Dinner and a Webinar
Angelic Organics Farm Dinner and Naturally Chicago Chat on Better Baby Food
In This Issue
• Two Days Til Farmers Market Week (& Answer to the Latest ILFMA Tote Quiz)
• Get Your Tickets for Angelic Organics Learning Center 8/21 Farm Dinner
• Register (Free) for Naturally Chicago’s 8/6 Webinar on Better Baby Food
Countdown: Two Days Until Farmers Market Week
Just a reminder that National Farmers Market Week begins on Sunday. Whether you are a farmers market regular or just a sometimes shopper, this is the perfect time for a farmers market sweep: We are just about at the peak of the local growing season and there is SO much beautiful, delicious, nutritious food.
And bring a friend… or two… or ten. As Ben Feldman of the national Farmers Market Coalition said in an interview we published Wednesday:
If you're a dedicated shopper, grab a friend who maybe isn't a regular shopper and bring them out. The farmers market is its own best advertisement. There is its physical presence. You drive by it and you look at it and it looks like something you want to check out. There's a bunch of people there, there's bright colors. And when you get inside, it's an even better advertisement because then you experience the food and the community and all of the great aspects to it. So yeah, I think that's absolutely the case that the best way to get people to be market shoppers is to get them out to the market that first time.
We’re going to revise our schedule a bit and send out the weekly Chicago Region Farmers Market schedule tomorrow, so you have it on hand on Sunday when Farmers Market Week kicks off. We don’t want you to miss a thing.
Finally, the answer to yesterday’s Where the Heck is Bob’s ILFMA Bag? riddle is Daley Plaza Farmers Market (though we pretty much gave that away in the lead story about Yescenia Mota of Chicago City Markets). The market is located in Chicago’s downtown Loop (that’s Chicago City Hall in the background) and the giant looming over the market is the famed Picasso sculpture.
Buy Tickets: Angelic Organics 8/21 Farm Dinner
Angelic Organics Learning Center in Caledonia, Illinois is holding a farm dinner on Saturday, August 21, 5:00-8:30 p.m., and tickets are on sale now. Spend a country evening at one of the nation’s best-known learning farms and join fellow local food lovers for a delicious farm dinner.
Caledonia is about 80 miles from downtown Chicago, located near Rockford, Illinois and Beloit, Wisconsin. Bus transportation from Chicago is available (that’s how I’m getting there).
Here is the description of the event from the Angelic Organics website:
Join us in the Gathering Space at Angelic Organics Learning Center, the perfect setting to witness a beautiful sunset and gather with friends and family. Enjoy a four-course, farm to table meal curated by chefs at The Norwegian with ingredients from Angelic Organics Farm and Roots & Wings Urban Farm. Executive Director Jackie de Batista will provide a reflection on the impacts of the pandemic and our vision for the future of the Learning Center. There will be opportunities for selfies with our goats and Polaroid portraits. All proceeds go to supporting the transformative work at Angelic Organics Learning Center.
Accommodations
This event is entirely outdoors and those who are not fully vaccinated are highly encouraged to wear a mask when not social distancing. We adhere to CDC guidelines and monitor both federal and state updates.
There will be a bus from Chicago with multiple pickup locations for $25/person.
The ground of the event space is a combination of uneven grass and gravel.
Vegetarians can be accommodated upon request. Please contact Julie@learngrowconnect.org to request a vegetarian alternative.
Thank you to our event sponsor, Rockford Art Deli
Click the button below to reserve your place at the farm table.
Free 8/6 Webinar on the Better Baby Food Niche
Join our friends at Naturally Chicago and guest speaker Shibani Baluja of lil’gourmets for a free Office Hours webinar one week from today (Friday, August 6) from 9-10 a.m. This program is co-produced by Naturally Austin, which like Naturally Chicago is an affiliate of the Naturally Network.
The topic is Growing a New Product Niche, with a lively discussion about how startup companies can create — and pivot, if necessary — in a brand new category… a subject that Shibani knows a lot about.
When Shibani launched lil’gourmets in 2018, it was the first and only chilled organic veggie meal for kids. Its complex, global recipes feature mostly veggies and beans, combined with nourishing ingredients like coconut milk and olive oil, plus unique chef-crafted spice blends for fresh, delicious ready-to-eat snacks & meals.
This bold idea has gotten lil’gourmets placement in about 200 stores, most recently getting on shelf in Whole Foods Market’s Southwest region. The company is still working on its biggest challenge: persuading parents who are accustomed to buying shelf-stable products for their kids that they need a fresh, refrigerated, palate-developing alternative.
Shibani — a graduate of the Good Food Accelerator — will explain her strategy for addressing that challenge. lil’gourmets is woman- and minority-owned, and Shibani will be joined by Becky McAninch Graham, the company’s chief marketing officer, for the Q&A. (That’s Shibani and Becky in the photo below).
Click the button to register for free.