Slow Food South Willamette

07/07/2026

We are here at Oakshire Brewing in Springfield! Come raise a glass and help support your local chapter of Slow Food!

06/09/2026

Check out the blog on our website www.slowfoodsouthwillamette.org for a post about . They shared information about several Oregon women ranchers who are shaping the future of ethical meat production. On May 30 they hosted a nose-to-tail dinner at Richards Regenerative and we hope that we can host future events in partnership!

06/09/2026

Our forager secretary Katie Neall has published a post about processing fireweed. In the Evening Primrose family, fireweed flowers are used in jellies and teas. The tender young shoots and leaves can be eaten as a spring vegetable, similar to asparagus. The young leaves can be added to salads and stir-fries. And the leaves can be dried and used for tea. Read the blog on the website www.slowfoodsouthwillamette.org to get some info.

05/28/2026

Have a beer with us! And with Willamette Farm and Food Coalition! There is a lot of overlap between what Slow Food and WFFC believe and stand for. We're happy to be strengthening a connection between Slow Food South Willamette and Willamette Farm and Food Coalition starting with co-presenting at Oakshire Brewing's Pint Night. The money raised will go to WFFC for this event, but Slow Food South Willamette will be there to talk about our work as well. Hope to see you there!

05/23/2026

Today is the day we will be at Crow & Cart! We're so thankful that Crow & Cart is generously donating 50% of the day's profits to Slow Food South Willamette! This will help get out chapter off the ground with some cool events we have planned. Chapter leaders will be there from 3-7pm today but you can go there anytime throughout open hours of 11:30am to midnight. See you there!

05/22/2026

Slow Food International announced some sad news this morning...The founder of Slow Food International, Carlo Petrini, passed away last night in the town of Bra (Italy), at the age of 76. Chapter leaders of Slow Food South Willamette never met him personally but since Slow Food was founded in Italy in 1986, obviously he inspired countless people all over the world to work toward a better food system. Without him and his leadership and vision, we would not be the leaders of a Slow Food chapter today trying to bring some awareness and advocacy of good, clean, and fair food along with simple appreciation and enjoyment of good food to our community. Slow Food shared this information about Carlo: A visionary leader and public intellectual with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships, and the natural world, Carlo Petrini founded Slow Food, the international Terra Madre gathering, and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo. Through these initiatives, he brought to life a global movement rooted in the values of good, clean, and fair food for all, connecting communities, farmers, food artisans, cooks, activists, and young people across the world.
“Those who sow utopia reap reality” — a phrase Carlo Petrini loved to say — encapsulates his life. He firmly believed that dreams and visions, when they are just, capable of inspiring collective participation, and pursued with conviction, are not impossible to achieve. He combined the ability to dream with a deep sense of joy and collective purpose, paving concrete paths toward social change. His work was always rooted in collaboration with others, especially younger generations, and guided by passion, empathy, and fraternity.

His energy, his determination, and his lifelong dedication to others will remain a guiding force for the entire Slow Food movement and for all those who shared his vision.
It will be possible to say goodbye to Carlo on Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, between 9:00 and 19:00 at the University of Gastronomic Sciences (Pollenzo, Italy). A commemoration will take place on Sunday, May 24 at 11:30.

05/21/2026