The Earthwise Society will be hosting its fifth annual Hundred Mile Banquet on Saturday, Nov. 2 - a five-course gourmet feast that celebrates local food and community.
The Hundred Mile Banquet is Earthwise's signature fundraiser. Each year, hundreds of children visit the Earthwise Farm and Garden to learn about growing food and to connect with nature, and thousands of pounds of fresh produce are distributed to those in need through Delta Food Coalition. This year, the society's goal is to raise $15,000 in support of these programs.
The banquet will showcase the talent and creativity of chef Derek Bothwell of Gastown's Chill Winston restaurant. Bothwell "walks the talk" when it comes to fresh, local and organic. Every week throughout the summer, he and his culinary team leave the city behind and head out to the Earthwise Farm for a morning of volunteering in the field.
"I want my staff to really understand what is involved in putting food on the table," says Bothwell.
The Hundred Mile Banquet challenges the chef to use only ingredients sourced from within 100 miles of the Earthwise Farm to create a delicious and imaginative meal. Each course is paired with carefully selected B.C. wines.
The idea behind the event is to get people thinking about the distance that food travels from farm to table. Even in Delta, where we are surrounded by farmland, the average food item travels between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres to reach our plates, gulping up fossil fuels along the way.
The Hundred Mile Banquet makes eating local fun and delectable, and guests may be surprised to learn what is available right here where we live.
This year's banquet will be held at the Red Barn on the Southlands, site of the Earthwise Farm. This is where much of the food for the event is being grown.
The meal is sure to impress guests with the knowledge that "gourmet" need not be made with international ingredients to be exotic, and that supporting small farms and local food systems is both worthwhile and delicious. Tickets are $125 each, with a $65 charitable tax receipt. Call 604-946-9828 or email info@earthwisesociety.bc.ca to reserve tickets. Check www.earthwisesociety.bc.ca for more.
