Ships and semi-trucks bring foods from all over the world, but what if your next meal was limited to only what is available within 100 miles?
Recycle Utah is holding their 3rd annual 100-mile meal on August 11. The event menu features ingredients exclusively sourced from farms within a 100-mile radius of the Recycling Center in Park City. Recycle Utah’s executive director, Carolyn Wawra, spoke with KPCW.
“It’s at a private ranch out in Oakley. We do a bus that will take you there and back. It’s a five-course meal cooked by the Park City Epic Promise chefs, they donate their time. The unique thing about this is it’s all ingredients sourced within 100-mile radius of the recycling center. So right now, we’re in the process of reach(ing) out to farmers and see(ing) what they have and connect(ing) them with the chefs. The chefs make the menu based on what the farmers have, and what’s growing local.” Wawra says, “It’s really a good message in terms of lowering your carbon footprint. Instead of buying bananas that come from South America, and those are shipped all the way to you here; everything on this menu is within 100 miles. Tables are $1,500 for eight seats, and individual seats are $200. We’re about 65% sold out already, and we expect to sell out.”
The event requires a lot of creativity from Recycle Utah and the Park City Epic Promise Chefs.
“You’ve got to be a bit more creative, its kind of a fun game to play. I’m glad I don’t have to try to cook with this I’m not known for my cooking skills (…) All the alcohol will be Park City brewed (from) Alpine Distilling. (They’re) working with farmers on how to make a cocktail with local ingredients.” Wawra says that making the cocktails is a challenge as well, “They’ll say, ‘hey do you have lemons, or limes?’ and we’ll have to say ‘nope, that’s not an option, have to go another route.’ So, it’s a really fun game to try to make a menu. It usually goes over really well at the event. (The meal is) served family style, and everybody is sampling everything, and plates will come out. It’s all really well done.”
Wawra says that those local farmers who donate are invited to the evening as well.
“We have a lot of return farmers that are excited to be involved. We do offer each farmer two tickets to the event, and that’s part of the event. We want the farmers to sit along(side) the guests and say, ‘hey that’s my arugula I donated to this!’ It’s really a celebration of local food.”
Recycle Utah has other planned events for the next month. The next two lunch and learn events are revolving around composting. Those events will take place on Wednesday July 25, and Wednesday August 15.
