Food sovereignty is a topic oft overlooked in the discussion of modern agriculture. But local food was the focus of a dinner held at Smith Hall yesterday. The celebration of local produce followed a day filled with guests lecturing on food sovereignty — a movement dedicated to keeping local food on community plates.
During the dinner, a presentation was given to unveil the restaurant designs and dining space for the new Union South. A panel discussion was conducted after the dinner, which featured speakers from the lectures held during the day. Daniel Cornelius, vice president for Project Management, presented the plans for the new union and introduced the speakers for the panel. After beginning the event with a performance by a Native American drum circle, students, University of Wisconsin staff and faculty joined together to take part in a delicious, homegrown meal.
Several items from local sources were featured in the meal, served buffet-style to a crowd of over 50 guests. One of the first and most notable items was a soup with white corn from the Oneida tribe near Green Bay. The rest of the ingredients were purchased from the Willy Street Co-op, and the dish itself served as an example of the ways local sources can be utilized to produce good food at a reasonable cost. Sandwiches from Grainger Hall’s Capital Caf? were also served as a reminder of the Wisconsin Union’s new initiative to obtain ingredients from local sources.
“The Capital Caf? is a good example of how the unions can use local food sources. One of our goals is to get local food in all the unions, but there are significant hurdles to achieving that,” Cornelius said.
Wild rice with a cranberry, almond and green onion garnish was brought from the White Earth Recovery Project, a group based in Minnesota combating the genetic engineering of wild rice. Cheese was also presented by Fromagination, a purveyor of Wisconsin-made, artisan-produced cheese.
Desserts were procured from Porchlight, an organization that provides job training to develop basic job skills for the homeless through the culinary arts. Sugar cookies and extra delicious brownies were served along with a hearty portion of potato salad. The sweet treats were unique in their preparation: The batches of baked goods were comprised of maple syrup instead of refined sugar.
While hungry students were gobbling down locally made deliciousness, Cornelius described plans for the new Union South. One of the most notable features of the new restaurant plans is the main dining area, inspired by the Memorial Union’s Rathskeller.
“The Rathskeller is more of a bar, and the acoustics aren’t really good for music. This place will be designed with music in mind,” Cornelius said.
The new restaurant plans include a coffee shop, a club and grill, and a flatbread oven with customizable sandwich works.
“We want the new Union to be a place that you go to because you want to be there,” Cornelius said.
The panel following the dinner discussed the ongoing problem with industrial vendors supplying Wisconsin institutions, including UW, with food and addressed other concerns regarding the use of local produce sources. Speakers included Annette Desmarais, associate professor at the University of Regina; Jack Kloppenburg, University of Wisconsin professor of rural sociology; and John Kinsman, president of the Family Farm Defenders.
The problem of food sovereignty does have several obstacles, including the executive mandate on industrial food suppliers. Judging from the turnout of last night’s event, the progress of food sovereignty seems to be advancing.
As long as local produce can be supported by the patronage of local business, this movement should thrive beyond fall and into the winter months.
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