Nationally-Acclaimed Chef Lucia Watson Featured at Harvest Feast Sept. 23 in Winona

CONTACT: Linda Grover, 507-457-6483, lgrover@co.winona.mn.us

8/20/07
WINONA, Minn.— Nationally-acclaimed chef and author Lucia Watson of Lucia’s Restaurant in Minneapolis will be a special guest speaker during the Winona Farmers’ Market Harvest Feast celebration Sunday, Sept. 23.The benefit begins at 5 p.m. at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse in Winona; supper will be served at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance from the Blue Heron Coffeehouse, the Winona Farmers’ Market, or Bluff Country Co-op in Winona. Proceeds benefit the Farmers’ Market, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007. For more information, contact Linda Grover at 507-457-6483 or lgrover@co.winona.mn.us.

The Winona Farmers’ Market was founded in 1987 by area farmers working with the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the Winona Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee. It is one of nearly 4,400 such markets nationwide and part of the growing trend by eaters to source their foods closer to home—the number of farmers’ markets has grown 18 percent in the past three years.

The Winona Farmers’ Market, which is at Second and Main streets in Winona, is held Wednesday afternoons, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday mornings, 7:30 a.m. to noon. The 35 registered vendors can only sell what they produce within 50 miles of Winona. Harvest Feast tickets will be available at the market on two Saturdays: Sept. 8 and Sept.15.

The Blue Heron Coffeehouse, located at 162 W. Second Street, specializes in seasonal dishes made with sustainably-raised products bought directly from area farmers. The menu highlights freshness and regionalismaccording to what is available in the market.

The Harvest Feast celebration is being organized by the Local Foods subcommittee of the Winona County Economic Development Authority (EDA), in partnership with the Land Stewardship Project and the University of Minnesota. The Local Foods subcommittee of the EDA is also the host of the annual Local Foods Forum and Expo, held each March to “facilitate an increase in the production and consumption of foods grown in the Winona region.”

The Land Stewardship Project and the University of Minnesota’s Organic Outreach program strive individually and within the context of the EDA to promote local farmers who raise food in an environmentally, socially and financially sound fashion. Members of the committee include farmers and other citizens who are enthusiastic about advancing a thriving local economy through food dollars that circulate more frequently in the region.

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