Slow Food Santa Cruz

02/03/2026

Fresh produce cart at Live Earth Farm. So many farms in Santa Cruz County.

02/03/2026

Food is love, and is inspiring to see people treat it that way. Making sure people get good food.

José Andrés trudged carefully through icy slush in work boots and a heavy winter coat, snow falling around him as he carried a large box filled to the brim w...

01/04/2026

These jars of apple hand pie filling are easy to freeze to have on hand for quick desserts. Coming to the end of canning season and looking forward to eating more homemade and local fresh foods.
Wishing everyone a happy 2026!

10/17/2025

2025 FarmFest coming up Nov.8th at Veggielution in San Jose. Tickets on sale at the link below:

Community of entrepreneurs, investors, changemakers! Featuring a FOOD FUNDED Entrepreneur Showcase for sustainable food & regenerative ag!

09/29/2025

Wonderful MEHKO presentations by the Cook Alliance in Sacramento on Friday as part of the Slow Food, Terra Madre Americas.

09/20/2025

COOK Alliance is thrilled to be part of Terra Madre Americas, making its U.S. debut in downtown Sacramento this September 26-28. Slow Food’s renowned international gathering will feature tastings, cooking demonstrations, and educational workshops, bringing together chefs, growers, and food system advocates from across the Americas.

On Friday, September 26, we’ll be at the Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento hosting two free sessions in partnership with Alchemist CDC’s Terra Madre: Farm to Every Fork programming, highlighting the growing MEHKO movement:

From Policy to Plate: What the Data Says About Permitted Home Kitchens
9:00–10:15 AM – A first look at preliminary results from our research with the University of Washington, the first study to evaluate MEHKOs five years after launch.

Growing the Homemade Food Economy: Diverse Voices on Permitted Home Kitchens
10:30–11:45 AM – A conversation with MEHKO operators, advocates, and the California Conference of Environmental Health Directors (CCDEH) on opportunities, challenges, and the future of the program.
https://terramadreusa.com/

05/13/2025

Very excited to see MEHKO's beginning to pop up around the Bay area & CA. Home cooking is having a come back as an alternative to the high volume business of processed food. Small in home kitchens to scale cooking up good food for their community. Good stuff is happening and something to look forward to!

For more information on this new business model & how to open a MEHKO, visit the Cook Alliance at:
https://www.cookalliance.org/

05/02/2025

Gathering jars for preserving the bounty of the seasons to come.

05/02/2025

Happy to see more awareness of sustainable packaging and containers. To Go containers account for a huge amount of landfill. But we also need a waste management infastructure capable of processing them properly. Currently there is no standardization for this... Happy to support the World Centric Organization feeding nutritional food to people in need world wide and putting forth good products.

https://www.worldcentric.com/notree-takeout/

01/25/2025

Anyone interested in opening a MEHKO in Santa Cruz County should contact The Cook Alliance or join our SC MEHKO facebook group for more information. The County is issuing permits now and there are many new opportunities for how we can feed home cooked meals to community.

Scholarships to get started are available and the time has never been better to start a home based kitchen.

The Cook Alliance link - https://www.cookalliance.org/
SC MEHKO facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1017770852163815

01/06/2025

Registration for the January Cook Academy is still open. They are offering the course in both English and Spanish!

https://www.cookalliance.org/cookacademy

11/30/2024