March 10--The Good Food Festival Conference is back, promoting locally and sustainably produced food. Produced by FamilyFarmed, the event takes place March 19 to 21 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road.
March 19 and 20 are industry-focused (Financing and Innovation Day; and Trade/School Food/Producer/Policy Day, respectively). Best bets for the public include a party Friday and the festival Saturday. Most of Saturday is covered by the admission charge ($10 online; $15 at the door), except where noted below. For details and tickets, visit goodfoodfestivals.com.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20
Localicious: A food and drink party with bites from local chefs, cooking with produce from area farmers, plus craft beverages. 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets: $80, online; $95, at door.
SATURDAY, MARCH 21
Festival: An all-day walk-around food court in the main pavilion with more than 150 farmers, artisanal food producers, chefs, retailers and other vendors. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Bread-making: Greg Wade of Publican Quality Bread shares his techniques for mixing, shaping and baking, using flours milled from locally grown heirloom grains. $35 online; $45 at the door. 9-11 a.m.
Urban farm bus tour: Visit these sites in Chicago: Windy City Harvest, The Plant, Growing Home and Growing Power. 9 a.m. to noon. Begins at UIC Forum. Special ticket required.
Good Food Commons: More than 50 mini-workshops on cooking, preserving (including fermenting), gardening, composting and community building. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"The Future of Food": A panel on how sustainable local food can contribute to the future of Chicago. Moderated by veteran Chicago food reporter Monica Eng of WBEZ. 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Grass-roots food activism: Learn how you can participate in the good food movement from food activists Mark Kastel, Cornucopia Institute; Dave Murphy, Food Democracy Now; Kerri McClimen, PEW Charitable Trusts; and Sarah Smalls FoodTank. Urban Canopy founder Alex Poltorak moderates. 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
Charcuterie-making at home: Rob Levitt of Butcher Larder and Local Foods demonstrates how to make cured meats at home. 3 to 4:15 p.m.
