Healthy Food, Healthy Kids

We live near an elementary school where more than 40 percent of the students receive free or reduced-price meals. These meals may be the main, if not the only, meals the students get all day, and it stands to reason that the food they're served should be healthy and nutritious.

In an agriculturally rich state like Oregon, you'd think that the meals served in school cafeterias would have at least some local or regional ingredients. But because of inadequate kitchens (ripped out decades ago to facilitate central distribution), regulatory and economic roadblocks and a lack of distribution channels for local producers, these meals are often comprised of commodity products.

One way to get more fresh, local food onto cafeteria trays is to create a vibrant farm to school network of farmers, teachers, students and administrators. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Friends of Family Farmers is conducting a panel discussion on how to bridge the gap between local farms and the school system so that our kids can have healthier meals, with the added benefit of helping to stabilize Oregon's agricultural community.

Panelists for the event are:

• David Knaus is a grower, teacher and consultant for progressive agricultural methods in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently the Farm Manager for CREST Farm, a unique farm to school program in West Linn-Wilsonville that educates K-12 students in Biological Agriculture techniques and delivers produce to school cafeterias within the district.
• Nell Tessman works as a Health Educator in Multnomah County Health Department's Community Wellness and Prevention Program and is a member of the Healthy Active Schools Team, working with seven school districts in Multnomah County on farm to school initiatives that support healthy eating and physical activity in schools. Nell also grows kale, lemon cucumbers and quackgrass in her community garden plot.
• Linda Colwell is a chef, works on a farm and is interested seeing children develop an understanding of food, farming, agriculture and the rural/urban relationship. Linda sits on the Portland Public Schools Wellness Advisory Committee, serves on the board of directors of Zenger Farm and is currently writing a farm-to-school curriculum for K-12 schools.

Details: InFARMation: Farm to School, Growing Awareness. Tues., Nov. 8, 6:30-8 pm; free. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St. 503-759-3276.

Holocene Scene

OK, I have to admit it right up front: I'm not all up on the latest DJs or what techno-emo-numo is being played in the hot clubs. But when Michel asked if I'd like to go listen to Freda's brother DJ the happy hour at Holocene, I said, "Uhhhh...OK!" And, again, coming clean here, when I pulled up to the corner of SE 10th and Morrison and checked the address, all I saw was what looked like an abandoned building with a scary doorway. So I called the club on the cell, they said it was the right address, so I walked in.

Freda's brother, Philip Sherburne, is here from Barcelona, Spain, where he makes his home and where he is a very well-known DJ and entertainment critic/writer. He apparently has quite a following and is well-known in those circles (Google him...he's pretty famous) and is, from what I've seen, a good writer who's passionate about his subject. He also seems like a regular, nice guy who dropped by our table and gave his sister a big hug and chatted a bit. From what I heard, his music is a very eclectic blend of Euro, world and a bit of older pop-ish sounding stuff, not what I've come to think of as techno with it's trance-like beeps and beat. His is very adult and listenable, and I'll be looking for him when he does a late-night dance gig. Very worth taking advantage of while he's here, so check his blog for upcoming dates.

Holocene, to get back to the subject, is a bar and nightclub that sits on two tiers of a large, vaulted-ceiling concrete space. The drink list has a mix of house cocktails that tend toward the lighter flavors of cucumber, lemon and mint. I had a very nicely-made Caipirinha, that lovely blend of Brazilian cachaça and lime, and at their happy hour, which lasts for an amazing three hours (from 5-8 pm), all liquor is $2 off per drink. Cool!

We tried two appetizers, a cheese plate and the mac and cheese, and it's obvious that this kitchen is doing more than heating stuff in the microwave. The cheese plate had two nice chunks of manchego and an Italian farm cheese, with a big spoonful of dark and creamy fig jam drizzled with olive oil. It was served with, and this tells you where they're coming from, warmed slices of Ken's Artisan Bakery walnut bread. The mac and cheese came with a sprig of lavender stuck into a crock of an herb-laden, lightly cheesy casserole with sides of a terrific pepper relish and leaves of frisée in a light tarragon vinaigrette. They also have sandwiches and sweets, so this could be fodder for a few more trips if the seriousness of the appies we had were an indication.

Details: Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. Happy hour 5-8 pm. Phone 503-239-7639.