At TerraVita launch, food serves as a platform for social change

The sixth annual TerraVita Food and Drink Festival has earned due acclaim for its status as one of the South's best events for deliciously celebrating sustainably grown and produced fare, with special focus on the farmers, chefs and artisans who make it all possible.

This year's Oct. 8-10 festival will launch with a new element that will further distinguish TerraVita. Culinary Capital and Building Community features an all-star panel discussion on how culinary leaders foster positive change through mindful practice of their trade.

Led by Jeff Polish, founder of Chapel Hill-based nonprofit The Monti, panelists will use the storytelling techniques of TedX and Pecha Kucha to share the experiences and passion that drives them to use their celebrity as a platform to serve the greater good. The goal is to guide attendees to consider their own strengths and interests, and how these skills and energies can be leveraged to benefit their local communities.

Panelists include:

Ashley Christensen of Raleigh is chef and owner of AC Restaurants, including Poole's Diner, Death & Taxes, Beasley's Chicken + Honey and Joule. Named Best Chef Southeast in 2014 by the James Beard Foundation, Christensen is an active philanthropist dedicated to increasing awareness and reducing the incidence of child and family hunger.

Margaret Gifford, formerly of Chapel Hill, food advocate and founder of Farmer Foodshare, the influential Chapel Hill-based nonprofit that seeks to connect people who grow food to consumers who most need it. She is now working in New York City with Watervine Impact, which provides resources to benefit public health, food and agriculture enterprises.

Henry Hargreaves of Brooklyn is a professional photographer whose international work compels viewers to consider food and food products in ways that challenge social norms.

Kat Kinsman of New York City is editor at Tasting Table and renown devotee of the French 75 cocktail and the author of "Hi, Anxiety!," a book about her struggles with debilitating panic and determined quest for joy, to be published next spring by Harper Collins.

Virginia Willis of Atlanta is a Southern chef and author of the new Lighten Up, Y'All and Okra, a Savor the South cookbook from UNC Press. She is an eloquent advocate for healthful eating, sustainable farming, and protecting our nation's threatened fisheries.

Mike Moore of Asheville is the former chef/owner of the acclaimed but now-closed Seven Sows Bourbon & Larder and founder of the traveling Blind Pig Supper Club, which has raised funds to support sustainable agriculture and land preservation, as well as charities that serve children and young adults. His next venture will be a restaurant to open next year in Beaufort.

Tickets for this panel are $45. Student tickets are available for $25 each. Students must produce student IDs. Tickets can be purchased for this and all other TerraVita events online at TerraVitaEvent.com.

This post first appeared int WRAL Out and About.

TerraVita Food & Drink Event announces 2014 schedule; tickets on sale July 20

The fifth annual TerraVita Food & Drink Event today announced a blockbuster schedule for its Oct. 9-11 run. Among its highlights will be the North Carolina premiere of the second season of A Chef's Life, the award-winning PBS series featuring Vivian Howard of Kinston's Chef and the Farmer restaurant.

Tickets for all festival events go on sale July 20 through the TerraVita website

The event is larger and spread among more locations this year. A limited number of three-day passes ($425 each) will provide access to bonus non-tickets events and parties, including: 

• an afternoon event at [ONE] restaurant in Chapel Hill with Chefs Kim Floresca and Daniel Ryan and two additional North Carolina chefs – Vivian Howard from Chef and Farmer in Kinston and Scott Crawford of Standard Foods and Nash Tavern in Raleigh
• a hands-on bread baking class led by Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery and author of A Passion for Bread: Lessons from a Master Baker 
• and a special TerraVita After Party at The Black House at Straw Valley in Durham with Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer and Chef Adam Rose

The Southern Harvest Dinner on Oct. 9, will bring together chefs and producers from across the Southeast for an outdoor feast at Southern Season in Chapel Hill. The meal will be prepared by Weathervane Chef Spencer Carter and Chef Kevin Johnson from The Grocery in Charleston, S.C., in collaboration with Border Spring Farms’ Craig Rogers. Rogers' grass-fed lamb will be featured in a casual dinner paired with craft beers, sustainable wines and live music. Tickets are $85 each.

Following the dinner will be the North Carolina premiere of A Chef's Life. Vivian Howard will be joined by the directors, producers, staff and stars of the show, which recently was awarded a Peabody Award. It also had been nominated for honors by the James Beard Foundation.

Ashley Christensen

The Sustainable Classroom, which sets TerraVita apart from so many other food and drink festivals, will be held on Oct. 10. the program features concurrent culinary workshops, food and beverage tasting, demonstrations and topic-expert panel discussions. Among the presenters will be Raleigh Chef Ashley Christensen, who was named 2104 Best Chef Southeast by the James Beard Foundation.  Participants may choose to attend up to three 75-minute sessions, which will start at 9:30am. Each ticket costs $60 and includes 3 classes.

Also on Oct. 10 will be The Carolina Table: East Meets West, TerraVita’s celebration of the rich culinary scene from NC’s coast to mountains. The family-style seated dinner will be prepared by Chef Scott Crawford of the soon-to-open Standard Foods and Nash Tavern in Raleigh, Ben Adams of Piedmont in Durham, Matthew Dawes of The Bull and Beggar in Asheville. Other chefs will be announced later. Guests will dine with local food artisans whose cheeses, meats, artisan breads, brews and spirits will be highlighted in each dish. tickets are $100 each.

TerraVita wraps up on Oct. 11 with the Grand Tasting on the Green. Chef demonstrations will be spotlighted for the first time, alongside tastings from 45 exceptional chefs and artisans from across North Carolina. More than 100 sustainably-produced beverages from around the globe will be served, including organic coffee, biodynamic, organically-grown and natural wines, local microbrews and distilleries. Guests also will enjoy cookbook signings and interaction with chefs, artisans and beverage producers from across the state. The all-inclusive ticket is $75; designated driver tickets are available for $60.

For more information please visit www.TerraVitaEvent.com or email info@TerraVitaEvent.com. For updates, follow @TerraVitaFoodie on Twitter and Instagram, TerraVita Food & Drink Festival on Pinterest, and TerraVita Food & Wine Event on Facebook.

TerraVITA event offers CHOP NC discount

In three years, the TerraVITA Food & Wine Event has grown from a modest one-day celebration of sustainable food practices to a three-day event that features top chefs and growers, cookbook writers and tastings that raise funds for like-minded local organizations.

Colleen Minton

Culinary Historians of Piedmont North Carolina (CHOP NC) was among the recipients of a grant last year, and TerraVITA organizer Colleen Minton has extended a special offer to members for discounted tickets. Some events are close to selling out, so be sure to order yours right away.

Discounted tickets are available for two events:

• An all-inclusive ticket (beer & wine pairings included) for The Carolina Table: East Meets West dinner on Nov. 2 for $68 (full price, $78)
• An all-inclusive pass for the Grand Tasting on Nov. 3 for $55 (full price, $65)

To get the discount, visit TerraVITA's tickets link at http://www.terravitaevent.com/TerraVITA/BuyTKTS.html. Look for the you will see a blue link below the published price that reads "Enter a Password or Discount Code." The CHOP NC passcode is: CHOP12NC

For more information about TerraVITA, read Andrea Weigl's story in the News & Observer.