Fwd: Local Food Culture Immersions (Asheville, NC) -- great learning opportunity + great model for others

[Debbie Hillman]

To:

Advocates for Urban Agriculture   (Greater Chicago)

Food Love Chicago (food lovers in general)

Illinois Local Food and Farms Coalition  (Illinois)

Good Greens Midwest  (6 states served by USDA FNS Midwest Office:  IL, IN, OH, MI, MN, WI, based in Chicago)

Illinois Farmers Market Association  (serving all 300+ Illinois farmers markets)

Women, Food and Agriculture Network  (national, based in Iowa)

As a grassroots food system person, I think I just landed in heaven -- reading about Asheville, NC's Local Food Culture Immersion, a week-long visit to Asheville  that seems to cover EVERYTHING -- the food, natural resources, people, policy, organizations.   "Immersion" is a great word and Ashevillage Institute, the sponsoring organization, seems to specialize in these kinds of intense, experiential, well-organized events.   For food system people who might want to attend, it seems to be a combination vacation and work.    (See attached.)

There are two such immersions in Asheville this year (May and Aug-Sept.).    Even if you cannot attend, the website has much information on what an "immersion" consists of.  I would recommend to every other local food culture that this is a model worth ripping off.

Asheville, NC is one of the loveliest places in the Appalachian Mountains.  My daughter got engaged in Asheville this last May and was surprised at the depth of the local food culture.  

To Kathryn:   For those who cannot attend the actual immersion but might want to learn more, do you have any plans to speak at a conference, do a workshop in any other geographical location?     Clearly, Ashevillage Institute has figured out a successful learning model.    

As you can see, I am copying my Midwest, Illinois, Chicago, and national networks.  It would be great if someone in those networks could invite you to share the immersion model -- to food system classes, to agri-tourism departments, at academic conferences, at local food conferences, etc.    Maybe you could do a training video!    Nothing matches the experience of actually going through such an immersion, but I'm always looking for the value-added opportunities as well.    In an unlevel economic playing field, value-added can make the difference between surviving and thriving.

This is definitely a model worth promoting.  It's also the kind of model that should be government funded -- the immersion model supports EVERYONE.  

Congrats to all of you at Ashevillage Institute for putting such an event together.    Keep me posted on future events, or if you take this show on the road.

-- Debbie

Debbie Hillman

Evanston, Illinois

D. Hillman Strategies:  Food Policy for Voters

847/328-7175

DLHi...@sbcglobal.net

FoodVote.2012.com    (http://DHillmanStrategies.com)

From: Kathryn Blau <kat...@ashevillage.org>

Date: January 30, 2013 9:44:55 AM CST

To: com...@elist.tufts.edu

Subject: [COMFOOD:  ] Local Food Culture Immersions in Asheville, NC

Reply-To: Kathryn Blau <kat...@ashevillage.org>

Greetings, community foodies!

Given the work of folks on this list, Ashevillage Institute would love to invite you and/or representatives from your organizations to participate in our Local Food Culture Immersion in Asheville, NC (options in May & August). 

We are inviting teams of local food leaders from across the country and we have room for 3 to 5 teams. More info below, and please share with like-minded folks!

Warm regards,

Kathryn Blau

Ashevillage Institute

Sustainability Outreach Coordinator

kat...@ashevillage.org

Asheville’s First Local Food Culture Immersion: May 10-19 & Aug. 30-Sept.8

Ashevillage Institute invites a national network of local food-enthusiastic community leaders to join a consortium of movers n’ shakers from one of the country’s food culture capitals in Asheville, NC.

What makes one city’s food culture so alive? How are other communities establishing local food culture? How can pioneers of these movements come together to further such efforts? The Local Food Culture Immersion explores local-to-national models that support healthy and vibrant local food culture, while cross-pollinating what’s working in other cities and inspiring the proliferation of more. This Immersion will:

• Bring together 30+ local “movers n’ shakers” to share Asheville’s wealth of experience, enthusiasm and success with community leaders from cities across the country;

• Provide meet-the-expert and roundtable panels; city micro-farm tours and foraging forays, hands-on workshops; strategy sessions and peer project reviews;

• Celebrate local food cuisine at Asheville’s cornucopia of fantastic local and organic restaurants, plus gathers the city’s best chefs at the “Not-So-Secret, Local & Organic, Best Potluck Party Ever!”

Unique in its delivery and collaborative approach, this Immersion will be a one-of-a-kind experience, supporting those who are hoping to further their own communities' local food culture. Community leaders will leave well fed and inspired to further action-oriented initiatives in their own cities. 

This Immersion is part of an effort to establish a network of countrywide, citizen-led initiatives that address at-large issues of clean food, water and energy, community placemaking, local economies, and more. Each Immersion is limited to 16 participants for an intimate and personalized experience. Interested persons are encouraged to apply with a team of two to three community representatives from their city or town, and have a food-related community project to collaborate on following the Immersion. Offered twice in 2013, registration is now open for teams of applicants: May 10 - 19 and August 30 - September 8.

Participants will stay at the Ashevillage Sanctuary: Downtown’s EcoSweet Retreat, a premier one-acre, eco-urban demonstration site with a neighborhood CSA, a resident team and guest house in downtown Asheville. A selection of delicious, local, organic meals will be offered throughout the Immersion.

For further information on Ashevillage Institute please visit: www.ashevillage.org. Follow us on Twitter @Ashevillage. Join our Facebook group.

For inquiries or photos about the Local Food Culture Immersion contact: Kathryn Blau at Kat...@ashevillage.org.