Good Food Festival Kicks Off Tomorrow

The Good Food Festival and Conference kicks off its ninth year beginning tomorrow and running through Saturday, March 16. The Good Food Movement celebrates the impact that responsible food practices can have on the health of individuals, the environment, and the local economy. The conference draws community leaders and advocates to speak and exchange ideas on local and sustainable food systems, support the growth of farms and food businesses, and educate the public to transform the way we eat and think about food.

Thursday starts with the Good Food Financing Conference, offering farm and food businesses the opportunity to showcase their local food ventures to potential investors that can help fund and grow their ventures. The Good Food Trade Day is Friday, featuring discussion panels covering topics from sustainable meat and food in restaurants to better nutrition in schools and urban food policy. That night is the Localicious party where everyone can enjoy live bluegrass with food, wine, cocktails and craft beer from over 40 chefs and local producers.

The Good Food community gathering of the year will take place on Saturday with the Good Food Festival. 150 exhibitors will get together to present local and sustainable products from farms and artisanal producers and there will be a good food court with lunch and snacks from a sampling of Chicago's local eateries. In addition to an Urban Farm Bus Tour, featuring the four leading urban farms in Chicago, there will be celebrity chef demos and plenty of workshops on growing, making and preserving food.
· Good Food Festival and Conference [Official Site and Schedule]
Eater Chicago intern Daniella Caruso contributed to this story.