Food+Drink

Fresh From the Farm

dinner to feature local food, raise farm awareness

Gigi Roelant |

The dinner will be held at Forage.
The dinner will be held at Forage.

This Fall, A Second Opinion Magazine will offer Chippewa Valley residents the opportunity to participate in the Eau So Edible Local Food Challenge, the regional component of a national movement united in supporting local farmers and promoting the consumption of food grown and produced within 100 miles of people’s homes. Supporting local food doesn’t have to involve time-consuming research and dedication; all you have to do is show up. In collaboration with A Second Opinion, the newly expanded and renovated Forage in Banbury Place will open its doors for the Farm to Fork dinner on Oct. 30.

Arrive at 6pm for drinks served by Forage and stay to enjoy a six-course meal featuring the culinary talents of the Chippewa Valley’s own Nathan Berg. As the former proprietor of Native Bay restaurant, Berg’s enthusiasm for locally sourced food and fine dining is sure to highlight all the nuanced flavors your local farms have to offer. The local farms and businesses supporting the Farm to Fork dinner include Organic Valley, Animal Wellness of Buffalo Valley, River Bend Winery, Just Local Food Co-op, and various others.

Throughout the dinner, diners will have the chance to hear the stories of the farmers that supplied the ingredients in their dishes. Through their stories of struggles and successes, local farmers will provide attainable ways diners can support farmers in the community and incorporate locally grown food into their weekly meals. The dinner will also feature other entertainments such as music and door prizes.

Whether you view the event as a one-off child-free evening of dining delights or an introduction to attainable, local eating in your own home, the Farm to Fork dinner has something special to offer. And as Second Opinion editor and publisher, Arwen Rasmussen, sagely summarizes, “As long as there are local farmers and producers who wish to provide high quality, natural food that is healthy and environmentally friendly, local consumers will have the opportunity to eat better, assist local businesses, and help their own communities at the same time.”

Come down to Forage located in Banbury Place on Wisconsin Street in Eau Claire on Oct. 30 for an evening to satisfy both the stomach and the mind.

For further information either go to www.secondopinionmagazine.com or check out Second Opinion’s Facebook page. To place reservations, contact Arwen Rasmussen by phone at (715) 831-0325 or via email at a2ndopinion@gmail.com.