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FRESH ROOTS AT RISK OF CANCELLING FUNDRAISER: ‘SCHOOLYARD HARVEST LONGTABLE DINNER’, HAPPENING JULY 6TH

FRESH ROOTS AT RISK OF CANCELLING FUNDRAISER:
‘SCHOOLYARD HARVEST LONGTABLE DINNER’, HAPPENING JULY 6TH

Purchase your tickets now for the ‘Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner’ benefitting
Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society’s youth programs 

 

Vancouver B.C., June 21, 2023—After a 3-year hiatus, Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society is excited to be bringing back their most anticipated and critical fundraiser of the year: Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner on Thursday, July 6, from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. However, this previously quick-to-sell-out summertime event is already at risk of being cancelled due to slow ticket sales. Fresh Roots relies heavily on this event to fund Fresh Roots’ youth programs which empower young people to connect with both their community and the food on their plate. Celebrating nature’s bounty on the verdant farm grounds of David Thompson Secondary School, Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner is an elegant, chef-prepared multi-course, seated dinner made with locally sourced ingredients from the charity’s schoolyard farms and community partners, and paired with an open bar of wine, beer, and other beverages. Tickets are $250 for adults, and include food, drink, live music and farm tours!

 

“This year’s event is a special celebration of the 10th anniversary of Fresh Roots’ first schoolyard farm,” explains Alexa Pitoulis, Fresh Roots Executive Director. “It will be an unforgettable culinary evening on the oasis of our urban farm—all in support of farm-based learning and leadership for kids and youth across Metro Vancouver.”

 

The evening will begin with cocktail hour at 5:30pm. Guests will choose between craft alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages accompanied by a grazing table composed of locally produced ingredients and the best of the season’s local harvest. During cocktail hour, guests are encouraged to mingle and wander through the lush schoolyard farm to experience the work of Fresh Roots firsthand at the peak of golden hour. Knowledgeable staff and former youth participants will be eager to offer farm tours and tell guests about their personal experiences with Fresh Roots.

 

At 6:30pm diners will take their seats to indulge in a locally-focused multi-course meal prepared by Governor General’s Award-winning Chef Robert Clark, and Chef Julian Bond (Organic Ocean Seafood), Chef TJ Conwi (Ono Vancouver), acclaimed Pastry Chef Fumiko Moreton (Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre), and Chef Derrick Sibayan (Holts Café), plus beverages from Ward’s Cider, Persephone Brewing Company, and Edna’s Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Company.

 

All funds raised at the Schoolyard Farm Longtable Dinner benefit Fresh Roots’ youth programs. Over the past decade, Fresh Roots has embarked on an inspiring and transformative journey, empowering young people to become food citizens and land stewards. Participants learn how to grow and sell food through planting, harvesting, and working at farmer’s markets. They develop valuable farming and entrepreneurial experience while also nurturing their self-confidence and ability to work effectively as a team.

 

Partners of Fresh Roots 2023 Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner include: Organic Ocean, Windsor Meats, Persephone Brewing Company, 33 Acres Brewing Co., Edna’s Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Company, Wards Cider, Wize Iced Tea, Ono Vancouver, KPU Richmond Farm, UBC Farm, Cropthorne Farm, Terra Breads, Earnest Ice Cream, TMRW Foods, Spread ‘Em Kitchen Co., Legends Haul, KMComms, plus additional generous partners to be announced in the days to come.

 

Schoolyard Harvest Longtable Dinner tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite.

 

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Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society

GROWING FOOD GROWING COMMUNITY! Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society envisions a world where everyone has access to healthy food, land, and community. This non-profit organization works to cultivate engaging gardens and programs that catalyze healthy eating, ecological stewardship, and community celebration. Fresh Roots helps schools and school districts across Metro Vancouver grow community through growing food. Working with a variety of partners and clients, it utilizes school gardens to provide opportunities for inquiry-based and cross-curricular learning, volunteering, leadership development, and job skills training that animate school communities across the Lower Mainland.

 

Website:  freshroots.ca

Facebook: @freshrootsfarms

Instagram: @freshrootsfarms

Twitter: @freshrootsfarms

 

Program & Media Contacts:

Alexa Pitoulis

Executive Director, Fresh Roots

alexa@freshroots.ca | 778-883-2599 

Katharine Manson,
Media Relations, KMComms

katharine@kmcomms.com | 604 318 9690

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Menu for Fresh Roots’ Schoolyard Harvest Dinner Announced

July 28, 2020 | Scout Vancouver

Vancouver, BC | With less than two weeks left to score yourself mid-August feast from some of the region’s top producers, in support of a fantastic program. From the Fresh Roots team:

For this extra-special year, we are creating summer harvest boxes filled with everything you’ll need to create a beautiful summertime meal experience to share with friends, family, or your colleagues at home or in a location of your choice. The box will include fresh and chef-prepared ingredients for a simple and delicious meal to finish at home and thoughtful accoutrements like wine and flowers for the table. Menu created by Chef Natasha Sawyer and TJ Conwi.

Funds generated from the dinner directly benefit its SOYL (Sustainable Opportunities Youth Leadership) program, which engages and empowers youth.

Menu

Amuse Bouche
Profiteroles stuffed with Fresh Roots herbs and goat cheese, accompanied by candied Agassiz hazelnuts and wine compressed figs.

Charcuterie
A meat and veggie option with either a selection of charcuterie from Legends Haul or Végé-Pâté and spreadable dips from Saltspring Harvest and pickled vegetables from Cropthorne Farm, Zaklan Heritage Farm and Fresh Roots

Main
Sous vide Organic Ocean Seafood sockeye and Legends Haul sirloin masala, Fresh Roots harvest salad, zucchini palak paneer terrine, carrot vindaloo vinaigrette, atchara relish, and wheatberries

Dessert
Summer Cheesecake with raspberry coulis from Olera Organic Farms

Beverages
Choice of a bottle of red or white wine from Marquis Wine Cellars cans of 33 Acres Brewing Company Sunshine French Blanchè beer and kombucha from Bucha Brew

Accoutrements
a bouquet of flowers for the table, cookies from Susgrainable surprises created by our SOYL youth program participants, and more.

Info and tickets: freshroots.ca/harvestdinner

https://scoutmagazine.ca/2020/07/28/menu-for-fresh-roots-schoolyard-harvest-dinner-announced/?fbclid=IwAR0GhHVWWjgqkh9lVlubtxgYR0uR5c-7-CTEw2RL9EZp17eRhb62GOVaeWs

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How to take part in a Vancouver school farm fundraiser dinner in your own backyard

They’ll supply the harvest, you serve your dinner at home and it all supports keeping youth healthy and working in Vancouver

By: Lindsay William-Ross

It’s hard to host a long table dinner when restaurant tables in B.C. are limited to just six diners apiece these days due to COVID-19, so many special events are having to either cancel for 2020 or reconfigure completely.

One group that has totally revamped their annual fundraiser is the Schoolyard Harvest Dinner, a summer event that benefits Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society.

This year, Fresh Roots will hold their dinner as an “At-Home Edition” where diners can enjoy a small gathering with big, fresh flavours at home, and can connect with other supporters online – instead of on the lawn at David Thompson Secondary as usual.

Taking place Thursday, August 13, ticket holders can purchase summer harvest boxes curated by Fresh Roots that will be filled with everything you’ll need to create a beautiful meal at home to share with friends or family. There will even be wine and flowers, to accent your at-home experience. Order online and pick up on your chosen day. Harvest boxes are available for two, four, or six guests, and arrangements can be made if you are interested in holding a larger – but COVID-safe – get together.

Guests will come together online on August 13 at 6 p.m. for a celebration and program featuring kitchen tips and tricks from chefs TJ Conwi and Natasha Sawyer about how to compose your plates with the contents of your summer harvest box. Participants from the SOYL program will also share stories about their time with Fresh Roots.

Funds generated from the dinner directly benefit Fresh Roots’ SOYL (Sustainable Opportunities Youth Leadership) program, which engages and empowers youth. This is their fourth-annual iteration of the fundraiser event.

Fresh Roots is the Vancouver organization with a vision to “cultivate engaging gardens and programs that catalyze healthy eating, ecological stewardship, and community celebration.” To that end, Fresh Roots runs Schoolyard Market Gardens, educational farms that they utilize as pathways to youth empowerment and employment.

Partners for the 2020 Schoolyard Harvest Dinner At-Home Edition include Legends Haul, Marquis Wine Cellars, Organic Ocean, 33 Acres Brewing Co., Saltspring Harvest, Susgrainable, and Fife Bakery with more generous donors to be confirmed in the days to come.

Schoolyard Harvest Dinner At-Home Edition

When: Thursday, August 13, 2020, at 6 p.m.

Where: At the location of your choosing/online

Cost: $150-450

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Join Us for Our Schoolyard Harvest Dinner!

Join us for our third annual Schoolyard Harvest Dinner.

We’ll celebrate with an elegant dinner of local ingredients sourced from our schoolyard farms and farmer friends, paired with an open bar of amazing wine from Marquis Wine Cellars, brews from 33 Acres, and kombucha from Brew Dr. Kombucha.

Enjoy an inspired multi-course meal created by chefs Karima Chellouf and Kym Nguyen.

Karima Chellouf is a chef, nutritionist, and educator who has been cooking and baking through elevated dining establishments and patisseries in Vancouver for the past 10 years. Karima’s food is bold, flavourful, influenced by lineage, and is often made to promote discussions of health, self-care, and social issues. Follow @gloryandgutsnutrition on Instagram for pop-up events, workshops, recipes, and more.

Kym Nguyen is a self-taught chef from London, England. Over the last 12 years, they’ve developed a huge passion in cooking farm to table across Canada, inspired by using fresh and local ingredients from whole animals to the produce from the ground, recognizing the amazing flavours of food that can be grown locally and responsibly. Kym hopes to keep continue working closely with local farmers and foragers to create new and exciting dishes.
 
We are so lucky that Karima and Kym are returning to cook for us again this year, as many of last year’s attendees said the meal they created last year was the best they’ve ever had!

Support experiential learning by sharing delicious conversations, the best of this season’s harvest, and your own generosity—in addition to ticket sales, our goal is to raise $45,000 at this event to support children and youth in Fresh Roots programs, so please bring your chequebook or credit card along with your appetite!
Come join the table.

Proceeds support Good Food at school. You will receive a tax receipt for the charitable portion of your ticket purchase. If you’d like to buy group tickets, are interested in a children’s ticket, or have any other questions, please reach out to Sarah Maitland, our Community Engagement Manager, at sarah@freshroots.ca.

The dinner will be served family style, with tables sharing platters of food, so unfortunately, we can’t accommodate special diets.

Photo Credit: Andrea Fernandez
Special thanks to our friends at the Italian Cultural Centre for the use of their kitchen space to prep this amazing meal.