The Slow Food Movement has begun to be one of inspiration and logic, to me. The movement started in the 80's as a protest to McDonald's opening one of their restaurants near the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy. Carlo Petrini started this movement to encourage people from all over the world to change their focus from fast-food, non-sustainable restaurants to supporting traditional and regional cuisine that also promotes the use of local products and preserving the local eco-system. The movement has expanded to over 130 countries with over 100,000 members, one of which is Spire Catering & Event Planning, LLC and myself.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I first learned about the Slow Food Movement during that life changing culinary trip to East Troy, WI. Consumers across the world and especially in the United States are too focused on the fast and easy meal, which usually means a quick run through the drive-thru or a frozen dinner from the local supermarket. Both choices source food from the large, factory farms that do nothing to support the local environment and not from that small fraternity of farmers who are working vigilantly to protect and preserve what little natural resources that the corporate farms have not yet attacked.

The Slow Food Movement has implemented several objectives, which include the lobbying for stricter controls on organic farming, the promotion of small-scale processing, discouraging the government from promoting genetic engineering, preserving the seed lines for many heirloom vegetables, and teaching people the importance and skills of gardening. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, of what the movement is all about. For more detailed information on the Slow Food Movement, please visit http://www.slowfood.com/.