Food lovers, eaters and makers gathered at 711 Whaley on Sunday for the Slow Food at Indie Grits tasting event. A now five-year staple at the Indie Grits festival, the event aims to attract people who want their food to be “good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet.”
Chefs from all over the Midlands gathered to serve appetizers that incorporated at least one local, sustainable ingredient. Attendees could enter the event at a discounted price if they brought their own sustainable potluck dish. Whether a seasoned Columbia chef or first-time potlucker, everyone brought something delicious from the farm to the table.
Slow Food Columbia is a chapter of Slow Food USA, which has more than 200 chapters nationally.Their mission is to bring good, clean and fair food to the Midlands and host events for people to bond over clean eating.
Tracie Broom has worked with the Nickelodeon theatre for awhile, gathering appetizers from Columbia’s best chefs for the Nick’s Oscars party every year. Bloom, the co-chair of Slow Food Columbia, got to know these chefs, so when the Nickelodeon asked if she would like to partner with Indie Grits to create a tasting event, she knew who to turn to.
“So, I thought, 'Well, maybe if these chefs were willing to donate appetizers to the Oscar party, they’d be willing to come and donate a lot of appetizers for a big tasting party,'” Bloom said. “And what if we only asked chefs who buy regularly from sustainable farms and producers? We can kind of highlight the chefs who are supporting our slow food economy which is good, clean, fair food that’s as organic as possible, fair wages for farm workers, short transport distances from farm to the table.”
Slow Food Columbia and Slow Food at Indie Grits is a haven for the foodies of the Midlands, featuring meats, cheeses and produce from farms such as Carolina Heritage Farms and Happy Cow Creamery. People buzzed from table to table, trying dishes sliek Chef Gabrielle Watson of Whole Foods Market’s Kale Pesto Cheese, which was made using Hickory Hill buttermilk from Edgefield, South Carolina, and Walter P. Rawl Kale from Pelion.
The energy from clean, sustainable food was tangible at Slow Food at Indie Grits. People were either clutching their full bellies or reaching out for another dish. And because all the restaurants and farms are from Columbia and the surrounding areas, Slow Food at Indie Grits isn’t just about food — it’s also about community.
“This event brings that community together of people who are producing the food in a conscientious way, people who are buying and preparing those ingredients and making beautiful dishes and restaurants, and cocktails for that matter,” Bloom said. “And then the people who like to go support those farms, farmers markets, and support those restaurants here in the Midlands. We all get together and have a good time and enjoy our wonderful food culture.”
Pork belly was a popular ingredient at Slow Food at Indie Grits this year. Some of its standout dishes include the Seared Carolina Heritage Farms Pork Belly with Boiled Peanut Gnocchi, Soy-Pickled Mushrooms and Sweet Chili Glaze made by the chef and owner of Terra, Mike Davis, Chef Wesley Fulmer of Motor Supply Company Bistro’s Slow Cooked Heritage Pork Belly with Lever Farms Strawberry Q, Cornbread Crouton, and House Kimchi and the Carolina Heritage Farms Pork Belly Taquito and Carolina Plantation Cowpea Refrito with Queso Fresco Pimento Cheese by Chef Jessica Shillato, the owner of Spotted Salamander Catering.
From chocolate spice cake to asparagus flan, the Slow Food at Indie Grits tasting party featured the best the midlands’ cooks and farms have to offer.
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