ZAP Bites: Farm-to-Table with Burpee

In the peak of harvest, now is a better time than ever to get in on one of our favorite cuisines: farm-to-table. We recently worked with one of our clients Burpee Home Gardens on two delicious events which had us coming back for more fresh veggies.

Our first event took place in Vancouver at the lovely Fable Kitchen where we worked with Burpee Home Gardens to showcase how anyone can grow vegetables (even small spaces!). Chef Trevor Bird demonstrated how to use fresh vegetables in your meals while Kathy Schleyer served up some amazing cocktails using fresh strawberries. The two specialize in sourcing local product and delivering great flavors and even shared a few of their secrets with us so we could get in on the action too.

Next up, we worked with Burpee Home Gardens to donate vegetable plants to The Urban Canopy community farm located in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Founder Alex Poltorak and his organization are committed to the belief that the urban agriculture movement can help to create a more sustainable and equitable food system by selling their vegetables to local restaurants and farms markets. We had an awesome day getting our hands dirty planting and harvesting vegetables. We literally ate the vegetables fresh out of the ground and they were delectable!

If you don’t have a home garden and aren’t able to grow your own veggies, Chicago provides some awesome alternatives. First off, many farmers markers in Chicago go through October so you can make farm-to-table cuisine in your own home. Otherwise, the farm-to-table restaurant scene is blowing up in Chicago. Choose Chicago reported on a few of their fave farm-to-table restaurants and we can’t wait to make our way through this delicious list!

- Sophia Bly, Senior Publicist