PLEASE NOTE: 

We will conduct the meeting today in spite of the weather forecast. We will strive to keep the program portion somewhat brief as the rain is due to arrive during the meeting. Please use your own discretion in traveling to the meeting and we encourage everyone to be safe. 

Every January, Slow Food Indy gets together to conduct the annual meeting of the organization. The meeting is a chance to meet and elect new board members, reflect on the past year, and set the tone for the coming one. This year the event will be held in the Normandy Barn at the Indiana State fairgrounds, at 2pm on January 27th. Parking will be free for this event.

This year we have some special guests who will be involved in our meeting. The Ross Ferris award was created to honor the memory of the man who inspired the great farmers market scene in town and truly brought the concept of local and seasonal produce back to a larger audience in central Indiana. Ross was well known among producers and vendors and is missed as a presence in that community. Previously, this award has been presented in a private ceremony, but our annual meeting will be the first public presentation of the award. Unfortunately, the commemorative art is not able to be displayed this day as previously mentioned.

Joining us from the staff of the Indiana State Fair will be Margaret Davidson, Cheif Marketing Officer and Brian Blackford, the Program Manager of the DuPont Food Pavilion. They will be on hand to speak about the Food Pavilion and efforst to promote and include local food at the State Fair. You may have seen the area which featured Indiana products and publications such as the Food for Thought book this past summer.

Finally, the Snail of Approval award was launched at the Dig-In festival in August in order to highlight and distinguish the chefs at that event who are committed to using local ingredients and sustainable practices in their operations year round. While the launch occurred at Dig-In, this program is for year round usage for all Slow Food members. In combination with a re-launch of our website, we expect this program to become more visible to locals and be a useful tool for travelers who are looking for Slow Food in our area. Come to the annual meeting to hear about the program and how you as a member can nominate a worthy candidate.

As we always do at our Slow Food Indy member events, please bring a dish featuring at least one and as many local ingredients as possible, a serving utensil, and your own re-usable plates, utensils, and cups to reduce the waste of this event. In the event you are unable to prepare your own product, consider purchasing a locally sourced read to eat product at a local vendor such as Goose the Market or the Indy Winter Farmer's Market.