and sourcing from our local shores.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6th
The Rickhouse in Durham

On June 6th, Greenberg will speak at The Rickhouse in Durham about the state of the fishing industry in the United States, how importing and exporting impacts consumers and economics, and the importance of protecting our waterways.  Following Greenberg’s talk, it will get real and local with a dynamic panel of North Carolina seafood industry experts who will discuss how supporting local seafood impacts our environment, our economy and our health.  After the panel, Greenberg will sign books and there will be a traditional, sustainable fish fry prepared by two chefs known for their commitment to local seafood – Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint and James Clark of The Carolina Inn.

SUNDAY, JUNE 7th
Breeze Farm in Hurdle Mills, NC

The weekend’s festivities continue on Sunday, June 7, with the highly-anticipated Farm to Fork Picnic at Breeze Farm in Hurdle Mills, NC.  With more than two dozen restaurants and farms paired together and another two dozen food artisans featured, the Picnic offers an amazing and delicious array of local food. In addition, the picnic features half a dozen craft brewers, wine distributors and coffee roasters offering libations for the feast.  For a complete listing of chef/farmer pairings, please visit the Farm to Fork website.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to become a sponsor, visit the Farm to Fork website!

Farm to Fork Picnic Weekend 2015 is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.  All proceeds benefit training programs at the Center for Environmental Systems and the W.C. Breeze Family Farm Extension and Research Center.  Farm to Fork fundraising efforts operate under the auspices of the NC Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.