You can get tickets to the event here: http://www.goodfarmfund.org/
MENDOCINO Co., 7/21/19 — It’s the height of summer, and that means Mendocino County’s farmers are producing a bounty of locally-grown delights. While we encourage our readers to shop at their local farmers’ markets, this week you can enjoy the opportunity to try a wide variety of delicious local food, prepared by a multitude of skilled local chefs, all in support of the Good Farm Fund, a local non-profit which awards grants to support small farms, and provides funding towards the local “market match” program, helping CalFresh recipients spend at farmers markets.
The 5th annual Good Farm Midsummer’s Night Feast will take place on Tuesday, July 23, at Yokayo Ranch outside Ukiah, and limited tickets are still available. The event will feature 20 different local Mendocino and Lake county farms, paired with acclaimed local chefs, along with local wine, beer, cocktails, and kombucha, musical performances, and a silent auction. Farmers that have received Good Farm Fund grants will also share their stories at the event, and all proceeds will go towards supporting the organization’s work to build a more resilient local foodshed. This year, there will also be a shuttle available to and from the coast.
Here’s the full press release from the Good Farm Fund. Limited tickets remain available, you can purchase them here.
Benefit-Dinner-Poster-2019June 25, 2019 (Ukiah, CA) – The Good Farm Fund and the MendoLake Food Hub are proud to bring the 5th Annual Midsummer Night’s Feast, one of Mendocino’s premier local food and wine events, to Yokayo Ranch on Tuesday, July 23th, from 7 to 9 pm. Guests will enjoy more than 20 local, food-forward chefs partnered with Mendocino & Lake County’s farms and ranches to collaborate on pairings that deliver the finest flavors of the season. Enjoy an amazing array of tastes designed to excite the palate while showcasing exceptional locally grown produce, grains, fungi, meats and seafood. Local beer, wine, draft kombucha and specialty cocktails will be on hand to add a special touch to the evening.
Set against the backdrop of Yokayo Ranch, a 40-acre hillside ranch built in the 1920’s, guests will be delighted by the natural beauty of this spectacular country setting. The evening’s program will include jazz guitar by Aaron Bellomo, stories from last year’s awardees about how help from our community improved their farms, and a silent auction.
Farmers, chefs, and restaurant owners are busily preparing for this year’s guests. A small sample of those confirmed this year includes: Food and Wine’s 2019 Best New Chef and Michelin star recipient Matthew Krammerer from the Harbor House Inn, The Bewildered Pig, Café Beaujolais, Wild Fish, and the Bird Cafe and Supper Club. According to Chef Nicholas Petti Culinary Arts Management Instructor at Mendocino College and Good Farm Fund board member, “Last year’s event was genuinely heartwarming and truly one-of-a-kind. It’s rewarding to be involved in an event that celebrates delicious, locally grown food and invests in the future of the farmers behind the beautiful food we highlight this night.”
The Midsummer Night’s Feast brings the local food experience together in one spot – from the field to fork. The night’s revelry benefits the hard work of the Good Farm Fund, a local non-profit which awards capacity-building infrastructure grants to small farms throughout Mendocino & Lake Counties, helping to increase local food production in our community. The Good Farm Fund also provides funding for the local food stamp matching program giving CalFresh families an additional dollar for every dollar they spend at local farmers markets– a win/win for farmers and low-income families in our community. Due to the enormous impact of the Northern California fires in 2017, the Good Farm Fund also established an emergency relief fund to support local farmers in times of crisis.
The Good Farm Fund was created in 2015 as a collective way to support local farmers and increase local food security for all. According to Sarah Bodnar, board member and co-founder of the Good Farm Fund, “Good Farm Fund is an answer to a much bigger question about how we feed ourselves in today’s world. Even as an agricultural region, what we eat in Mendocino and Lake counties usually comes in on trucks and planes from other parts of the state and the world. Our plates are disconnected from place. The Good Farm Fund is designed to bring it home by providing our community an opportunity to provide direct support for local farms – and savor our foodshed with the most amazing meals!”
Since its inception in 2015 the Good Farm Fund has distributed a total of $101,145 in farm grants, $13,648 in Market Match support and $12,092 in disaster relief funds. In 2018, the Good Farm Fund’s farm grants funded much needed farming equipment and improvements such as tractors, cold storage, greenhouses and season extension infrastructure, a new livestock trailer, new irrigation systems, and much more.
Tickets for the 5th Annual Summer Midsummer Night’s Feast are now available online via Brown Paper Tickets ($125/ticket). Tickets historically sell out, however if a few lucky tickets are available at the door they will be $150. For a complete list of farmers and chefs, or to learn more about the Good Farm Fund grant program, please visit our website (www.goodfarmfund.org), Facebook or Instagram pages (@goodfarmfund).