Slow Food 2019
Sometimes working with Slow Food feels like an oxymoron. Phone calls, emails and tasks pile up as I race between family and work. Did I create that new chapter logo? Did we finalize the programming for the Leader Summit? Are those website bugs resolved? As I was eating lunch mindlessly while writing emails at my desk the other day, the irony struck me. Slow Food is an ethos that is contradictory to business as usual. It must be a daily practice to resist the norm, slow down and keep sight of the big picture.
Hanging in our office is a poster with a quote from Carlo Petrini: “If you want to save the world, you must not do it with sadness. You must do it with joy!”
Thankfully, that joy is springing up from Slow Food communities who embody the Slow Food spirit. That joy is shining out from Slow Food East Bay’s Immigrant and Refugee Chefs dinner. It’s evident in the curiosity and joy of the kids at the Mullica Township Schoolyard Garden as they dig into soil with the Plant a Seed campaign. It’s radiating from new friends as they build bridges at the Zero Waste Community Supper at Slow Food Nations.
This is the future of Slow Food. We are in a period of change and growth, with a focus on strengthening the presence and impact of Slow Food in this country, expanding our communities, and energizing our core programs. Slow Food must expand our role as an umbrella organization that amplifies the voices of activists and producers. We want to become a more open and inclusive organization in order to address the challenges that await us at the local, national and international levels. We need to create a system where everyone has access to good, clean and fair food.
We invite you — our Slow Food members, communities and partners — to be an active voice in building our future together. Join us at the Leader Summit at Slow Food Nations and help us outline the strategy for the coming years. Get involved in our campaigns and programs throughout the year. Your perspectives, support and participation are essential. Let’s build this movement with joy and justice hand in hand.
Finally, a note about this special edition of our magazine. I’m thrilled to collaborate with The New Gastronome magazine team at the University of Gastronomic Sciences to bring you dynamic and delicious stories. (Did you know Slow Food has a university in Italy?) Just like the university itself, these articles look at gastronomy from every angle, so you can feel, taste and experience gastronomy in a truly unique way. The following pages feature the work of bright students and alumni, along with outstanding Slow Food USA leaders. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Anna Mulé
Executive Director of Slow Food USA
