The 2011 Field of Greens will be held 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2, and it’s well worth the admission price ($20 in advance; $25 at the entrance).
The festival celebrates the connections between farmer and chef—and, by extension, the home cook. “We’re trying to educate the local community in being able to support the local farmer,” says Andy Byrd in this nice promotional video, whose Whippoorwill Hollow Farm, in Walnut Grove, hosts the event.
That education comes by way of informational booths, a farmers market, good food and just a whole lot of fun, all set on a beautiful, 74-acre organic farm.
The big draw is the Chef Tent, where the pros show why local ingredients are superior to the trucked-in stuff. Participants this year, from more than 30 businesses, including farm-to-table darlings Jay Swift (4th & Swift), Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene), Dave Roberts (Community Q), Ford Fry (JCT Kitchen) Drew Belline (No. 246) and Chris Hall (Local Three). All chefs’ samples—including Taqueria del Sol chef Eddie Hernandez’s huitlacoche quesadillas—are included in the admission.
New this year will be a special Meals from the Market demonstration, where Le Cordon Bleu culinary students will prepare simple meals featuring fall produce from local farms—and share samples as well as their recipes.
There’s also live music, kids’ activities, and the F’n’ Chef Competition, where brave chefs compete against one another, a la the Food Network’s “Iron Chef” contest, to prepare a meal with a surprise local ingredient.
Proceeds will go to Slow Food Atlanta, which, in turn, has chosen to share the love with Truly Living Well’s Wheat Street Farm.
> For more details, a schedule of events, directions to the farm, and tickets, visit the Field of Greens web site.
> Want to participate on a higher level? Sign up to help clean up and set up on Oct. 1 with Crop Mob Georgia.
