The Midwest's Premier Local Food Event

11:00 am - 12:15 pm

Crash Course in Large-Scale Gardening & Permaculture

Using ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive ways to feed our communities.

• Bill Wilson – Midwest Permaculture
• Vicki Nowicki – The Liberty Garden
• Angie Mason – Director of Community Gardening, Windy City Harvest/Chicago Botanic Gardens
• Bill Scheffler – Pure Prairie Farm (moderator)

Buying Local, Organic and Fair Trade

Purchasing options that support sustainable communities, both locally and abroad.

·         Jerry McGeorge – Cooperative Coordinator, Organic Valley

·         Rob Gardner – The Local Beet

·         Nancy Jones – Director, Chicago Fair Trade

·         Laura Sova – Executive Director of The Land Connection (moderator)

You Ate the Whole Thing

Using the whole animal to promote sustainability, avoid waste, and dazzle your culinary senses.

• Rob Levitt - Mado
• Ehran Ostrreicher - E&P Meats 
• Paul Kahan – Blackbird/Avec/Publican
• Greg Gunthorp – Gunthorp Farms
• Mike Sula – The Chicago Reader (moderator)

12:30 - 1:45 pm

Growing & Using Herbs & Botanicals

Growing and using herbs and botanicals to feed the senses.

• Deborah Kraemer - Abbey Brown Soaps
• Nancy Pollard – U of I Extension
• Liz Fiorenza – Wind Ridge Herb Farm
• Mike Nowak – Show Host, WCPT Radio

Local & Organic Eating on a Dime

Eating organic food on a budget.

• Laura Bruzas – Healthy Dining Chicago
• Billy Burdett – President, Dill Pickle Coop
• Lisa Kivirist - Co-author of ECOpreneuring, Rural Renaissance, Edible Earth
• Portia Belloc-Lowndes - Executive Director of Heritage Prairie Farm (moderator)

Backyard Chickens

Enjoy fresh eggs everyday by raising chickens in your own backyard.

• Helen Standen
• Martha Boyd – Program Director, Urban Initiative, Angelic Learning Center
• Joe Bestwina – Owner of The Feed Store
• Dan Schnitzer - Director of Sustainability & Operations,  Academy for Global Citizenship  (moderator)

2:00 - 3:15 pm

Farming in the City

Growing food between the skyscrapers and feeding local communities.

• Diana May – Guerilla Gardens
• Jeanne Pinsof – The Organic Gardener
• Seneca Kern – We Farm American
• Ken Dunn – The Resource Center
• Erika Allen - Chicago Projects Manager, Growing Power, Inc. (moderator)

Let Them Eat Grass

Learn why raising cows on pasture is better for us, the cows and the environment.

• Dr. Peter F. Kunz & Jane Elder Kunz - Traderspoint Creamery
• Dr. Patricia Whisnant – American Grassfed Beef
• Jody Osmund – Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm
• Kimberly Hack - American Institute of Wine & Food (moderator)

Eating Farm to Table

Closing the gap between you and the people who raise your food. 

• Blayne Greiner – Instructor at Windy City Harvest for Chicago Botanic Garden
• Harry Carr - Mint Creek Farms
• Terra Brockman – Founder of The Land Connection and author of “The Seasons on Henry’s Farm” (moderator)

3:30 -  4:45 pm

Locavore 365 - Preserving Fresh Grown Food

Enjoy local food year round by preserving the food you enjoy most. 

• Melissa Graham – Founder, Purple Asparagus
• Timothy Young – Food for Thought  
• Terra Brockman - Founder of The Land Connection and author of “The Seasons on Henry’s Farm” 
• Vicki Nowicki – The Liberty Garden (moderator)

Drinking Farm to Glass

Learn how the beverages you choose can sustain your community.

• Joy Neighbors – White Owl Winery
• Brian Ellison – Death’s Door Spirits
• Adam Seger – Nacional 27/Hum Spirits
• Greg Hall – Goose Island Brewery (moderator)

The Buzz on Bees

Raising bees in the city and the unique taste of urban honey.

• Michael Thompson – Chicago Honey Coop
• Laura Anderson – Garfield Farms Museum (St. Charles, IL)
• Shawnecee Schneider – Instructor at Community TV Network
• Julio Tuma – Garfield Park Conservatory