As consumers in China start to known and appreciate the value of organic produce, while farmers’ markets and even some supermarkets are starting to offer organic choices, few restaurants (with the exception of venues such as Napa and Green Cow City Cafe) seem to be following suit. Is there anything hindering collaboration between farmers and chefs in Beijing? In order to find the answer, the organizers of Beijing Farmers’ Market have put together a series of three talks this December that will discuss cases from both US and Hangzhou.
The two speakers for the talks are Laura Shunk – a 10-year veteran of the US restaurant industry spending a year with the Beijing Farmers’ Market researching sustainable and organic food here in China – and Caroline Merrifield – a doctoral candidate in Anthropology at Yale University conducting field research for her dissertation project on rural-urban relationships within Chinese sustainable agriculture initiatives with a focus on Dragon Well Manor Restaurant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Ou Shaomei of Ainonghui – a social enterprise that runs six restaurants in Guangxi and Yunnan, buys directly from organic peasant farmers, and supports traditional artisanal food craftsmanship – will also join the discussion.
The talks (7-9pm) will be held at The Beijing Farmers’ Market’s Community Center/Market in Sanyuanqiao:
N33 Phoenix Arcade (凤凰商街), Phoenix City, Sanyuanqiao, Chaoyang District (5742 8210)
朝阳区三元桥凤凰城凤凰商街N33
A few more details on the three talks below:
Wednesday, Dec 9: What is farm-to-table? Laura Shunk will discuss the rise of farm-to-table restaurants in the United States and their impact on the sustainable agriculture movement.
Wednesday, Dec 16: How can chefs impact the sustainable food movement? Laura Shunk will discuss the chefs leading the farm-to-table movement abroad, including US farm-to-table pioneer Alice Waters, and Dan Barber, a New York chef attempting to forge a sustainable American cuisine built on a sustainable farming system.
Wednesday, Dec 23: How does one of China’s only farm-to-table restaurants impact its community? Caroline Merrifield will discuss her research at Dragon Well Manor Restaurant, a restaurant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.The food procurement system at the Manor is quite complex, because all ingredients used at the restaurant are purchased directly from local smallholder farmers.
The talks will be presented in English with Chinese interpretation.
More stories by this author here.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @gongbaobeijing
Twitter: @gongbaobeijing
Weibo: @宫保北京
Photo: Rachel Tayse (Flickr)