It’s hard to imagine a better way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon than eating fresh, sustainably produced food and sipping indigenous and regional Italian wines, which is why I had been looking forward to attending Slow Food San Francisco’s Golden Glass event for weeks. Little did I know that I was going to be served bison by Boulevard’s Nancy Oakes, and shrimp potstickers from none other than Charles Phan of Slanted Door and slices of a fresh, wood-oven-roasted pig by A16’s star chef Nate Appleman (just five to six hours in the oven he says…. just?).


A16's Nate Appleman at work.

According to their website, “Slow Food U.S.A. is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America.” As someone who’s done quite a bit of policy research around family farms and hormones in milk and beef in this country, I was heartened to see so many acclaimed chefs, artisans and everyday consumers embracing the movement (worldwide membership is aound 80,000).

By the end of the day, my belly was full of treats ranging from pear chutney made with the fruit from 100-year-old pear trees in Moraga to shrimp bruschetta with a puree of English peas from Sausalito’s Fish restaurant (using shrimp from the White Boot Brigade). I even found out where to go to pick my own strawberries (Swanton Berry Farm near Santa Cruz), and I finally got to try a famous Blue Bottle macchiato, with a heart on top.



The Blue Bottle guys.

What’s not to like about slow food?