Slow Food USA today announced a new partnership with Chipotle Mexican Grill to create or support approximately 100 schools gardens in 10 metropolitan areas across the country. Through hands-on discovery and an innovative school curriculum, the organizations hope to cultivate a new generation of kids who care more about where food comes from and how it is prepared.
"This partnership will dramatically increase the impact that our National School Garden Program will have by extending our reach deeper into communities and offering greater access to gardens and food education to children across the country," said Richard McCarthy, executive director of Slow Food USA. "Chipotle is a company that is working to change fast food from the inside out, and we're thrilled to be working with them to take our Garden Program to the next level."
In the partnership’s first 15 months, Slow Food USA and Chipotle will work together to build or support school gardens in 10 metropolitan areas across the country, including Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, New York (Long Island and northern New Jersey), Louisville, Orange County, Phoenix, Miami and San Diego.
Slow Food Urban San Diego will provide a host of services to support the local school garden program, including customized curriculum, funding, labor, and other resources to match the needs of the individual schools and/or districts, with in-depth technical assistance from the Slow Food USA national staff. Chipotle will provide funding through micro grants, in-restaurant fundraisers and hands-on support.
“With this new partnership, we want to give children access to a hands-on learning experience at their schools, to teach them how food is grown, and the importance of cooking and healthy eating,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle.
Both Slow Food USA and Chipotle share a belief in making better food widely available. Slow Food USA is committed to good, clean and fair food for all, and Chipotle is changing the way people think about and eat fast food by using ingredients that are raised with respect for the land, the animals and the farmers. Separately, each organization has made significant strides in their respective areas, and together, they will work to improve the food culture in schools across the U.S.A.
ABOUT SLOW FOOD USA
Slow Food USA is part of the global Slow Food network of over 100,000 members in more than 150 countries. Slow Food is the only grassroots organization working locally, nationally and internationally to link the pleasures of the table with a commitment to community and the environment. With our National School Garden Program, we are teaching the next generation how to grow, prepare and share food responsibly. For more information, visit SlowFoodUSA.org.
ABOUT CHIPOTLE
Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that—where possible—are sustainably grown and Responsibly Raised™ with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. In order to achieve this vision, we focus on building a special people culture that is centered on creating teams of top performers empowered to achieve high standards. This people culture not only leads to a better dining experience for our customers, it also allows us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than 1,600 restaurants including six ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates one Pizzeria Locale. For more information, visit Chipotle.com
This November Slow Food Urban San Diego's Market Bucks program provided 30 local seniors with a farmer's market tour, $10 worth of free produce and a cooking demonstration featuring a fall salad trio. Thirty members of Serving Seniors' Feeling Fit Club joined Slow Food for a tour of the Little Italy Mercato and a bag of fresh produce from Suzie's Farm, courtesy of our generous Market Bucks donors.
