BOISE, Idaho — Farmers, chefs, and food vendors are cooking up a lot to do on Thursday.
The first Field to Fork Festival is an interactive trade fair to celebrate Idaho's food and beverage producers. There is a lot on the event's menu, including panels, vendors, and workshops all about food.
The festival is free and open to the public. It's being held at JUMP in Downtown Boise on January 19. Events run from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m..
The event is run by FARE Idaho, a nonprofit that strengthens the connection with food producers and retailers, and promotes Idaho food and beverage.
"FARE stands for food, agriculture, restaurants and establishments. We were really born out of the pandemic when a lot of independent food and beverage businesses were struggling with how to navigate the pandemic," Katie Baker, executive director of FARE Idaho said.
Visitors will be able to meet Idaho farmers, ranchers, and food vendors and eateries, which learning about local food and beverage businesses.
"We're uniquely structured in that we basically represent the local food system - so small farms, ranchers, food and beverage producers, independent restaurants, bars, and retailers," Baker said. "One of our roles as an organization is we not only advocate on behalf of our members, but we connect Idaho producers with Idaho retailers. And it was really hard to do that during the pandemic, but it's also hard to not do that in person. So we wanted to come together under one roof and celebrate Idaho food and beverage."
The trade fair will feature over 65 Idaho vendors.
"We also are featuring some chef-led classes in the share kitchen downstairs at JUMP. We're looking forward to that because a couple of those chefs are James Beard nominated," Rocci Johnson, chair of FARE Idaho said. "So we'll be able to enjoy sampling, and see how a product is actually produced here in Idaho and winds up on the plate with the chefs showcasing their product. As well as panel discussions starting at noon."
There will be four discussion panels throughout the day.
"We have a craft brewer panel, we have a wine panel led by the Idaho Wine Commission," Baker said. "We also at FARE focus a lot on livestock processing and ranchers, and so we will have a rancher panel, and then also a farmer panel."
Festival Schedule:
- 8:00 AM (LOFT) PANEL: FARE Idaho Benefits Panel
- 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Trade Fair featuring over 60 Idaho Vendors
- 9:00 AM Learn about FARE Idaho with Katie Baker
- 10:00 AM (OUTSIDE) Meet Molly the Mule, A New Industrial Art Exhibit at JUMP
- 11:00 AM (SHARE KITCHEN) Chef Led Class : Anthony’s
- 11:30 AM Learn about FARE Idaho with Katie Baker
- 12:00 PM (LOFT) PANEL: Navigating Barriers to Livestock Processing in Idaho
- 12:15 PM (SHARE KITCHEN): Chef Led Class: Chop Shop
- 1:00 PM (LOFT) PANEL: Connecting Idaho-grown Products to Breweries to Retail, Bars & Restaurants
- 1:30 PM (SHARE KITCHEN) Chef Led Class: Terroir Boise
- 2:00 PM (LOFT) PANEL: From Field (Vineyard) to Fork (Glass)
- 2:45 PM (SHARE KITCHEN) Chef Led Class: Ansots
- 3:00 PM (LOFT) PANEL: Growing Idaho Markets: Partnerships between Producers and Independent Retailers and Restaurants
- 4:30-7:30 PM Celebration Party (Invite Only)
A list of vendors and more information about the event can be found on the Field to Fork Festival website.
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