Local Food Initiative News

King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 08/21/2020 09:10 AM PDT

CHOMP!, King County’s local food celebration, goes virtual August 24-28

Since 2015, CHOMP! has supported King County Executive Dow Constantine’s Local Food Initiative by celebrating local farmers, chefs and restaurants using locally-sourced food, and local organizations specializing in healthy food, sustainability, and social justice. This year, CHOMP! will be a virtual educational event titled CHOMP! Summer Camp.

King County’s CHOMP! Summer Camp is a FREE virtual five-day event running August 24–28 right here on chomplocal.org. Each day CHOMP! will premiere video content for viewers to watch and participate in from home, including a look at a few of King County’s farmers, cooking demos, educational activities, performances, and much more! CHOMP!’s webpage will also feature a Resource Library including information on local farms and farmer’s markets, activities going on in King County, resources available to King County residents and anyone else who wants to join in.

The fun begins August 24, right here!

Spice Bridge at Tukwila Village grand opening on Sept. 1!

Starting Sept. 1, Spice Bridge will be home to Food Innovation Network’s (FIN) Food Business Incubator program, which supports under-resourced South King County residents, primarily immigrants and refugees. You're invited to visit for takeout, outdoor dining, and limited indoor dining.

During Spice Bridge's first month, four businesses will offer delicious foods and beverages:

Moyo Kitchen will serve Somali-Kenyan-Tanzanian fusion food inspired by Zanzibar, the world’s spice capital.
Afella Jollof Catering will cook up Gambian/Senegalese cuisine.
Seatango will craft artisan savory and sweet pastries from Argentina.
Taste of Congo will offer authentic Congolese cuisine.

Starting Oct. 1, more businesses will join the rotation, with more mouthwatering options to choose from. FIN's pilot program has helped launch 12 businesses, and FIN plans build off this success and help launch more through this new space.

Come taste foods from around the world at Spice Bridge, contribute to FIN's capital campaign, and visit FIN's website for more ways to get involved.

Photo courtesy of Food Innovation Network.

You're never far from fresh food! Support King County farmers close to home with Local Food Finder

King County's Local Food Finder, an interactive map, lets you find fresh produce, connect to CSAs, and order directly from local farmers. Watch the video and meet some of the local farmers you can find on the Local Food Finder.

Here's how you can find the local food available near you:

Set your location and press the search icon
Click on the filters section directly below the search bar
Select any of your desired products and then press apply
Choose the location where you want to pick up your farm-fresh food

Visit Local Food Finder and directly connect with local farmers today!

Rainier Beach Action Coalition Provided $2.1 Million from City of Seattle to Purchase Land for Food Innovation Center

Original announcement published by the City of Seattle here.

The City of Seattle recently announced they will provide $2.1 million to buy land for the future home of the Food Innovation Center in Rainier Beach, a project of the not-for-profit community organization Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC). Funding was made available through Seattle’s Equitable Development Initiative (EDI).

RBAC is a Black-led community organization that is actively seeking to address racialized economic disparity in a neighborhood where communities of color experience a high risk of residential and cultural displacement. With this funding, RBAC will proceed with closing on a site adjacent to the Rainier Beach light rail station.

RBAC’s Food Innovation Center is intended to create jobs and build on the many food cultures of Rainier Beach. The Center will support economic opportunity through new small food businesses, as well as education and workforce development for Seattle residents. The concept includes classrooms and teaching kitchens, an entrepreneurship center, a marketplace, food production facility, and community services. Plans for the site also include critically needed affordable housing.

Read the City of Seattle's announcement here. Please visit Rainier Beach Action Coalition's website for more information about this project.

Photo courtesy of Rainier Beach Action Coalition.

The local food team shares articles, exclusive interviews, and project updates that tell the story of how we are building a stronger, more resilient local food system. To measure the success of local food programs, we have identified 10 indicators of success that measure how well we are doing in our efforts to create a stronger, more affordable food system. Each article is directly connected to one or more of our 10 indicators of success . Click on the indicator icons for more information about our initiative!

Local Food Initiative: 10 Indicators of Success

Thanks for reading! We're happy you've chosen to support local food and learn more about what the Local Food Initiative does here in King County. If you have any questions, check out our website!

If you have a relevant local food news story or article you would like us to share, please email us at ocarros@kingcounty.gov.

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Cheers,

Local Food Initiative team