Tickets to the event, which will include lunch by Chef Hardette Harris, are available now through Nov. 14

Slow Food North Louisiana, a Shreveport-based nonprofit, will partner with Cultural Crossroads of Minden to host “Hand Them Down to Lift Them Up: An Heirloom Food Forum” at The Farm at Cultural Crossroads of Minden, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 15. The Farm is located at 419 East Union Street in Minden. Tickets to the event, which will include a special, Edna Lewis-inspired lunch prepared by Chef Hardette Harris, are $40 each for general admission or $35 each for current Slow Food members. Tickets must be purchased in advance at slowfoodnorthla.org/events. Ticket sales will close on Friday, Nov. 14.  

The event’s conference-like morning sessions will spotlight efforts of the North Louisiana Seed Preservation Program to track down and bring back to life regional foods believed to be extinct due to the impacts of industrial food production and budget cuts. In particular, attendees will hear the story of how the North Louisiana-born Red-N-Sweet watermelon was rediscovered thanks to seed-saving efforts, and learn about ongoing efforts to make the seed commercially available in seed stores. Attendees will also learn how to acquire and save heirloom seeds in North Louisiana. Following lunch by Chef Hardette Harris there will be a screening of the 55-minute PBS documentary film Finding Edna Lewis and an in-person conversation with the film’s executive producer and host, Deb Freeman. Also taking part in the day’s programs will be Joshua “Fitz” Fitzwater, a Richmond, VA-based writer, photographer, and founder/publisher of Southern Grit magazine. 

“Hand Them Down to Lift Them Up: An Heirloom Food Forum” is Slow Food North Louisiana’s second event focused on local heirloom foods. Angie White, Chair of Slow Food North Louisiana, said that the goal of the upcoming event is to bring awareness to local food preservation efforts.  

“We want people to know that the North Louisiana Seed Preservation Program exists and that their work is important for our region’s cultural history,” she said. “This program really does center around the work that they are doing to identify foods that were born in North Louisiana but that have, over time, vanished.”  

White emphasized that Slow Food North Louisiana events welcome everyone “who loves food and loves cooking,” not just members of the organization. Farmers and growers, “foodies,” and lovers of local history are especially encouraged to attend.  

Proceeds from the event will support the programs of Slow Food North Louisiana and Cultural Crossroads of Minden. Both organizations are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations supporting local foodways of North Louisiana. For more information on Slow Food North Louisiana, visit slowfoodnorthla.org. For more information on Cultural Crossroads of Minden, visit culturalcrossroadsofminden.org.