For this Saturday’s dinner, CVI didn’t have to look too far as the guest chef  is AMP 150′s Ellis Cooley. Here’s the impressive menu:

Small Bites

Large Bites

Gardens

Desserts

Tickets are $75 a piece and there are still a few left. And for one lucky person, you can win two right here. If you’d like to be considered, just leave a comment to this post telling me your favorite local farmer or purveyor to support. You must be available to go this Saturday and leave a comment by Wednesday, 3/9, by noon when I’ll select someone via Random.org. Good luck!

1. How many bow ties do you own and what’s the story behind it? I got the privilege of meeting Freddy Girardet, one of Charlie Trotter’s mentors, a living legend from Switzerland.  He is in his 70s now; many people say he closed his restaurant too early and I’ve actually met people who have been tearful that his restaurant is no longer there.  But I had the privilege of speaking with him one night and he said to me, “Back when I was your age, the farmer and chef got very little respect for what they did.  It is so ironic to see that we have gained respect for what we do now.”

I think regardless of what occupation we have, we can take pride in it.  There used to be a saying, “If you can’t make it in the real world you can always go back and work on the farm.” It wasn’t a career that was looked upon highly.  So one of the things behind the bow ties is, I am a farmer and I am not afraid or ashamed to be who I am.

My dad has a saying, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, so you might as well go as what you are.”  On my best day you couldn’t place a $500 suit on me.  I am what I am and I am not ashamed of that.  I don’t like to be boastful or proud, but I take pride in what we do and the way we do it.  We do it to the best of our ability.

One of the few books I read in high school, and they also have a movie, was “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck.  Every once in a while I watch it when it’s on television, and every single time I watch it, I cry.  It’s about growers during the Great Depression that were displaced out West and in Oklahoma; farmers were pushed off their land and lost their farms and were looking for a way to survive.  Through it all, there was a scene where they were so destitute, they lost all their money and they had very little hope.  Yet, on a Saturday night, they cleaned up and had a square dance.

The overalls they wore were torn and tattered but they were clean.  The farmers put on their bowties.  Even as down trodden as they were and with as little respect as they had, they held their dignity and they were proud of who they were.  I think really that is what the crux of it is.

We have a registered trademark on the overalls and red bowtie; it is part of our brand and I try to represent all the family farms out there in America, to show that we can be proud of what we do and that there is a place for us here.  It has been so rewarding in so many ways to see society coming around to the fact that we do have a worthy place in society and value what we do.  It’s fun and it’s exciting to see the renewed interest and resurgence of farmer’s markets and other farms doing well.  It is just a very rewarding thing, taking pride in what we do.

But, to answer your question, I have about 24 bowties.

2. What is your advice for home gardeners? Several things come to mind when you ask advice for home gardeners.  My first advice would be to keep gardening!  My second advice would be to continue to make mistakes.  Document, document, document your work: document your mistakes; document what worked; document what didn’t.  From planting to planting and from year to year, it all runs together, so I think good records are imperative.

Another suggestion would be not to farm all of your land or all of your plot at once.  Continue to rebuild nutrients and find ways to do that naturally with rye or vetch clover; rye in particular is a cheap seed.  Take a third of your land and plant rye, or if you can, plant your whole garden to rye in the fall at least the first year.

It is our belief that God designed a system far superior to anything we can fake out.  If you can visualize a plant as an antenna, it will accept natural energy from the sun and emit it out through the roots to the next set of crops.  So, in the spring, leave one-third in rye and allow it to continue to collect energy.  Plant your spring crop in the second third and then as you get to a frost-free date, plant the third section with tomatoes and eggplant and squash and other things that are frost sensitive.

In that first section that you leave fallow, you can start the rye as early as March or April in our region.  Then plant the things that like the cool temperatures.  Radishes, spinach, lettuces, and greens will all tolerate a freeze.  Plant peas or potatoes here too.  Then, as your radishes and lettuces start finishing up, go ahead and begin to till in the rye in the first planting.  Go ahead and do your second planting of radishes and lettuces in mid summer in the section you had the rye in. Just continue to rotate and allow the land periods of rest.

Rotation in commercial farming means something totally different because they plant all three thirds of the land all the time.  They rotate the crops between the fields, but never give it a rest.  Can you imagine your body if you never took a vacation or a rest or allow it to rejuvenate?

Without writing a book on gardening, that’s some sound advice I recommend.  Essentially you are trying to work in harmony with nature and not outsmart it.

3. Explain how the vegetables from your garden differ from those at the grocery store? Wow, we can fill a whole page with this.  We have a saying that we farm the soil rather than the crop, again, working in harmony with the soil and trying to get the biology right.  We do lab analysis on soil and based on the deficiencies plant different types of cover crops that will accept different types of energy from the sun.

Then it comes down to seed selection.  The varieties we select are grown for flavor rather than yield.  The Seed Savers Exchange is something any one of your readers can become a member of.  It’s a group of us that thinks maintaining old heirloom varieties is important and if you have a variety you can share it with other folks.  I would recommend anyone that is interested to become a member.

Beyond the seed and the soil, only a third of our land is in production.  We have about 100 acres in production, 100 sitting fallow and another 100 growing very specific ingredients for compost.  We harvest those, fold them into the compost and put those composts back into the soil.  The result is unbelievable that you can see with working in harmony with nature and not trying to out smart it.

The final difference is the way the product is handled.  We don’t believe the product should be harvested and wait to be sold.  Product remains in our “growing” inventory until the chef’s order them, and for the first time home users can purchase online.

4. If you weren’t a farmer, what would you be doing? Well, I would be very, very disappointed.  I can’t imagine, absolutely cannot imagine, what I would be doing.  From five years on, I was helping in the field up until we lost the farm.  It was never a question if whether we were going to farm, just how we were going to do it.

5. What’s the best plate you’ve ever had and who was the chef behind it? Oh golly!  As you can tell by the size of my belly, I love food and it would be really hard to hone in on a best dish, but I can identify one of the most special occasions, food related.  My folks, my dad especially, felt he had failed the family when we lost the farm.  He was devastated; they crawled away with nothing.  For 10 years we worked without a check, yet there were so many rewards that came along other than monetary ones, for example, to be able to work together as a family.  It’s the only reason we survived.

It’s hard to really point out specific chefs because there have been so many that have helped.  But Charlie Trotter has been a huge mentor and guide for us.  Many of you know Ferran Adrià; he is the fella who invented the foams. He is from Madrid, near Barcelona, and is considered by some to be the greatest chef in the world.  I don’t know how you judge that, but I have heard it said many times.  Charlie Trotter flew out here with his team and brought Ferran Adrià and his wife.  About 16 local chefs were invited to help, and they prepared a 12-course lunch one day for my parents, my wife and me, Ferran Adrià and his wife, Charlie Trotter, Ray Harris, a fella from Inc. Magazine and a few others.

We got to sit down and break bread together for a lunch with that group of people and as long as I still have a memory that will be one of the most special days – for my parents to be able to sit down with someone who people think is the best chef in the world and to have him tour what we are doing.  It is truly, truly, truly one of the most special days in my life.  So I guess that would be the best plate of food I have ever had and the chef behind it.

6. What is the biggest challenge that faces the farming industry? It is very difficult for a farm to remain a farm.  There are so many challenges.  We have to compete for the best farm ground with other industries and real estate, so that is certainly a challenge.  Producing food cheap continues to be what’s important in industrial food production.  About 5 percent of the farms produce about 80 percent of the volume.  They have a lot of power and they are changing laws to benefit themselves rather than the small farm.  I think we got real issues facing us there.  We could go on and on about that subject.

For that reason, I think it is important for users to continue placing an emphasis on knowing where their product is from, although I don’t get wrapped up in local.  I think if we make the emphasis on the distance a product travels from where it is grown rather than how the product is grown, we could lose sight of what got this movement started.  It is important for us to have that connection, or re-connection, with users and producers who share like-minded philosophies

7. Most unusual item a chef has requested you grow? That is a tough question.  Different chefs recognize needs for different things.  You know, about twenty five years ago we started researching radicchio.  It was unknown in the United States and several folks said it actually couldn’t be grown here, so early on that was one of the most unusual.  It took us a while to get used to things like purple Brussels sprouts.

Micro Greens were pretty uncommon once too.  We were instrumental in developing those 20 years ago, and they are a mainstay today.  White Asparagus is something that was unheard of in this country and we developed a way of growing it so it doesn’t have to be peeled.

One of the most difficult ones, up to this point, has been crosnes.  It’s a starch, tuber type plant that is grown in Crosnes, France. With a similar flavor and texture to nuts, it’s a great substitute when nut allergies are an issue.

8. What TV show do you never miss? Well, gee, it is hard to miss the Food Network.  It is so amazing to sit and watch television and see so many of the folks we work with, chefs who are committed to what we do and have this nationwide platform to tell others about it.

“Iron Chef” is obviously one that is close to the heart since I have gotten to judge that a couple of times.  “Chopped” is another we like to watch, and my good friend Kenny Gilbert is doing great on “Top Chef” this season.

9. How many chefs have stayed at CVI?  What is their overall involvement? I’m not sure of the total, but there have been many hundreds of chefs that have stayed at the Culinary Vegetable Institute.  There have been even more than that who have been instrumental in supporting the project and helping us build it.  To help connect us to people who had kitchen equipment and china and things like that.

I am speechless at the enormous help and support.  The culinary industry is one of the most giving groups of people and we are eternally grateful for our relationship with all the chefs.  It is so hard to pinpoint any one particular chef because there have been so many that have helped in so many different ways.  We just would not be here without them.

10.  The Food & Wine event is the biggest event for you each year.  Tell us a little about it and why it’s a must-attend for readers? The Food and Wine Celebration is one of those things that’s almost mind boggling for me.  There are folks who work with us all year who come and help us put on this event on behalf of our Veggie U program – a program that empowers children and lets them know they have a choice in food while weaving in the math and science end to help prepare them for their proficiency tests.  As important, we believe, as empowering children and letting them know they have choices in food, they get seeds, soil, compost, a worm farm and a grow light.  It is a hands-on program.  The Food and Wine Celebration is to generate awareness and revenue for Veggie U.

There are so many synergies that happen.  Chefs come in, literally, from all over the country.  There are high school and college culinary students and instructors who come to work under the tutelage of the visiting chefs. Because we do so many different Earth to Table events at the CVI, in addition to the Food & Wine, students get to come build relationships with chefs, and then you move on with those networking connections.  I know Russell Ashton from Lorain JVS under Tim Mitsich volunteered much of his time here when he was a high school student and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and went on to do a stage at Stein Ericksen.  Chef Zane Holmequist out there let him come out and spend three months, and he met him here at the Food & Wine event.

For food enthusiasts, it is one of those opportunities to really explore the entire United States and sometimes out of the United States.  There is no place else in the United States on the third Saturday in July that has more talent under one roof.  There are huge tents with tasting stations where chefs are preparing their dishes, obviously with products in season and proteins, and you can taste as much as you want.  It is not a vegetarian event, but certainly the proteins ties in with the veggies.  There are some great wine producers and vintners pouring their specialties and an auction that goes to support Veggie U.

It’s just a really a great atmosphere with a tremendous collection of some of the top talent in the world for a great cause.  It is the culinary event of the year in Northern Ohio.

11. Did you eat your veggies as a kid?  What’s your favorite now and how do you prepare it? I did.  As you can see, I love to eat.  I love vegetables but unfortunately, I love it all.  It’s been one of those things that has been tough for me to control, because every chef wants to share what they’re excited about and I love to eat.  It’s one of those things I do struggle.

When somebody asks me what my favorite veggie is, I always say, what season is it?  My point is I want to eat asparagus three times a day when it’s in season and then I will lust for it for 10 months.  I don’t want to see asparagus on a menu in November or December.  There is a cyclical rhythm to things that is natural.  I think our bodies look for and need and demand different types of nutrients that only vegetables offer. I truly believe if we listen to our bodies and eat seasonally,  that we’ll be a healthier society.

Farmer Lee Jones has a lot to say. And I can certainly appreciate anyone who has the gift of gab. I asked him a handful of questions and I got a whole lot in return. It’s all good stuff and therefore don’t want to cut anything, so I’m going to share this latest Q&A as a three-part series. I hope you’ll take the time to read. Not only is Farmer Lee a great individual, but he (and his staff) are doing some pretty wonderful things that I am always happy to help spread the word (like Veggie U).

When did you start farming this way and why? It was about 1983 when we lost the farm to excessive interest rates and a hail storm, that we started farming sustainably, and it’s been a continuous evolution ever since. Losing the farm was very devastating.  Nineteen at the time, I stood and watched 25 years of my parents work sold at a sheriff’s auction.

They had 100 percent commitment and complete devotion to farming for 25 years.  They even had some successful years, but they got wrapped up in 21 percent interest rates and a hail storm, and ultimately they could not compete with the massive 5, 10, 20-thousand-acre commercial operations with cheaper labor on the West Coast or in Mexico.  So ultimately, it broke their back.  It also allowed us to re-evaluate what we were doing and where we were going.

Before 1983 we were farming commercially, about 1,200 acres, and we were doing it chemically the way the universities taught.  They gave you a book that showed pictures of let’s say, for example, a healthy cabbage and a diseased cabbage.  If it had this disease, here is the chemical to use to get rid of it.

It is much like our Western culture of medicine today.  When you have a strep throat, you go to the doctor to get your penicillin or amoxicillin; we’re constantly treating the symptom. In the Eastern culture of medicine, the methodology behind it is to get your body in a perfect balance, so you can defend against strep throat or another disease.  That’s really similar to how we try to farm today.

In commercial farming, the emphasis was on the cost of the product rather than the quality of the product.  It became about those growers that could produce food cheaply rather than the best flavor or the integrity of the product.  So, one by one, individually owned grocery stores and small family farms were pushed out of business.

At one point we had over 330, small family vegetable operations in Erie County alone, and all the way up through Avon and Avon Lake was peppered with small growers.  In fact you can still see some of the skeletons of old greenhouses.  Family grocery stores and family farms were pushed out of business because the economy of scale kicked in and large mass farms and mega grocery stores became the standard.  It all became about convenience rather than the quality.

Our area has a micro climate because of Lake Erie. Lake Erie is the shallowest of all the Great Lakes and consequently the warmest.  European settlers recognized this area as a tremendous growing region.  We had the first winery in the United States was right here in our county, so there used to be a ton of family owned grocery stores and small individual, I don’t know if they would have called themselves artisanal farms, but small family farms, and there was a connection between the user and the producer.  As roads and refrigeration got better in the 1950s, chain grocery stores came into play and they put the pressure on small individually owned grocery stores.  It all became about how they could produce food the cheapest, and those were the growers that survived.

So we lost the farm and the farmer’s markets were a place for us to start over because it was instant cash.  There wasn’t even the luxury at first to sell to restaurants because they would all want credit, so selling at farmer’s markets were really one of the few choices we had.  But farmer’s markets in the early ‘80s were really at an all time low.

Our grandparents (or maybe in your case, Michelle, great-grandparents) spent a very huge percentage of their time in the kitchen preparing food.  My mother’s generation said, look we are not going to spend all this time in the kitchen, and it became about convenience with the advent of instant mixes and TV dinners and microwaves.  Now we have the history in place to see 50 years later that cheap food is not the answer.

Really it’s about balancing the soil, selecting the right seeds and properly caring for a plant that supports it against diseases and insects rather than trying to treat them after the fact, and I think this is really critical to sustainability and the future.  We believe there is a direct correlation between the health of our nation, or the lack thereof, with commercial farming practices over the past 50, the way we eat, what we eat and the way what we eat is grown.

It is really wonderful to see your generation reconnect, reclaim control and demand to know where product comes from. It’s just really great to see the producers being embraced and supported.

Who was the first chef you worked with? The very first chef we worked with was Iris Bailin, but I don’t think she is still in the industry.  She was an executive chef for a brokerage firm back in the 80s and she was one of my first customers at the Coit Road Market off of E. 152^nd on the east side of Cleveland.  Drove that route many, many mornings.

I’d leave the farm at 2:30 in the morning to be there by 4:00, if we didn’t have a truck break down.  My dad was at the West Side Market, my brother was at Orange and Woodland, my mother was at Jamie’s Flea Market in Amherst, and my grandmother and aunt were selling out of the back of a Ford Fairmont at the Sandusky Farmer’s Market.

Iris Bailin had trained in Europe and she came back home looking for the quality of ingredients that she had seen there but couldn’t find them.  At that time, nearly all of the family farms had been pushed out of business.  What she was looking for really didn’t exist here.  We were flat broke and desperate for a way to survive in agriculture.  The only trucks we had were trucks that didn’t get a bid when I stood and watched every single thing my folks owned sold at a sheriff’s sale.  These trucks were in rough shape; a lot of them had over a million miles on them before we started using them for farmer’s markets.

Iris Bailin was very persistent in looking for any farmer who would listen to her, because she was looking for specific varieties harvested at particular sizes and grown without chemicals.  She was looking for products grown in a healthy way rather than a commercial way.

We were used to the philosophy of Earl Butts, the secretary of agriculture who said rip out every hedge row – get big or get out.  Then here was this lady from France looking for zucchini blossoms and lettuces that were three inches tall.  It was a hard concept for us to grasp when we were used to selling by the palette.

However, what she was looking for really resonated with my dad because it had existed here at one time: quality ingredients grown for the varietal selections in a healthy way where the crops and land were rotated and nutrients were rebuilt naturally rather than chemically.  It really has only been the last 50, 60 years that we decided we could replace a natural input with chemical or synthetic one. It faked the plants out, but with health care costs continuing to increase at an alarming rate, we now see it didn’t fake our bodies out.

My dad asked how many growers Iris had asked to grow in the way she was recommending, and about 15 to 20 growers had refused. That was really the clincher for my dad.  That none of the others were willing to do it was the signal that we needed to go that direction.

Iris went on to be the food editor at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She introduced us to Parker Bosley, and Denise and Bill Fugo at Sammy’s in the Flats, chefs who were ahead of their time in Cleveland and I think had European influences as well.  Parker Bosley was one of the first chefs on the farm and early on we met Ken Eddy who was at the French Connection at the time.  Paul Minnillo and his brother at the Baricelli Inn were again ahead of their time and sought out quality ingredients.  Mark and Julie Sherry had started Players in Cleveland which was a really hot place.  Of course, Gary Lucarelli runs it now I believe.  Places like Raintree by Fritz Campbell on the East Side; Bob Buehner at, gosh, I can’t remember the name of the place he was at. Then there’s John D’Amico and Matt Mars at Chez Francois, which is right in our backyard.

They were a part of that early group; but ultimately the Cleveland chefs at the time were not fully prepared to embrace what we were doing, and we could not survive on what we could generate from the Cleveland chefs at that time. We sought out like-minded chefs all over the country.  It is satisfying now to see that it is fully embraced in Cleveland and chefs here do fully support a return to pre-commercial agricultural philosophies.  When we opened the Culinary Vegetable Institute we flew Iris Bailin in and recognized her for her contributions to our direction and success.

How did the CVI come to be and what is its mission? The Culinary Vegetable Institute (CVI) was my dad’s vision.  For years we had had chefs come in from around the country: Jean-Luis Palladin from the Watergate Hotel was one of the first French chefs to come into the United States and he, like Iris, was looking for quality, custom ingredients that they had become accustomed to in France but couldn’t find here.  Basically his message to growers was the food was shit and if we wanted to grow for him we had to get it figured out.

He was very instrumental, much like Iris, in guiding the vision.  And once he figured out we were willing to pay attention and do it the right way, he got on the phone and called other chefs and said, “There is a farmer who is willing to listen.”  He introduced us to Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse, Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Norman VanAken, Ritz Carlton chefs.  They were also instrumental in developing the CVI.

The Culinary Vegetable Institute was conceived as a place for the most forward thinking chefs in the world to be able to come and do R&D and R&R, to be able to work with vegetables they hadn’t been able to work with before.  We have anywhere from 250 to 300 types of vegetables that we found or a chef has found in their home country or in Europe and brought over.  We will experiment with it and chefs can take it into the test kitchen and play with it to decide if it is something worthy of going into full production.

Chefs drive and dictate our business.  The only reason we exist is because there has been that group of chefs that supported us and allowed us to be their gardener.  We really look at ourselves as vessel for their vision.  They guide, direct and edict our business.  We are here to take care of the chefs.

The CVI’s sole purpose, initially, was for that.  We’ve expanded that into a place for large corporations to do research and development.  We do pharmaceutical dinners, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, corporate team building.  It’s a great place for a company that wants privacy to be able to do experimentation and team building, or it can be used if an individual food enthusiast wants to have a private party.  We will bring in a chef to cater to their specific needs and have a party around the specific foods they like.  Obviously we’re embracing Earth to Table, seasonal sensitivity and that whole concept.

To be continued…

For the past 8 years, The Culinary Vegetable Institute and The Chef’s Garden host a fundraiser to support and promote Veggie U. This year we were lucky enough to attend the Food & Wine celebration with over 30 participating chefs and wineries offering tastings throughout the night on the grounds of the farm under one big (read: HOT) tent. Despite the heat (and bugs), it was a simply outstanding event. We ate, drank, ate some more, made some new friends, reacquainted with old ones, and then ate and drank once again. Truthfully, this was a fabulous event and evening – we had a ball and will continue to attend and support Veggie U and its mission of helping kids make better food choices and understand where their food comes from for years to come.

In between all the good eats, chatter and laughter, we learned a  little Cleveland  food scoop.

I ran into the ladies behind The Lounging Gourmet.

After meeting and briefly talking with Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Ice Cream, she shared that she’s working on a cookbook that will spill all her delicious little secrets and is actively scouting out Cleveland for a location (maybe by this spring?). Speaking of cookbooks, you may have heard that the Sawyers are working on one too – and getting fairly close to sharing plans for restaurant #2. Finally, ran into a former classmate of mine, Scott Kuhn, who shared that he’s in the process of a major renovation of an old building on the other end of Chagrin Falls (was formerly private property up until now) for a microbrewery (he’s hoping it will mirror some of his favorites in Portland). Much more to come on this.

My favorite dish of the night was a tie between the braised pork belly from chef Craig Deihl at  Cypress in Charleston (I’m heading outside Charleston for vacation this August, will have to make a trip to check out his restaurant) and squash blossoms stuffed with sweet corn, Chevre and spicy peach chutney via chef Michael Delligatta from The Inn at Verailles. Wow. Wow. Wow. I was not familiar with him or this inn, but what an impression this dish made. I also enjoyed the watermelon and cucumber salad from Three Birds and bison flank steak bahn mi with foie gras butter and your choice of toppings from chef Beej Flamholz. Best in show would have to go to Ann Blackwood of Kalahari. She had at least five beautifully decorated desserts with amazing detail. Personally, I didn’t care for the taste of the sweets but Jamie sure did, making a few stops for these tiny chocolate ganache bites with lavender flowers. Chef Jonathon Sawyer of The Greenhouse Tavern demoing his Ratatouille Provence along with Jay (also pictured above with chef Lee Ann Wong, Jay and Amelia) was also fun and informative.

Thanks to Michelle Demuth-Bibb of The Chef’s Garden for sharing some of the pics.

So what happened in February you ask? How quickly you forget. That’s when Cleveland Foodie readers and local chefs came together and saved the Veggie U program within Cleveland schools by raisising over $3,800. Have I mentioned that I hands-down have the best readers in town?

You now have another chance to help the greater Veggie U program which educates 4^th graders on the importance of making wise food choices and understanding where their food comes from. The 2010 Food and Wine Celebration to benefit the Veggie U children’s program will take place on July 17. This annual gathering features gourmet cuisine prepared by chefs from all over the country plus wines from top vineyards, cooking demos and a silent auction.

The event takes place on the absolutely beautiful grounds of The Culinary Vegetable Institute. Demonstrations and participating chefs include Food & Wine Best New Chef Jonathon Sawyer, James Beard winner Chef Martha Foose and former Top Chef contestants, Chefs Lee Anne Wong and Dave Martin. Emceeing the benefit is TV host and award-winning chef, Bob Waggoner.

Tickets are on sale now. The great folks at Veggie U gave me two tickets to give away to one lucky reader, valued at $175 each. If you would like to be entered for a chance to win via random.org, please leave a comment to this post between now and Friday, July 2nd telling us what your favorite meal was from your childhood (mine was my gram’s spaghetti and meatballs – she made the best sauce and always made this for me whenever I was craving it, even when I’d visit during college. It always tasted the exact same – simply perfect).

Speaking of the local 4^th graders we helped, Barb Jones, assistant director of Veggie U (and farmer Lee’s mom), shared the following from some participating teachers:  When asked what part of the Veggie U Science program she liked best, one fourth-grade teacher said, “The abundance of materials and resources included in each unit. It was very nice to have the ability for the students to have real examples in the classroom.”

Another said, “The worm farm was a favorite part for my kids, they also loved planting and watching the plants grow”. “The kids loved trying some vegetables for the first time.”

The Veggie U program was delivered to 187 Cleveland 4th grade classrooms this spring at a cost of $200 per classroom. The folks who helped via Cleveland Foodie can feel great about helping these kids, she added.

By the way, if you do plan to attend the 8^th annual Food and Wine Celebration (and I hope you do – we’ll be there!), be sure to check out the site for special rates on accommodations if you plan to stay overnight. The CVI is located in Milan, which is near Cedar Point.

Veggie U Fun Facts

• Veggie U is currently in 24 states and 1,800 classrooms
• Veggie U was born in the spring of 2003 and for the following 18 months, a group of dedicated educators and nutritionists donated their time and talents to create a curriculum which meets the benchmarks of the 4th grade national science standards set forth by the No Child Left Behind Initiative
• The mission of Veggie U is to promote the well-being of children through a healthy lifestyle
• Veggie U is dedicated to the creation and distribution of curricula nationally with a focus on making wise food choices, combating adolescent and juvenile disease and attaining and understanding of sustainable agriculture
• For every one child in the program, an estimated 12 additional people are reached with the message
• Our vision is to place the Earth to Table program in every one of the 93,000 4th grade classrooms in the nation

The film fest gets underway March 18 – 28. Tickets are on sale now. This year, the folks behind CIFF are making is super easy for all of us to stay connected. Of course there’s the site, but also a smart phone app and Twitter. And finally, special perks for ‘the mayor.’ (On a side note, I personally love how many local companies are catching on to the beauty of Foursquare and awarding their mayors).

This year, I was lucky enough to be asked to blog on behalf of the fest and given the opportunity to preview a few movies ahead of time. Here are my thoughts on what I have seen so far. As for what I haven’t seen but what looked good to me and I plan to try, these films include: 8, Convention, Love Hurts, The Baby Formula, Cooking History, Harvest, and the opening night film, Timer.

Ingredients// Fans of Food Inc. and anything by Michael Pollan will surely love this food documentary that focuses on local foods and supporting farmers. In fact, if you regularly read this blog, it’s probably preaching to the choir but still a must-see as it’s a good reminder – just be sure to bring your chain-lovin’, mass food supporting friends as it will surely open their eyes. The best part about this film? A nice spotlight on The Chef’s Garden and Farmer Lee Jones along with his dad and brother. In fact, Lee will be at the 3/20 screening of Ingredients to discuss the future of the American farmer.

Handsome Harry// This movie is about an ex-Navy officer who upon reuniting with a dying Navy buddy relives a mysterious crime they committed and travels from friend to friend to unlock the truth and in part, make amends. I really wanted to like this movie. Good cast (Aidan Quinn, Steve Buscemi and Campbell Scott) and I was intrigued by what I read ahead of time. But in the end, neither of us were fans. Not even halfway through and we figured out the rather predictable ending. In general, it was just too choppy and had too many things going on and random storylines being introduced. It had all the makings of a good flick, but in the end just didn’t win us over. I will say this though, I was not familiar with the lead (Jamey Sheridan) prior to this movie, and did enjoy his acting and wouldn’t mind seeing his other films.

Dear Lemon Lima// Thanks to my love for all John Hughes movies, I am a sucker for any teen-esque movie (even though this, and most movies out today, couldn’t be further from a Hughes flick). This quirky, family-friendly movie wasn’t as funny as I had hoped, but it was touching and overall enjoyable. If you have pre-teens or teens at home, they’d likely enjoy this one as well.

The folks at CIFF gave me 6 tickets to give away. I’ll give away in pairs, so three of you will win. For a chance, leave a comment with your favorite movie quote. Winners will be randomly selected Thursday at noon. Even if you don’t win, be sure to go to a movie and support the film fest. Parking is free, there are lots of great eateries right there to grab a bite before or after, and the festival itself is one of the best on the country. It’s something we should all try to support.

It’s also worth nothing that there will be three “off-site” CIFF nights:

• March 23, Shaker Square
• March 24, Cedar Lee
• March 25, Capitol Theatre (I was just there for TEDxCLE – what a beautiful theater!)

I was somewhat familiar with CVI and The Chef’s Garden, both from local chefs and various articles I’ve read, but have never been. By way of background, The Chef’s Garden is a sustainable farm in Huron that responsibly grows  the largest selection of heirloom and specialty vegetables, micro greens, herbs and edible flowers available anywhere in the United States. With over 600 varieties, they practice field to plate in 24 hours. They work with chefs from all over the country, including Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter (Trotter actually broke ground on the center) and of course many of our local chefs. The Institute evolved from this practice and was first proposed by Lee’s father, Bob. The Institutes’s purpose is to provide a place for the farmer and chef to come together and collaborate. While still working closely with chefs (it also serves as a retreat for many chefs and a test kitchen), it’s also open to the public for special dinners, wine tastings and cooking classes.

The space, dubbed a culinary education center, is a beautiful and rather cozy lodge. All the timber beams and all other wood inside is reclaimed wood right from the farm. Even the stone on the over-sized fireplace is from their land. And the focal point of this retreat: a 1,500 square foot state-of-the-art kitchen any chef would covet. The rustic institute is surrounded by the working farm.

Our dinner, prepared by a team of chefs including several high school students that are part of area school’s culinary vocation programs, featured numerous items picked that morning. The menu included:

Each dish was paired with an accompanying wine. Of all the wines we sampled, my favorite (and only one we purchased that night), was the 2007 Trinchero Napa Valley Meritage. The other wines were nice, but given the choice nothing I’d probably order out.

As for the dinner, with the exception of the dessert (a bit dry and somewhat bland overall) each dish was incredibly flavorful, beautifully presented and simply delicious. My favorites included the scallop, flan and Brussels sprouts appetizer. My only complaint is that I would have liked more of each dish. Though given the number of courses, each was portioned properly and adequately spaced.

The evening itself lasted a few hours  and we were encouraged to explore the Institute (the private chef’s room, library featuring many books donated by chefs, kitchen, etc.). It was a wonderful night that was as informative as it was delicious. CVI, as well as The Chef’s Garden, is truly an amazing operation that we are fortunate to have right in our backyard. This post doesn’t do it justice and just hints at all that’s going on just a quick hour away.

If you have the opportunity, check out one of their specialty dinners. In addition to the wine tasting dinners, which typically cost $85 per person, CVI features Earth-to-Table dinners that are served family style and cost $55 per person. Here’s a look at the December dinner with Chef Lee Anne Wong.

As for farmer Lee Jones, what an interesting individual! His signature look is actually trademarked and he never wears anything else other than his white shirt, overalls and one of his 12 red bow ties. Ever – regardless of occasion. Look for much more on him in an upcoming Q&A.

One final thing I learned. The vegetables and herbs that were once only available to top chefs, are now available to all of us. For an annual $30 membership (which goes directly to help fund Veggie U, a teaching program that educates fourth graders on eating smart) your order is placed online and delivered right to your door. Visit here to join and learn more.