Students interested in locally sourced food or in eating at Epiphany Café in historic downtown Tuscaloosa will get a taste of the area as well as some live music on Thursday, Oct. 24th.
Olivia Bensinger, head of the Sustainable Food Committee, said the group is putting on the 100 Mile dinner both as a celebration of Food Day and a fundraiser for the Environmental Council.
“It’s a 100 mile dinner, which means all the food has been donated within 100 miles of Tuscaloosa,” Bensinger said.
Bensinger said garnering support from the community was easy, since farmer’s markets already exist, and Epiphany Café has a commitment to local food.
“It’s a farm-to-fork restaurant, which means that they source food from farms. They had established relationships with farmers close to this area,” she said. “We just walked down to the farmer’s market and told them what we were doing and who we were.”
Mark Ortiz, a junior majoring in biology and political ecology, is on the Sustainable Food Committee and said the dinner is an attempt to fix a long-standing problem. Everyday citizens have little to no control over the systems that bring food to their table.
Because of the complex nature of a global economy, a dinner’s impact can include anything from the job sector to chemical safety.
“There’s really a disconnect,” Ortiz said. “I think that’s very dangerous.”
Ortiz said the dinner could help boost awareness of this issue.
“At the core of what this group does is advocate for real food,” he said. “It’s basically taking back the food system.”
The dinner will feature beef, pork, eggs, greens and other fresh ingredients donated by local farms. Aric Adams of AA Farm Creamery in Millbrook, Ala., said the creamery’s donation of cheeses was motivated by a belief in eating locally and buying fresh food.
“It is healthy living for all those involved,” Adams said. “[It can create an] understanding of the symbiotic relationship between land, producer and consumers.”
Adams said AA Farm Creamery’s cheeses are handmade from only their own cows and goats. This single source, as opposed to the mixture of milk from across the country in other cheeses, might create a noticeable difference for students.
Bensinger said students might also notice the freshness and seasonality of the ingredients of their plates, which will be prepared by Epiphany Café chefs. Joel Frederick, sous chef at Epiphany, said the staff wanted the dinner to have a positive influence on both the guests and the businesses providing food.
“The restaurant is excited to get local residents and students more involved on making decisions about where food comes from,” he said. “We are excited to give local farmers the opportunity to expand their reach and grow as a business.”
Tickets for the dinner sold out Wednesday. The total proceeds from the 100 sales were around $1000, Bensinger said at an Eco celebration and fundraiser.
Students who didn’t get tickets will have the chance to try Bama Dining samples at a Food Day celebration on the Ferguson Center Plaza. The event, conducted in conjunction with the Student Dietetic Association, Bama Dining and Eco, will feature tabling and photography, which will be displayed at the 100 Mile Dinner.
