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Pick a Purpose or Two for Your Event
It’s helpful to define a purpose for your event. Your purpose will guide your choice of menu,
format, theme and partners. The following is a list of purposes or goals from actual local food
events.
• grow local economies
• increase the sustainability of the local food system
• serve food people enjoy
• stay within budget and realize a profit
• fundraise for a local food organization or charity of choice
• showcase locally grown food and drink
• create new relationships between farms, food processors and restaurants
• provide the opportunity for local farmers/producers to increase their income by increasing local
customer base
• build regional identity based on local ingredients, food preparations and cultural traditions
• sell a complementary variety of farm fresh products and foods in a co-operative manner
• offer visitors a way to tour, taste, and shop locally
• promote fresh foods, vibrant communities, and natural areas all year long
Develop a purpose to match the unique needs of your event or adapt statements from above to
match what you hope to achieve at your event.
Create an Asset List
Enthusiasm in the planning will grow when you take time to brainstorm and write down your
area’s assets. An asset list is an inventory of what already exists in your own backyard. The
products, resources, services, sites and events can be placed onto a map of your region to create an
asset map. This is useful if you are planning a food trail.
Here is a list of considerations to help you get started:
• food products
• crops – grains, oilseeds, meats, vegetables, fruits
• beverages – tea, wine, mead or beer
• signature dish – is your area known for its barbeque sauce, butter tarts or flapper pie?
• interesting people
• celebrity chefs
• food artisans – cheese makers
• heritage/cultures – what cultures first settled your area?
• interesting locations
• farms/ranches
• one-of-a-kind restaurants