Terra Madre 2006: A Worldwide Community of Cooks

Surely any cook would love to go to Italy and would be tempted to remain once there. There are so many enticing reasons… the gnocchi, the risotto, the squid, the olive groves, the cheeses. The wine, the espresso, the leather goods, the shoes, the chi-chi clothing, the sea, the ruins, and of course, the Italians.

What would possibly make an Italian pilgrimage better? The chance to talk to a thousand cooks from 150 countries around the world.

Such a gathering has been orchestrated by Slow Food, the international non-profit, eco-gastronomic association founded in 1989. Slow Food bids to slow our fast pace of life, and explicitly vetoes fast food. Slow Foodies support the survival of local food traditions and seek to restore people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes, with an eye to understanding more clearly how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

In 2004, Slow Food began a biennial gathering, Terra Madre, called by many “the United Nations of food,” in Turin. This gathering of 5,000 farmers, breeders, fishers, traditional food producers and 1,000 cooks re-convenes this year in Turin, October 26 to 30. The objective is to exchange views, experiences and ideas toward the development of small-scale sustainably-raised food and communication networks.

It is an ambitious program that seeks to change the world, one bite at a time. The event is powered by volunteers, many fresh from Turin’s Olympic experience. Delegates are billeted within a two-hour bus ride from Turin, in ancient churches, in luxurious wineries with every modern amenity, and everything in-between. During daily sessions and speeches, seven languages will be available to the delegates in simultaneous translation, and a daily lunch buffet of organic foods, sustainably raised, supports the concept of healthy food for the masses as a global possibility.

The organization deliberately chose the word “cook,” instead of the more limited notion of “chef,” as an inclusive expression that welcomes the experiences and stories of Third World cooks as well as celebrity chefs from developed nations. Cooks occupy the honourable middle ground, advocating for growers on the plate, putting food into the mouths of all.

Cooks who will attend Terra Madre are nominated by local Slow Food convivia, or groups. Selected cooks are those who subscribe to the Slow school of thought: the importance of provenance and quality; sustainable agriculture; cuisine with strong local ties, direct connections with local producers, and a strong awareness of its own roots and of the importance of the convivial nature of eating. Beyond talking the talk, participating cooks are expected to be involved in the ongoing campaign to support traditional cultures— in food production methods and in local specialties of historic relevance — in the face of globalized “corporatization” of food and food production.

Local cooks who will attend Terra Madre are Liana Robbercht, executive chef of The Petroleum Club, Glen Manzer of Wildwood Grill, Wade Sirois of The Infuse Group, Mark Klaudt of Route 40 Soup Co., Scott Pohorelic of River Café and Lisa Cheah, as an artisanal baking representative.

The chefs and the handful of Albertan producers – bison, lamb and elk ranchers, honey harvesters, tomato, cheese and oilseed specialists – met in mid-July to trade pre-departure notes with Tony Marshall of Highwood Crossing, and two bison ranchers from Peace Country, Jerry Kitt and Ted Buchan, who attended Terra Madre in 2004. Marshall’s advice was to make the most of the bus rides and the long waits endemic to large gatherings. Time spent slowly is best viewed as an opportunity to chat, share photographs and make connections. Marshall’s best advice to those heading to Italy: “Bring success stories instead of complaints about what is not working in your world. You are meeting people with the same values; on the soil we are all subsistence farmers, so hold a global vision. Terra Madre will remind you that you are not alone in your beliefs.”

While they are in Italy, Alberta’s cooks and growers will have ample opportunities to experience Italian cuisine. But they will come home with a bigger agri-culture picture: a world view of the food we grow, cook and consume.