Dear UeaTers,
We would like to share a unique and inspiring story with you about one of the vendors at our Farmer’s Market.
When you come down to the U of T Farmer’s Market on Wednesday afternoons, you will not be able to resist the delicious breads being sold by St. John’s Bakery. They claim that for them, its more than selling bread at a market…..their breads and sweets build community. It is run by St. John’s- The Compassionate Mission, who helps those in need by employing them in the bakery and elsewhere. This way, by buying breads and sweets from the Farmer’s Market, you are helping somebody in need.
(The following is taken from St. John’s Bakery’s website)
St. John’s started as a drop-in centre in a strip mall on 53 Blake Street in South Riverdale. Two stores down was Joe Link’s bakery. The second day we moved in, Joe arrived with a whole tray of doughnuts, and after that he just kept dropping by and bringing us wonderful, fragrant goodies from his bakery.
Joe’s history took a turn for the worse. He took ill and lost his family and his bakery—everything. He ended up on the street. But slowly, he started pulling his life together, baking bread at our drop-in centre with his old equipment. We saw him being transformed; he “rose” like his bread. We started to sell his bread throughout the neighborhood. Two years later, Joe died. It was a terrible loss for us. But he left us his old dough mixer and a taste and desire for good bread and honest labour.
For us, it is more than our breads and sweets. It is about connecting with people, about building comunity. We draw people in with our bread. We believe our bread builds community.
On that note, UeaTers, come on our to the U of T Farmer’s Market, indulge in some delicious breads and help make somebody’s day!
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Dear UeaTers,
Have you ever pondered over whether it is really possible to be a 100% locavore? Ever wondered if local trumps organic? What about culturally symbolic foods that can’t be grown in Ontario soil? Is the 100-mile diet just a trend?
To help you with your ponderings, we would like to introduce you to Eat Local!, a student run initiative on campus to promote eating local, sustainable foods. This group of students has worked very hard to put together an annual Eat Local! Day on campus which features information tables, guest speeches, a local farmer’s market and….A FREE VEGAN LUNCH!
Here is what one of the organizers of Eat Local! had to say about this initiative:
Guest Post by Lynnette Choo
The Eat Local! event started off as a group project for an enviro course in our undergraduate years. We were challenged to find something that we were passionate about and find a creative way to express that. Anne, Mina and I were all passionate about food politics and were particularly intrigued by the idea of eating locally. Since we all volunteered with the Hot Yam!, we decided on a public awareness event to show the benefits of eating locally and supporting our local food producers. And, most importantly, to show that there are so many diverse fruits and vegetables that can be grown in Ontario…not just potatoes.
With a free vegan, local and mostly organic lunch made by the Hot Yam! and partnering with UTERN, Eat Local! has grown, attracting over 200 attendees in the past. Last year we’ve included a small farmer’s market, a speaker’s series (from professors to chefs to farmers), booths from organizations like Local Food Plus (LFP), the Greenbelt, Foodland Ontario, and more. At Eat Local!, you can find useful resources such as a list of local farmer’s markets, small sachets of local and organic sprout seeds donated from Toronto Sprouts….and many more ideas on how you can start to eat locally.
We realized that eating locally is one of the many big food issues out there. We understand that when it comes to eating locally, we’re all struggling with our own dilemmas. Does local trump organic? What about culturally symbolic foods that can’t be grown in Ontario soil? Is the 100-mile diet just a trend? Is it really possible to be a 100% locavore? This event is here to spark interest and discussion. Food politics is everywhere.
So come out and join us at the third annual Eat Local! in October….it will be hosted on October 21, 2009 from 12:pm to 4pm at the International Student Center.
For more information, send us an email: eatlocaluoft@gmail.com
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Welcome to February UeaTers!
By now, many of you have received the February postcards in your mail or email…and you may be wondering, where are these events taking place? Without further ado, we would like to announce ABORIGINAL AWARENESS WEEK! Double click on the above image to make it large, or save it to your desktop to zoom in.
At UeaT, on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, you can have an Aboriginal themed meal for $3.00. Locations include MSB Cafeteria, Robarts Cafeteria, Sid’s Cafe, Howard Ferguson Dining Hall, Veda and Sammys. Also, from February 8, 2010 until February 12, 2010, you can participate in one of the many events organized by FIrst Nations House. Please visit their website for details on the events.
We would like to thank the following individuals at First Nations House for helping us understand Aboriginal cultures, art and writing: Mykelle Pacquing (who translated English into syllabics used on this poster), Terry Spanish (who translated English words to Ojibwe words used on this poster), Grafton Antoine (who translated English words to Oneida words used on this poster), Lindy Kinoshameg for letting us borrow the art featured on the top right with the 7 feathers and the CN tower, and Rochelle and Jackie at First Nations House for their help and support.
Stay tuned for details on Chinese New Year!
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Hello to a new week and the first snowfall of the season!!
We suggest that you stay indoors, drink warm hot chocolate, and bake some delicious Shortbread Sugar Cookies. They are super simple and quick to make, and turn out absolutely amazing!
(Click on the image to make it larger)
