Local Foods Banquet celebrates local growers

The local growing season may be coming to a close, but an event planned for next Friday aims to celebrate the bounty of local growers.

The Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development (RC & D) is hosting its annual Local Foods Banquet. The event raises money to help support Iowa Valley RC & D's work to strengthen the local food system in East Central Iowa, said Jason Grimm, the organization's Food Systems Planner.

'At the end of the harvest season, this is a great way to celebrate the food we have available in our area and the farms that grew it,” said Grimm. 'Local food isn't really a movement anymore; it's an industry. We don't just grow corn and beans. We have a wide breadth of products.”

The event features a delectable meal prepared by Mercy Medical Center's chef Andy Deutmeyer. 'It's a really fun menu,” Deutmeyer said, noting that 90 percent of the meal will be locally sourced. Sweet potato pave with mustard-sage aioli, ginger roasted butternut squash and kale dumplings with chile ponzu and beef brisket en croute with root vegetables and caramelized onion potato puree are just a few of the culinary creations.

'It's like a market basket I get to choose from,” Deutmeyer said of the local food items he was able to choose from in crafting the menu. 'The menu was really dictated by what RC & D could source locally and it was a fun challenge for me to incorporate as much as possible.”

This is the second year for the event to be hosted at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, a partnership that is all the more fitting given Mercy's commitment to local foods. Today, Mercy is one of the largest users of local foods in the area, said Grimm. 'Their efforts add legitimacy to our efforts in terms of local foods.”

Co-director of Mercy's Food & Nutrition Services Pam Oldham said Mercy began efforts to use local foods in their dietary program about six years ago, and effort in which Iowa Valley RC & D was helpful. Today, they work with about eight to ten local vendors to source everything from the yogurt they list on their patient menus to the fresh vegetables (when in season) in their cafeteria salad bar. This year alone they plan to source about 55,000 pounds of produce, dairy and meat through local providers.

'It's the right thing to do,” said Deutmeyer, noting that it is often more work to connect and work with local producers. 'It supports the mission of Mercy and it just tastes better. Plus it's a way for Mercy to give back to our community by supporting local producers.”

The banquet - which runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday - will also include locally crafted beers, wines, and music with silent and live auctions. The auction will offer a variety of local items such as a quarter side of grass-fed beef, local foods, wine, art and gift baskets. Entertainment will be provided by The Too Many Strings Band. Tickets are $40 per person or $75 for two.