A new meaning to ‘eating at home’

By Brian Smith

BEREA — Berea’s first “Local Food Celebration” drew a large crowd, organizers said, and the event may become an annual activity.

“We sold about 150 tickets (for Saturday’s luncheon),” farmer and Berea Farmers’ Market president Bryce Baumann said. “It’s well on its way to being an annual event.”

Baumanns Forever Farm hosted a full-fare lunch buffet featuring locally produced meats, vegetables and baked goods as well as a pair of workshops on local food Saturday afternoon.

The event started Friday afternoon with an extended market in downtown Berea that included local restaurants serving local food.

“We had a big turnout Friday at the market,” Baumann said.

Saturday morning, three local farms offered tours to allow visitors to see how they produce their products.

At one of the farms, the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center on Pilot Knob Cemetery Road east of Berea, intern Mary Benami led tours of the farm’s berry patches, greenhouses and fields.

Tour participants included a group of Governor’s Scholars Program students from Centre College who were able to sample blueberries and blackberries grown on the farm while learning about the growing methods the farm uses to raise its produce.

Grinning Planet Farm in Berea and Salamander Springs Farm in Mount Vernon also offered tours Saturday morning, and Baumann led a tour of Baumanns Forever Farm after Saturday’s luncheon.

The festival concludes this afternoon with the third annual Sustainable Berea “100-Mile Potluck,” where participants are asked to bring a dish made using ingredients grown within 100 miles of Berea.

Recipes for the dishes will be collected for a cookbook of local food recipes to be published in October, organizers said.

The potluck begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Berea Community School gymnasium. It also will include a live auction.

The event was a joint project of the Berea Farmers’ Market and Sustainable Berea.

Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.