Come Together: Cultivate Festival 2013

Cultivate: to foster the growth of; to improve by labor, care or study; to seek society of; to make friends with.  All of these communal ideals represented by one word - the perfect word to encompass the spirit of community & learning embodied by Chipotle's annual food, music & ideas festival - the Cultivate Festival - happening this Saturday in Chicago's Lincoln Park.

image source: http://chipotle.com/cultivate/Chicago.aspx

Cultivate brings members of a community together with local farmers, chefs, brewers, artisans, thought leaders & musicians to celebrate food and the importance of understanding what is in the food we consume.  Don't have your attention yet?  Cultivate Festival is also a FREE festival with live music, chef demos, free Chipotle burritos (if you get 4 stamps!), craft beer & more - what's not to love?  If you're still not convinced, check out this video covering last year's Fest & fun had by all...

Since the Cultivate Festival first began in Chicago in October of 2011 it's generated a lot of buzz and garnered an impressive following.  In fact, this past year the Festival added its third city to the mix - you can now find Cultivate Festivals in Chicago, Denver & San Francisco.  Plans to eventually change up the cities are in the works, but Chicago remains a staple for now.  Another staple of the Chicago Festival has been my aunt & uncle's Tiny But Mighty Popcorn.  They have been participating as Artisans in the Fest since the first year and look forward to this event all year.

Lynn & Farmer Gene Mealhow | TBM Popcorn at Chipotle Cultivate 2012

I remember my first experience at Cultivate Festival a few years ago; it was one of those picture perfect days. Loads of sunshine, a slight chill in the air, and tons of happy people walking around drinking craft beer, eating delicious food & supporting their local community.  The authentic goodness that is this Festival leaves you feeling warm & fuzzy inside.  Having fun & doing good by supporting your community - something we should all be doing a little more of.

I also had the chance to attend a pre-Fest press event at Blackbird last Thursday evening, led by Chipotle's National Director of Events, Scott Robinson. Just a few of the Artisans who are participating in the Festival were spotlighted, and that included Tiny But Mighty Popcorn!  I met the most lovely people and learned about some of the amazing things they create. Keep your eye out for these folks this weekend at Cultivate:

5 Rabbit Cervecería 

The guys behind this local brewery know their stuff, and they've brewed an extra special Ale that will be launched this weekend at Cultivate!  According to 5 Rabbit's website, "The two companies collaborated on recipe ideas and ultimately settled on a Saison, a deep golden French-Belgian ale with spicy aromas, typically thought of as a “farmhouse” ale, which fits nicely with the Chipotle event."  The honey used in the brew was sourced by the 5 Rabbit team from a small cooperative in Mexico.  I had the pleasure of meeting & getting to know founder & CEO Andres Araya and 5 Rabbit partner & creative director Randy Mosher - two very passionate individuals who continue to work hard to produce delicious, local brews for all to enjoy. Read more about 5 Rabbit & Chipotle's brilliant collaboration here.

Beautiful hand-welded box cover made by 5 Rabbit partner Randy Mosher | Andres Araya peeking in the back!

Jo Snow Syrups 

image source: http://josnowsyrups.com/

The tag line on Jo Snow Syrup's Facebook page? "A seriously fun company making unique flavors of syrups for coffee, cocktails, sodas and snow cones" - and after meeting owner Melissa Yen & tasting her snow cones at the event I would 100% concur!  Melissa is not only outgoing & super passionate about what she does, but her product speaks for itself - all of us in attendance had our taste buds tickled when we got to try her Fig Vanilla Black Pepper snow cone - simply to die for! One of the best parts about Jo Snow Syrups is that they're made from all natural ingredients, including organic cane sugar, spices, fresh herbs & all natural extracts - another reason they're a perfect fit for Cultivate!

Jo Snow Syrups owner Melissa Yen | my Fig Vanilla Black Pepper snow cone

Faith's Farm with Chefs Paul Kahan & Curtis Duffy

Kim Snyder of Faith's Farm (named after her daughter) believes in farming the old fashioned way - on a free-range pasture not using any chemicals.  Kim specializes in preserving heritage breed livestock including Belted Galloway cattle, Gloucestershire Old Spot hogs and Bourbon Red turkeys.  All of the animals on Kim's farm are given lots of space and allowed to engage in their natural behaviors within their own family groups, flocks and herds. Kim does not feed the animals GMOs (genetically modified organisms), antibiotics or hormones, and she follows organic and humanely-raised practices.  Something we can all get behind.

We got to sample pork that was raised on Kim's farm and prepared by the Chef de Cuisine of Blackbird, David T. Posey.  The dish consisted of pork loin al'tonato with arugula, truffled peach, olives, red onion, and lemon vinaigrette - one of the tastiest bites of food I have ever had the pleasure of eating.  

Collaboration of Faith Farms pork & Chef de Cuisine of Blackbird

I will be at the Festival all day Saturday - you can find me in the Artisan's tent working with the Tiny But Mighty crew & snapping photos of all the action - not to mention enjoying some awesome food & a few craft beers.  Farmer Gene (my uncle) and his wife Lynn (my aunt) will also be on hand at the TBM booth so come say hello & try some seriously tasty popcorn.  Hope to see you all there!

Farmer Gene, Aunt Lynn & I | Tiny But Mighty Popcorn booth at Chipotle Cultivate 2012

Cultivate | Lincoln Park

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