Last week I was at the Seattle Chef’s Collaborative Farmer Fisher Chef Connection. It’s a wonderful event connecting local food producers and buyers, and is certainly the tastiest conference we’ve ever attended!

One of the highlights was handling the book signing for the keynote speaker, New Orleans master chef and food activist Poppy Tooker, who founded the local chapter of Slow Foods.

In Poppy’s Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook, she tells the history of the New Orleans market, beginning from the 1600’s up through the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The book is a remarkable mix of regional recipes, culinary history, and a celebration of the human spirit.

Poppy’s motto is “Eat It To Save It,” which captures her commitment to revive endangered foods that have fallen out of favor or become too expensive to grow, yet carry great cultural value.

Two examples she gave were Calas, which originated from Africa, and Creole Cream Cheese, abandoned by large factory producers. Both recipes are featured in the Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook, which you can order directly from us to support Chef’s Collaborative Seattle.

(Alas!  Our online bookstore is still under construction, but you can order the old fashion way by phone or email.)

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It’s been a long, hard road back for the Crescent City Farmers Market. Not all of our vendors have been able to return. The original Downtown market at Magazine and Girod streets reopened on Saturday, March 4, 2006. Now, we operate only two weekly markets instead of four, but the sense of community that the market brings to the city is back, stronger than ever. It’s no wonder that we’re known as ‘The Happiest Place in New Orleans.’

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