Farm-To-Fork Week Starts With Banquet On A Bridge

Preparations are heating up for the inaugural Farm-to-Fork Week, starting with a dry run for the first time a banquet has ever been staged on the Tower Bridge. 

Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney’s B & L Restaurant is rehearsing one of the platings for the all-local menu for the Farm-to-Fork Tower Bridge Dinner. 

“Whole cold smoked sturgeon, heirloom bean salad, little fennel fronds on it, some crispy sweet potatoes, some pear and some endive,” said Mulvaney.

The supper on the span isn’t until next Sunday, but already participating chefs in another room discuss strategy to feed 600 people in a couple of hours outside.

Plates at the chef station?

Mike Testa of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau had about 10 months to pull Farm-to-Fork Week together.

“We were able to engage not only media but different folks from across the country. The farm-to-fork movement nationally helped as well. We were proclaiming ourselves as the capital as farm-to-fork, naturally we got a lot of attention from that,” said Testa.

Farm-to-Fork Week involves more than restaurants. Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services CEO Blake Young made sure the hungry have a seat at the farm-to-fork table.

“By being a part of this Farm-to-Fork Festival it is showing that we’ve included folks that may difficulty accessing, but we know that a healthy community’s better when everybody is involved,” said Blake.

Activities start tonight with an opening reception at the Robert T. Matsui Waterfront Park. Next Saturday, as many as 15,000 people are expected on Capitol Mall for the final public Farm-to-Fork event. Except for purchases from local food trucks, admission is free.