FEAST at Organic Food Fest Saturday

• FEAST O.F.F. is Saturday, Sept. 3 at Shelby and Liberty streets in Phoenix Hill
• Admission: Free, $3 tastes from Harvest, Decca, Sweet & Savory, 502 Cafe & more
• Event runs 12 to 4 p.m. at new ReSurfaced; All ages welcome
• Proceeds benefit Kentucky organic farmers trying to meet growing consumer demand

Take an affordable bite of the freshest local, organic food Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Courier-Journal's FEAST Organic Food Festival, a family-friendly, free event at the new ReSurfaced public space in Phoenix Hill.

The FEAST O.F.F. runs from 12 to 4 p.m. with renowned chefs serving up $3 tastes from Harvest, Decca, Churchill Downs, 502 Cafe Smokehouse, Ramsi's Cafe on the World, Sweet N Savory, the Missing Link and the Holly Hill Inn.  Proceeds benefit Kentucky's organic farmers who grow under the banner of the nonprofit Organic Association of Kentucky.

Imagine organic roast beef with a shaggy, smoked crust outside and medium rare within paired with Hot 2 Trot horseradish grown in Oldham County and heirloom tomato on a seeded brioche bun from Blue Dog Bakery. That's your $3 taste coming from Harvest chef Patrick Roney. His Elmwood Stock Farm beef grazes on grass near Georgetown.

"It is simplicity at its best. That is what drives me with organics – letting the product be itself," Roney said. With commodity beef, "you don't know if it was in a giant feedlot for months. With organic, we have a connection. We know how it was raised and what it was fed and the care that went into the animal. That makes a big difference how chefs think when it comes into the shop."

ReSurfaced FEAST O.F.F. to serve organic eats

Churchill Downs chef David Danielson is cooking up a "luscious, unctuous pork ragout stewed down with grated heirloom tomatoes" over some Kentucky grits, whether the smoked corn grits of Louismill, the city's only craft stone grain mill, or Weisenberger Mill.

Unlike commercial grade pigs, the pork from Organic Valley "has got a different depth of flavor," Danielson said. "I seek out people who are as passionate about what they're doing as I am. People who have made that commitment produce higher quality."

Growing appetite for organic and locally-produced food generate an estimated $43 billion in sales worldwide, a rate bounding upward between 4 to 6 percent annually, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Grabbing that exploding market share for Kentucky farmers is the primary mission of the Organic Association of Kentucky. Proceeds from FEAST O.F.F. benefit the nonprofit, whose members unite restaurateurs, farmers and agriculture experts to assist Kentucky farmers in becoming U.S.D.A. certified organic and linking them with consumers, markets and restaurants.

"Organic is better for the environment. It's better for health. Farmers can get more for organic product. There are so many reasons to care about it," said OAK board member Rhona Kamar, the chef from Ramsi's preparing hockey-puck sized garlic plantain cakes fried in organic chicken confit and dressed with local blackberry bourbon gastrique for FEAST O.F.F..

OAK "is doing amazing things to help our Kentucky conventional farmers transition to organic," Kamar said.

Raised in Goshen, Rootbound Farm certified organic mutton will be on chef Chris Williams smoker from the 502 Cafe food truck.

"I'm thinking mutton sliders with lamb pate, with some barbecue sauce," Williams said. The crowd, he added, "will be a giant test audience. That is something we might be able to use in the restaurant."

Eric Graeser of the Missing Link will be cooking up Organic Valley pork. Tyler McNabb and Jonathan Fanning, both chefs from Holly Hill Inn and Smithtown Seafood, as well as chef Annie Pettry of Decca will be using Elmwood Stock Farm organic beef. Inside the Sweet N Savory food truck, organic chicken from Whole Foods will go into gluten-free chicken parmesan crepes with organic eggs, goat cheese and bacon with a red pepper sauce.

On stage at noon, watch a live taping of the Courier-Journal's Mighty Fine Farm & Food podcast, where co-hosts Jere Downs and farmer Ivor Chodkowski will explore why organic and sustainably-grown food matters for consumers, our health, the environment and the future of Kentucky farmers.

The Mighty Fine Farm & Food podcast features interviews with local and national change makers in our food system and is sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife, which is encouraging people to eat wild by hunting and fishing, the first local foods.

At the FEAST O.F.F., learn about the Field to Fork programs run by the Department of Fish & Wildlife.  An upcoming workshop on eating wild teaches everyday consumers how to hunt, dress and cook venison. Fish & Wildlife agent Jason Nally will be at the FEAST O.F.F. to talk more about these programs.

Thanks to ReSurfaced for the live music; Appalatin combines Latin and Appalachian musical traditions while the "lush" harmonies of Annapurna also take the stage during the day.

Thanks also to Whole Foods Markets for supplying much of the organic produce and proteins on the plates, assisted by the Louisville Farm To Table Program, the city's initiative that helps farmers supply Louisville consumers and institutions from 23 neighboring counties.

Want to do more to support organic farmers? Shop at Whole Foods Wednesday, Aug. 31 and 5 percent of net proceeds will benefit the Organic Association of Kentucky.

For updates on FEAST O.F.F., check out the event at the Courier-Journal's Facebook page.  For news on local food in Louisville, see the Farm To Table section online at Courier-Journal.com/farmfood.

Most of all, come and eat and enjoy our city's exploding local food movement. See you there!

Jere Downs can be reached at (502) 582-4669, Jere Downs on Facebook or JDowns@Courier-Journal.com.