About Us
What is Slow Food?
Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. Think opposite of fast food. Think planning meals around what is in season and local. Think patronizing an independent local farm-to-table restaurant instead of picking up dinner at the big box store. Slow Food is a global, grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.
Our Mission
Slow Food Solano is a local chapter (referred to as a convivium) of the non-profit Slow Food network of over 100,000 members in more than 150 countries. Through this vast volunteer network of local chapters and communities, we work to bring people together to share in the joys of good food and to appreciate a variety of food traditions, as we advocate to protect our food communities, culture, knowledge and environment. A better, cleaner, and fairer world begins with what we put on our plates – and our daily choices determine the future of the environment, economy, and society. Our mission is to help create and sustain a food system that is:
- Good: Our food should be tasty, seasonal, local, fresh, and wholesome.
- Clean: Our food should nourish a healthy lifestyle and be produced in ways that preserve biodiversity, sustain the environment, and ensure animal welfare – without harming human health.
- Fair: Our food should be affordable by all, while respecting the dignity of labor from field to fork.
- For all: Good, clean, and fair food should be accessible to all and celebrate the diverse cultures and traditions that reside in the USA
Our Programs
Each Slow Food convivium, or chapter, may choose to focus on any number of programs to support the goals of Slow Food USA in their own community. The primary goals of the Solano convivium are to support school gardens in our community, advocate for local farmers and food producers, provide opportunities to learn more about our food system, and gather together enjoy what our beautiful area has to offer.
School Garden Grants
Each year we provide grants to local schools to help them start or maintain school gardens.
Education & Events
We sponsor and promote member mixers, potlucks, cooking classes, book signings and other events to provide opportunities to learn and appreciate the bounty of our community.
Advocacy & Community Support
We strive to promote and advocate for our local farmers, vintners and other producers within and surrounding Solano County.
How We Got Started
The Slow Food organization began in Italy in 1986, when Italian journalist Carlo Petrini learned that a fast food restaurant franchise was opening adjacent to the Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna. Outraged, he reached out to his community and launched a campaign against the global industrialization of food production, urging friends to take a stand in organized protests with the participants chanting “We don’t want fast food… we want slow food!” And so the Slow Food movement was born. Today, Slow Food has over 150,000 members and is active in more than 150 countries, including national associations in Italy, the U.S., Germany and Japan. There are more than 170 chapters and 2,000 food communities in the United States alone. Learn more by visiting the Slow Food USA site.
Thank You Sponsors and Community Partners
