Eighty people across the Treasure Valley devoured a savory, four-course meal in their homes on Friday, Sept. 25, as part of this year's Farm to Fork dinner, supporting College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Campus Garden.
Hosted by Agriculture faculty and students, this year's event came with a twist thanks to COVID-19. Rather than joining friends and family at the College to enjoy the meal featuring produce grown in the Campus Garden, each took their boxes of fresh food home to prepare the meal in the comfort of their homes. Dinner boxes, complete with a bouquet of flowers from Leaning Barn Farms, were picked up at the Nampa Campus Academic Building near the Campus Garden where guests were given an opportunity to enjoy an appetizer and tour the garden. Guests were additionally provided with step-by-step video instructions on how to make the four-course meal.
The meal kicked-off with an appetizer – a crusty baguette from ACME Bakeshop with sliced Eden Creamery’s labaneh, a thick yogurt-like cheese, and pepper preserves from the Campus Garden. A tasty soup followed made from a variety of squashes from the garden prepared by The Tower Grill. The main course was a delicious gyro stacked high with Gutierrez Family Farms ground lamb and beef with red onion, tomato, tzatziki, and Eden Creamery feta cheese. The meal wrapped up with a sweet treat – ice cream from Stella’s Ice Cream made with pumpkin pie filling from pie pumpkins grown in the garden topped with pie crust crumbles. Several also enjoyed pairing their meal with wine from Fujishin Family Cellars.
“We enjoyed every part of the Farm to Fork dinner,” said Shelly Moore, Department Chair of Business. “The videos were informative and helpful in putting the meal together. All of the food was delicious, and we loved that it was all locally sourced.”
Farm to Fork is another example of CWI continuing to adapt and thrive during the pandemic, illustrating the importance of the College’s role in the community.
“While this event is a ton of work, without you all, it wouldn't be possible. It is truly a labor of love," said Andrea Schumaker, Department Chair of Physical and Agricultural Sciences. "A crazy vision has morphed into something very special to the CWI community and Treasure Valley. We sold out in one week from going live and earned just over $3,500 for the Campus Garden! Along the way, we gained more valuable partnerships in the community and showed our supporters how rich the valley is with its diversity of food production, sustainable practices, and love for feeding people."
Thank you to all who made this year's event a success! Visit the CWI Facebook page for additional photos of the event.
