CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

The Franklin Park Conservatory launched the Community Garden this weekend as part of the Farm to Table Festival. . The garden includes an apiary (honey and bee cultivation), a community garden common, a Chef’s Allee (with some wonderful outdoor cooking space and a wood fired oven), and gardens. Community gardening is becoming more popular in Columbus as attempts are made to reconnect us with the food we link and help some underprivileged communities gain access to seasonal, fresh foods. The Community Garden Campus is a wonderful use of space.

I had the privilege of attending the Farm to Table Dinner Friday night thanks the generosity of friends. It was an amazing dinner featuring all Ohio wines and local foods cooked by many volunteer chef cooking teams including my friends Colleen, Bethia and Mary. My favorite pre-meal snacks were a Jeni’s ice cream float and a slice of wood-fired pizza created by Jim Budros with his cooking cronies Steve Stover, Rich Teripak and friends.

On Saturday I worked the Slow Food booth answering questions about Slow Food Columbus while sampling paw paws and ground cherries (forgotten Ohio foods). Based on these two days at the Community Garden I do get the impression that many of us are wanting to reconnect with the food we eat by knowing where it comes from, who grows and/or cooks it. And more people are wanting something that tastes farm fresh instead of microwave refreshed. These are good things.