Calvert Eats Local

Despite a tornado warning, a couple of dozen local food lovers braved the elements last night, September 17, in order to share their enthusiasm for eating local at a potluck meeting of Calvert Eats Local. The group was started about 10 years ago by Greg Bowen, executive director of the American Chestnut Land Trust and lifelong resident of Calvert County. Once a year they hold a potluck dinner at the North Beach location of Chesapeake’s Bounty, which sells only food grown, fished, and harvested in the region, mainly Southern Maryland. At the start of the evening, store manager Veronica Cristo set the stage for why it’s important to not only enjoy local food, but to promote local agriculture as part of strong local economies and part of the solution to local food insecurity. I’m really excited to have Veronica on a panel I’m moderating next month at the NESAWG “It Takes a Region Conference” in Philadelphia!