Upcoming Slow Food Madera Events

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Fig Fest 2008 - August 9, 2008

Fig Fest 2008 – Celebrating a Valley Treasure

Saturday, August 9, 2008 - 9 AM to NOON at Fresno State Campus
Between the Ag Science Building & Satellite Student Union
Near the corner of Barstow & Maple Avenues Fig Celebration Features Gourmet Chefs, Live Jazz, Fresh Figs, & Cooking Demos

FRESNO, Calif., Taste the fruit that started it all. Figs. Baked, roasted, grilled, marinated, stuffed, and wrapped any way you can imagine, sun-ripened California figs, will be the focus of the fifth annual Fig Fest 2008 – Celebrating a Valley Treasure. Fig Fest takes place August 9, 2008 in Fresno, California from 9 a.m. to noon.

Admission to the event will be $5 with proceeds to benefit Fresno State Agriculture Scholarships and Slow Food Madera. Tickets will be available at the door.  The 2007 event attracted over 1,500 people from all across the country to sample a wide variety of inspired fig offerings created by over 15 local area chefs.

Fig Fest will be held at the Fresno State Campus, between the Ag Science Building & Satellite Student Union, near the corner of Barstow & Maple Avenues. Parking is free.

New this year at Fig Fest will be cooking demos by local chefs and the Big Fig Children’s area with fig oriented educational activities. Fig Fest will also feature plenty of fabulous fig recipes and live jazz by Lisa’s Big Night Out.

The event, sponsored by the California Fig Advisory Board and Slow Food Madera, is designed to increase appreciation for figs and local produce.

Featured local restaurant’s include; Bistro Rustico, Campagnia, Cracked Pepper Bistro, Erna's Elderberry House, Love & Garlic, Palomino’s, Slates, The Chef's Table, The Vineyard Restaurant, The Vintage Press, and Trelio Restaurant among others.

At last year’s event the Favorite Recipe Contest was won by Cracked Pepper Bistro for their take on Barbequed Figgy Chicken Wings. The Chefs Table (located where else, but Fig Garden Village) was awarded second place for Marinated Chinese Long Bean and Dried Fig Salad with Toasted Almonds and Olive Vinaigrette.  Third place went to The Vintage Press in Visalia for their take on Fig Salad with Arugula and Balsamic Syrup. The awards were based upon votes cast by Fig Fest attendees. Three lucky random drawing winners also won gift certificates to the three winning restaurants. The popular contest will be held again this year.

A Fig Feast Dinner sponsored by Slow Food Madera and the California Fig Advisory Board is planned to take place on Saturday August 9, 2008 at 7 PM under the arbor at the Vineyard Farmer’s Market at Blackstone & Shaw avenues in Fresno, California. The dinner will be a five-course fig showcase created by Chef Mike Shackelford of Trelio. The price of the dinner will be  $135 per person and includes wine.

Purchase Tickets Here!

Fresh figs are harvested from May to November. Dried figs are harvested from late summer to early fall. All of the nation’s dried figs and 98% of the nation’s fresh figs are grown in California, primarily Fresno, Madera and Merced counties. For more information on figs and Fig Fest 2008 visit www.californiafigs.com

Joel Salatin Grass Farmer-Author, Polyface Farm, Swope, Virginia Salatin’s “farm of many faces” is richly profiled in Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma as “one of the most productive and influential alternative farms in America.” Acclaimed author and pastoralist, Salatin’s passion for humanity’s ancient engagement with grass argues its current relevance to your health and our species’ continued success on the planet.

For more information call:

209-874-1309 or 559-706-9552

Monday, September 1, 2008 • 2pm-4pm • Bernell & Flora Snider Music Recital Hall - California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, California

Tickets must be purchased in advance • $20 general, $10 student
At: www.brownpapertickets.com

Joel will be joined in the presentation by Jerry Brunetti, Martin’s Creek, Pennsylvania, educator, consultant and authority on correlations between soil, plant, animal and human nutrition.

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