Slow Food and FAO Celebrate World Food Day with a Bean Supper

24 October 2022, Washington, DC – To mark World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office for North America partnered with Slow Food USA and Slow Food DC to host a bean supper at Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC.

The dinner was inspired by the Slow Food USA Plant a Seed campaign that was launched on World Pulses Day in February 2022. This year the seed campaign featured beans from six regions of the United States that have a unique relationship to the land and people there. As part of the collaboration, FAO made seed kits available to school gardens and other partners across the country.

The menu created by Chef Todd Gray, executive chef and co-owner of Equinox, featured Rosso Di Lucca Bean Hummus, Arikara Bean Salad, Rockwell Bean Cassoulet, and a Double Fudge Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean Cake.

The program was moderated by Anna Mulè, Executive Director of Slow Food USA, and featured remarks from Chef Todd Gray, who described his inspiration for the menu. Reana Kovalcik, Slow Food DC board member, and Slow Food USA Southeast regional councilor shared highlights of the Share a Seed initiative, which aims to promote seed-sharing and gardening in the community, that she founded early in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

John Manirakiza, a farmer from Florencia Farm in Urban Marlboro, MD, who grew the Rosso Di Lucca beans, shared his story of coming to the US from Burundi, and his efforts to grow foods from his native community (such as hibiscus). Dominic Carpin, who owns and operates delli Carpini Farm in Beaverdam, VA, shared his challenging experience in attempting to grow beans for the supper, highlighting the fragility of our agrifood system. 

Ahdi Mohammed, Partnerships and Communications Officer at FAO North America, highlighted the exemplary role that beans can play in transforming agrifood systems by promoting healthy diets, biodiversity, and climate change mitigation.

The dinner served as a culinary experience to promote the consumption of beans to drive agrifood systems transformation. 

You can see photos from the event here.