Sustainable Art & Local Food Create Perfect Pairing

(Oklahoma City) May 26, 2011 – EVOLVE, a juried art exhibit and collaborative fundraiser exploring sustainability, resilience & community, closed in early May after a strong showing of community support for sustainability. The exhibit opened on Sat., April 23, at Individual Artists of Oklahoma (IAO) and was a fundraiser to benefit Sustainable OKC, Transition OKC and IAO.

Transition OKC hosted a local food challenge during the opening reception which was well received. Local Food Challenge participants included Chef Kurt Fleischfresser, Chef Kamala Gamble, Chef Ryan Parrott, Prairie Gypsies, The Wedge and 105Degrees. Contestants were tasked with creating a signature appetizer or non-dessert finger food using as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible and local food professionals then judged the entries. EVOLVE attends were also able to taste the delicious entries and vote for their favorite while sipping on locally brewed beer and wine donated by COOP Ale Works and Summerside Vineyards respectively.

Food Challenge

Left: Food Challenge judge Gail Vines tastes Chef Kurt Fleischfresser's entry. Right: Food Challenge judge Jonathon Stranger checks out The Wedge Pizzeria's creation.

The Local Food Challenge judges jointly issued this statement, "All the food entries were amazing which made selecting a grand prize winner very difficult. Every contestant outdid themselves." Judges for the challenge were Chef Jonathon Stranger of Ludivine, Linda Trippe, The Lady Chef, and Gail Vines, co-owner of Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria.

Three prizes were awarded, including a $500 juried grand prize which went to Chef Casey Marshall  of 105Degrees and a runner-up prize of dinner for two at Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy near Depew which was awarded to Chef Barbara Mock with Kam’s Kookery and Guilford Gardens, a two-acre organic garden located in the heart of Oklahoma City. Chef Mock also received the People’s Choice award, selected by popular vote of EVOLVE attendees, with Chef Kurt Fleischfresser, Western Concepts Restaurants, receiving second place in the People’s Choice, and Chef Marshall coming in third.

Educational programming for EVOLVE, organized by Transition OKC, included a free screening of the film, “The Economics of Happiness,” and a gallery talk, “Permaculture and the Art of Transition,” by Randy Marks, Groundwork, and Shauna Struby, co-chair, Transition OKC.

EVOLVE, Sustainable OKC and Transition OKC are run entirely by volunteers. EVOLVE was made possible through the generosity of many financial and in-kind sponsors, including OG+E, Oklahoma Carbon Initiative, The Spy, Birdie, COOP Ale Works, factor110 and Summerside Vineyards.

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Sustainable OKC is a non-profit, grassroots organization working at the crossroads of business, environment, and social justice in Oklahoma City. For more information visit www.sustainableokc.org or the community blog at freshgreens.typepad.com. Event and community information are also shared through Facebook.com/SustainableOKC and Twitter.com/SustainableOKC.

Transition OKC, a program of Sustainable OKC, is part of an internationally renowned movement and offers an ongoing slate of free or low-cost educational workshops, film screenings and events focused on catalyzing Oklahoma City’s transition to more sustainable, resilient communities. For more info, www.sustainableokc.org and www.goinglocalokc.org.

 

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