Connecticut Farm-to-Chef Program annual meeting coming up

OLD SAYBROOK — The Connecticut Farm-to-Chef Program fourth annual meeting will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Saybrook Point Inn and Spa (http://www.saybrook.com).

All members of the Farm-to-Chef Program  are strongly encouraged to be there, according to a statement.

Producers, chefs and others involved in agriculture or commercial food service may attend.

The free meeting will feature several presentations, group exercises, networking, and a CT Grown lunch.

Speakers include:

- Carlos Cassar, Saybrook Point Inn and Spa’s executive chef, will talk about using ingredients from local farms, as well as the inn and spa’s volunteer Green Team, which promotes sustainability in many areas of the facility.

- Christine Applewhite from the state Department of Public Health’s Food Protection Program (http://tinyurl.com/DPHFood) will provide a refresher on which farm products are approved for use in food service and how new legislation will help expand choices for chefs.

- Bill Duesing, executive director of the Connecticut chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (http://www.ctnofa.org ) (CT NOFA), will explain the legal definition and practices used in organic production, and will give an overview of the Farmer’s Pledge and other environmentally friendly farming labels.

RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/FTC2011AM by Jan. 17. Late registrations cannot be accepted.

The Farm-to-Chef Program was established by the state Department of Agriculture in 2006. It connect producers and distributors of CT Grown ingredients with food service professionals. It also helps the public find restaurants that serve CT Grown foods.

For more information, contact Linda Piotrowicz at Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov or 860-713-2558.

Editor's Note: Information in this post was contributed.