Celebrate farm-to-fork fun in Sacramento, Davis

It’s time for some farm-to-fork fun!

Food and farmers will be saluted on both sides of the Sacramento River this weekend as two celebrations embrace our sense of place and purpose.

Sacramento’s farm-to-fork festivities conclude Friday and Saturday with the return of the Sacramento Farm-to-Fork Street Festival.

Starting at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, Capitol Mall will be packed with vendors, food demonstrations and music, stretching from Fourth to Seventh streets. The Street Festival continues all day Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with food-inspired contests and lots of free samples. Dozens of local restaurants and food purveyors are expected to participate. (A full list of participating vendors and their locations can be found here: https://www.farmtofork.com/about/festival-vendors/.)

Saturday’s presenters on the UC Davis Health Demonstration Stage include some tips for backyard farmers such as “Compost and Climate: Farm to Fork to Farm,” at 11:30 a.m. with David Baker of ReSoil Sacramento; or a hands-on workshop, “How to Create a Wicking Bed for Container Gardening,” at 5:30 p.m. Over on the SMUD Stage, learn about vermiculture from “The Worm Whisperer,” at 6:30 p.m. The demonstration schedule can be found here: https://www.farmtofork.com/2024-demo-stage-schedule/.

Access to the street festival is free, but there are charges for some food and drink. This is a cashless event; bring a debit or credit card.

Besides all the free stuff, Friday’s Street Festival also includes “The Grand Tasting” showcasing 20 local chefs representing many of the Sacramento region’s best restaurants. Guests get two drink tickets and as many samples as they can eat. Tickets are $125 and should be bought in advance: https://www.farmtofork.com/events/the-grand-tasting/.

For more on the festival: https://www.farmtofork.com.

But there’s more! At noon Sunday, Sept. 22, the farm-to-fork love continues in Yolo County at the 21st annual Village Feast.

Presented by the Sacramento chapter of the women-in-food sorority, Les Dames d’Escoffier International, and Davis Farm to School, this event caps off the farm-to-fork celebration with an outdoor communal dinner, Provencal style, in Davis Central Park. Proceeds support food education programs in Davis schools (including school gardens and fresh produce in the cafeteria) as well as scholarships and grants for future farmers and food entrepreneurs.

Tickets ($165) are still available. Deadline is midnight Friday.

In addition to its locally sourced harvest meal, the Village Feast is renowned for its online silent auction, which is open to everyone – no ticket necessary. The auction features a wide range of unique restaurant- and food-related experiences and items such as a seven-course tasting dinner for six at Mulvaney’s B&L, trips to Spain and Big Sur, gift baskets, a beekeepers’ starter kit (including two hives and bees) and more. (You can even bid on three hours of Debbie’s gardening expertise!)

For Village Feast tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-village-feast-2024-tickets-932555226787?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

For auction details: auctria.events/thevillagefeast2024