Chef Art Smith Announces The Southern Sustainable Food Center
Tallahassee, Florida (PRWEB) April 13, 2017 -- Jubilee Orchards announced today its partnership with local celebrity chef and humanitarian, Art Smith, to promote sustainable farming practices with the opening of the Southern Sustainable Food Center in Jasper, Florida. The SSFC will feature state-of-the-art Old Florida Bakery and Kitchen, online learning center, farm to table school, farm stores, and other cultural resources.
In 2014, Chef Smith founded a similar program in nearby Madison, Florida called the Reunion Garden and Kitchen School. The non-profit school provides free educational and mentorship programs focused on farm-to-table and sustainable living practices programs. SFFC and Old Florida Bakery and Kitchen builds on Chef Art Smith’s mission to accelerate the burgeoning trend for local and organic foods by inspiring students and community leaders across Florida and Georgia to adopt sustainable farming practices.
Lawton “Bud” Chiles, owner of Jubilee Orchards, says, “Local and regional growers require new approaches to brand and sell their desirable local produce, and to develop opportunities to create value added products.” Jubilee Blues blueberries will be one of the many Florida-grown featured ingredients at the SSFC bakery. Through Jubilee Orchard’s partnership with the SSFC, the bakery will bring to market Jubilee Blues’ brand muffins, scones, pies and cakes to be sold regionally.
To kick off the partnership, Jubilee Orchards will be hosting a Local Food Network Happy Hour featuring guest appearances by Chef Art Smith and prominent figures in Tallahassee’s farming community. Chef Smith will be hosting a bakeoff with a cash prize of a cash prize of $1,000 at the
event for the best blueberry-inspired dish. Judges will include local chefs and Chef Art Smith himself. Contestants should plan to bring at least 6 servings of their dish to the event to register. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served featuring ingredients from local farms in the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance. The Local Food Network Happy Hour takes place on Thursday, April 27th from 6pm - 8pm.
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About Jubilee Orchards: Located in Tallahassee, Florida, Jubilee Orchards, growers of the Jubilee Blues, is a 50 acre organic blueberry orchard. The orchard is located on Jubilee Plantation, founded by Governor “Walkin’” Lawton Chiles. Through sound environmental farming practices, Jubilee Orchards believes in offering quality fresh, locally made and healthful products. For more information, visit jubileeorchards.com.
Chef Art Smith is the former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey and Florida Governors, Bob Graham and Jeb Bush, and owner of signature restaurants in Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Disneyland. A Florida State University alumnus, Chef Smith has been named the Culinary Ambassador for the university’s new dining-services agreement with Sodexo that will focus on bringing locally-sourced foods to campus dining facilities. In 2003, Chef Smith co-founded Chicago-based Common Threads to bring health and wellness to communities through cooking and nutrition education. The program now engages over 100,000 children in 9 states. In 2014, Art Smith founded Reunion Florida Garden and Kitchen School in Madison, Florida. The 501c non-profit was created to provide free educational and mentorship programs focused on farm-to-table and sustainable living practices programs.
Bud Chiles, Jubilee Orchards, http://jubileeorchards.com, +1 (850) 251-8317, [email protected]
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