We’d love you to join us for our Backyard

Harvest Dinner with Friends,

Thursday, August 19th, 2021 at 6:00 pm

We’ll celebrate together (online) with an elegant summer meal experience composed of diverse dishes and the best of the season’s harvest all in support of Fresh Roots programs that engage and empower youth.

We are excited that we can now celebrate with groups of friends in our own backyards and homes and look forward to a beautiful online gathering. Join us to connect and gather with our community to share and celebrate by enjoying a delicious selection of culturally diverse foods and great company.

We are on the eve of our most important fundraiser of the year. I’m so proud of how our team continues to show up. Welcoming more kids and youth to programs while at the same time facing new pandemic challenges and unexpected costs.

 The work of Fresh Roots is so valuable. Reimagining urban spaces. Building strong local food systems. Connecting the next generation to the land, their food and the lifesheds they live in.

Are you able to show your support this month and help us raise critical funds to deepen and expand the work we do? There are many ways to contribute and every seed counts!

-Alexa
Fresh Roots, Executive Director

 

On Thursday, August 19th we’ll celebrate together (online) with an elegant summer meal experience composed of diverse dishes and the best of the season’s harvest all in support of Fresh Roots programs that engage and empower youth.

The Event- Guests will come together online on August 19 at 6:00 pm for a celebration and a program featuring reflections from participants in the SOYL program, food demos, a special musical guest, and schoolyard farm tours. More fun details to be announced in the weeks leading up to the event!

What’s in Fresh Roots Summer Harvest Box?

Intended to be enjoyed as a backyard feast with friends, our Summer Harvest Box is filled with everything you need to plate a beautiful summertime family-style meal ($150 for dinner for two) featuring fresh-off-the-farm produce harvested by the SOYL youth participants.

Each box includes lovingly prepared dishes and whole ingredients for a simple and delicious spread that requires minimal finishing and is perfect for grazing. Served family-style in two or three courses, fresh-baked bread, and pickled seasonal vegetables accompany a substantial selection of culturally rich and meaningful dishes each thoughtfully chosen for their complementary flavours and textures. A tasty dessert duo provides a sweet finish. Choice courses from the menu include Egyptian hand pies filled with meat or veggies, marinated beef skewers and a sockeye salmon fillet served with Pili Pili sauce, chipotle jackfruit and Fresh Roots greens, and Buñuelos with dulce de leche.

*Ticket sales end August 14th, so don’t delay!*

To start

  • Assortment Pickles
  • Pan de Sal – enjoy with butter or olive oil
  • Hawawshdi Egyptian Meat and Veggie Hand Pies (we recommend enjoying Fresh Roots zucchini relish with this)
  • Cauliflower Ceviche
  • Sockeye Salmon Fillet
  • Marinated Beef Skewers
  • Pili Pili Sauce
  • Sukuma Stew (Vegetarian Summer Harvest Box Only) instead of meat.
  • Chipotle Jackfruit
  • Greens with Dressing
  • Quinoa with spice blend

To Finish

  • Buñuelos with dulce de leche
  •  Cookies by Susgrainable

To Drink

  • Poplar Grove Pinot Gris
  • 33 Acres Sunshine Blanche beer
  • VanSuya Hibiscus Juice
  • Plenty Hard Kombucha

Extras

  • Fresh Roots Zucchini Relish and Raspberry Thyme Jam (made by SOYL youth)
  • Flowers for the table
  • Aromatherapy – organic pillow mist lavender and lemon balm Natural Beauty Skincare
  • Fresh Roots Cookbook

Our generous partners: Vancity, Legends Haul, Organic Ocean, Poplar Grove Winery, 33 Acres Brewing Co., Coho Commissary, Kula Kitchen, Ono Vancouver, Leavenly Goods, Susgrainable, Odd Society Spirits, Plenty Hard Kombucha, VanSuya, Tsawwassen Farm School, Natural Beauty Skincare, The Italian Cultural Centre, and Flavours of Hope: Dream Cuisines’ inaugural cohort (Super Dishes, Egyptian Halal Cuisine, Mis Cazuelas Mexican Food, and Tinkerbake), Persephone Brewing, Hemlock Printers, Katharine Manson Communications, Kurtis Kolt, East Van Graphics.

 

HOW WILL IT WORK?

1. Purchase ticket(s)!

2. Packages will be ready for pick up in Vancouver at our weekly pop up market at the Italian Cultural Centre located at 3075 Slocan St, Vancouver, BC V5M 3E4 on Wednesday, August 18th from 3 pm-7 pm where you will have an opportunity to meet our SOYL youth team who are working hard to create some special products to share with you! We will reach out closer to the event to provide other helpful details! (limited delivery is available throughout the Lower Mainland by Orange Toque ADD ON at check out)

3. On Thursday, August 19th you’ll set your table, lay out your picnic blanket, or find a lovely spot to enjoy your Summer Harvest Box. Make sure to chill the beverages in your package! (your meal requires a little cooking of the protein for the non-vegetarian option )

4. You’ll log on (with a ZOOM link we will provide) at 6:00 pm to connect with your fellow guests and our Fresh Roots team and SOYL youth, have a virtual farm tour, enjoy some entertainment and music. A list of the contents of your experience package and simple preparation instructions will be included in your box.

6. We’ll continue with our celebration program and wrap up the festivities around 7:00 pm

We will have a limited number of experiences for groups of two, in addition to VIP boxes and we are excited to offer incentives for folks who’d like to share the experience with others by hosting a larger (safe) gathering or sponsoring a company-wide dinner. Please contact Caroline Manuel, Communications and Engagement Manager at 778-764-0344 ext. 108 or caroline@freshroots.ca with any questions or for more information.