Local Chefs and Farmers team up to Create Tastings That Celebrate the Bounty of Locally Grown Food
Seattle – July 20, 2010 – Today the Toyota Farm to Table Tour announced the line-up of Pittsburgh area chefs who will be treating visitors at Market Square Farmers Market in Downtown Pittsburgh on August 5 with bite-sized complimentary treats featuring farm-fresh ingredients as part of this year’s national summer tour. The Farm to Table Tour travels to farmers markets across the country to showcase the connection between farmers, chefs, farmers markets and the communities they serve, and to give market shoppers the opportunity to experience Toyota’s hybrid vehicles.
At each stop on the tour, up to 12 of the area’s top chefs and farmers will be paired together to highlight the best of each market’s fresh offerings. The chefs will prepare bite-sized tastings for visitors to sample that highlight their partner farm’s ingredients while guests will have the opportunity to learn more about each market, the specialty farmers, the notable chefs, and ways to eat and shop more locally.
Toyota Farm to Table Tour Visits Market Square Farmers Market – August 5, 2010
The Toyota Farm to Table Tour will be at Market Square Farmers Market located in the historic Market Square in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh on August 5 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Farmers Market is produced weekly through mid-November by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP).
“There is no better way to showcase the best food choices in Pittsburgh than having local chefs partner with local farmers,” said Michael Edwards, President and CEO of the PDP. “We’re truly honored to host the Toyota Farm to Table Tour during our Market Square Farmers Market because it’s a chance for the community to experience top quality, local food in Downtown’s newly-renovated town square.”
Market Square Farmers Market will feature eight noted and award-winning local chefs, including:
Jason Capps of Bella Sera Urban Trattoria
Keith Fuller of Six Penn Kitchen
Ted Jude of Habitat in the Fairmont Pittsburgh Hotel
Mark Swomley of The Carlton
Kate Romane of Enrico Biscotti Company and E2
Sonja Finn of Dinette
Andrew Hebson of Sonoma Grille
Bill Fuller of Big Burrito Restaurant Group
The final chef line-up will be released closer to the event at www.farmtotabletour.com.
In addition to complimentary tastings, visitors who participate in the day’s activities will enjoy live entertainment starting at noon by Mother Earth's Good Time Band. Guests will also have the opportunity to select complimentary potted culinary herbs from the Highlander Hybrid Mobile Garden as well as enter for a chance to win a culinary trip to Santa Barbara for a special cooking and farmers market tour. At the Highlander Hybrid Mobile Garden, a Mobile Garden Herb Specialist will be on-hand to pot the plants for visitors and answer general questions about gardening. All herb plants are sourced from local vendors at the market.
Market visitors will also have the chance to take a ride in a 2010 Prius, Highlander Hybrid or Camry Hybrid and take home a John Boos cutting board as a memento of the experience. In support of all the benefits the markets offer their communities, Toyota will also make a financial donation to the market. Throughout the tour Toyota has committed to using eco-friendly materials and will be purchasing carbon credits through TerraPass to offset the impact of the tour’s carbon footprint.
“The Toyota Farm to Table Tour was created to celebrate farmers markets and the benefits they offer their communities while also showcasing Toyota’s extensive line of hybrid, fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles that give consumers options to choose a vehicle that complements their lifestyles,” said Keith Dahl, Toyota National Manager of Engagement Marketing. “Now in its second year, the tour provides Toyota the opportunity to connect with people who have made lifestyle choices such as driving hybrid vehicles, eating locally-grown food and shopping at farmers markets, while also providing the opportunity to directly give back to the communities where our customers live.”
New to the tour this year, in a further effort to support famers markets across the entire country, Toyota is also providing financial support to the Farmers Market Coalition, a national non-profit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets that serve as community assets while providing real income opportunities for farmers.
The 2010 Toyota Farm to Table Tour runs from July 10 to August 28 and is visiting the following farmers markets:
The City Market – Kansas City, MO – Saturday, July 10
The Little Rock Farmers’ Market – Little Rock, AR – Saturday, July 17
The Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market – Raleigh, NC – Wednesday, July 21
The Pepper Place Saturday Market – Birmingham, AL– Saturday, July 24
FRESHFARM Market, by the White House – Washington D.C. – Thursday, July 29
Market Square Farmers Market – Pittsburgh, PA – Thursday, August 5
The Chattanooga Market – Chattanooga, TN – Sunday, August 8
Rochester Downtown Farmers Market – Rochester, MN – Saturday, August 14
The Farmers Market Annex – Minneapolis, MN – Sunday, August 15
The Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market – Salt Lake City, UT– Saturday, August 21
The Red Stick Farmers Market – Baton Rouge, LA – Saturday, August 28
To learn more about the Tour, visit www.farmtotabletour.com.
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About Market Square Farmers Market
The Market Square Farmers Market in Downtown Pittsburgh’s historic Market Square is open every Thursday through November 18. The market is programmed by Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) which works to transform food systems in Pennsylvania in a way that makes farmers more viable, improves the land and restores the health and wellbeing of citizens. Visitors to the Market Square Farmers Market can buy hot pierogies, fresh flowers, berries, baked goods, and over 50 varieties of produce. Every Thursday at noon through August 26 visitors are also treated to outdoor concerts, produced by Star 100.7 and KDKA Radio.
For more about the Market Square Farmers Market, visit www.downtownpittsburgh.com
About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., INC.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts:
Kirsten Graham, KGPR for Toyota Farm to Table Tour, kirsten@kirstengrahampr.com, 206.890.3435
Hollie R. Geitner, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, hgeitner@downtownpittsburgh.com, 412.566.4190 ext. 15
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