It has been five years now since the inaugural meeting of Pelham Slow Food. The Convivium was formed under the enthusiastic and determined leadership of Renée Girard when the initial group of five fans of fair, clean, good food met at de la terre bakery and café on South Pelham St. in Fonthill. I first met Renée shortly after that initial meeting, at a tasting of Spanish ham and cheese at Niagara College when she was introduced by one of the chef professors as the president of the Pelham Slow Food group. Like most people who first encounter Slow Food, I thought it was devoted to taking your time while cooking… a concept I was entirely in favour of, so I introduced myself.
Since then, I have
learned that Slow Food is not about cooking slowly, but rather a reaction
against everything that “fast food” stands for: food that is cleanly produced, fairly
paid for, wholesome, and served in pleasant, convivial surroundings… and, yes,
you probably should take your time when cooking it. Organized into “Convivia,” the movement is
now represented in more than 150 countries and has the support of more than
100,000 members.
Renée’s idea for the
Pelham Convivium was to bring together a few people who support the principles
of the movement for events that nourished their ideas about food, and, not
incidentally, provided delicious nourishment as well in the form of potluck
suppers. In addition, we supported the
principles of the movement by buying suitable books for the Pelham library,
helping a Cuban Convivium with a cash donation, and working with a group home
to teach disadvantaged young people the joys of gardening. Wherever possible, we promoted the ideals of
Slow Food in the community and beyond… an effort that resulted in the first
“Snail’s Space” column in the Voice of
Pelham, a string of columns that in December reached 60.
The potluck dinners in
members’ homes, arranged thematically to celebrate the cuisine of a different
nation each meeting, have become much anticipated quarterly events. At least once a year, we also venture out to
a Niagara restaurant for a specially prepared Slow Food dinner and enjoy the
personal commentary and enthusiasm of the chef in each instance. Ryan Shapiro at About Thyme in Vineland let
us in on his “sous-vide” method of making delicious duck confit; Michael Olson
of Benchmark at Niagara College set out a magnificent homestyle feast; David
Watt of Zest provided his trademark mouthwatering creations , and most
recently, John Cercone put on a feast at Da Vinci of Fenwick that celebrated
the cuisine of his ancestral region of Abruzzi in eastern Italy. We have enjoyed learning to make cassoulet
(and stuffing ourselves with it), sampling the wines of Southbrook, le Clos
Jordanne, Alvento, Stratus, and Lailey Vineyards at special tastings, and
welcoming friends from across the region to our annual Featherstone lamb roast
with our good friends David and Louise at Featherstone Winery.
Through the last five
years, Renée has guided the group with enthusiasm and creativity. A former restaurateur and food stylist, she
is now a fulltime student at Brock, having returned to university to pursue her
lifelong love of learning… especially about other cultures and, of course, food.
Renée is stepping aside as President of our Convivium but remaining an active
member, while Valerie Grabove takes over the reins. She deserves enormous credit for having the
vision to found a Slow Food group in Pelham, the determination to see it grow
and expand, and the creativity to organize events that stimulated, educated,
and satisfied on many levels.
For more information
about Pelham Slow Food, contact Valerie at vgrabove@sympatico.ca
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