Farm To Table Tour Kicks of Farmers Market Week in Washington, DC

      Posted On: July 29, 2010

Toyota Farm to Table Tour Kicks Off National Farmers Market Week with Stop at FRESHFARM Market, by the White House

Talented local chefs including Nora Pouillon will team up with farmers to create tastings that celebrate the bounty of locally grown food

July 29th – Today, the Toyota Farm to Table Tour will sponsor an all-star chef line-up for its Washington D.C. event, hosted by the FRESHFARM Market by the White House (810 Vermont Avenue NW) on Thursday, July 29 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Now in its second year, the Toyota Farm to Table Tour is visiting 11 famers markets across the country this summer to showcase the connection between farmers, chefs, farmers markets and the communities they serve, and to give market shoppers the opportunity to experience Toyota’s hybrid vehicles.

At the event, nine of D.C.’s notable chefs will partner with market farmers to create bite-sized complimentary treats for visitors – all featuring farm-fresh ingredients.

Washington D.C.’s line-up includes:

Ryan Wheeler of Restaurant Eve

Kyle Bailey of Birch & Barley

Scott Drewno of The Source, by Wolfgang Puck

Mike Isabella of Zaytinya

Olivier Perret of Ici Urban Bistro

Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora

David Varley of Bourbon Steak

Paul Stearman of Marcel’s

Nicholas Stefanelli of Bibiana

At the event guests will have the opportunity to meet some of the area’s top chefs while also experiencing the farm to table connection in the dishes the chefs share.

“Over the past 30 years, I have been delighted and encouraged to witness the steady rise of farmers markets in D.C.”, said Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora.  “They bring our communities together and showcase the importance of fresh and seasonal food so that everyone may reap the pleasure and health benefits of local produce.”

In addition to complimentary tastings, visitors who participate in the day’s activities will have the opportunity to select complimentary potted culinary herbs from the Highlander Hybrid Mobile Garden as well as enter for a chance to win a culinary trip to Santa Barbara. At the Highlander Hybrid Mobile Garden, a Mobile Garden Herb Specialist will be on hand to pot the plants for visitors and answer general questions about gardening.  All herb plants are sourced from local vendors at the market.

“Our FRESHFARM Market, by the White House, is pleased to partner with Toyota’s Farm to Table Tour and the Farmers Market Coalition to launch National Farmers Market Week,” said Bernadine Prince, co-director of FRESHFARM Markets and vice president of the Farmers Market Coalition. “We’ll have nine chefs at the White House market on July 29 to showcase the bounty of local foods from the Mid-Atlantic region at our producer-only farmers market. Farmers markets continue to be a vital source of support to local, sustainable, family-owned farms in our region and across the country.”

New to the tour this year, in a further effort to support famers markets across the entire country, Toyota is also providing financial support to the Farmers Market Coalition, a national non-profit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets that serve as community assets while providing real income opportunities for farmers.   The tour stop in Washington D.C. will also serve as a kick-off event with the Famers Market Coalition to officially recognize National Farmers Market Week which runs from Aug. 1 – Aug. 7.

“National Farmers Market Week is a celebration of the many benefits farmers markets bring to our communities,” said Sharon Yeago, President of the Farmers Market Coalition.  “Each dollar spent at a farmers market is an investment in a region’s family farms, in the viability of our local economies, and in our personal health. We urge people across the United States to visit a farmers market where they can talk to their neighbors, taste their region’s unique peak-season flavors, and shake the hands of the farmers who make it all possible.”

At the event, market visitors will also have the chance to take a ride in a 2010 Prius, Highlander Hybrid or Camry Hybrid and take home a John Boos cutting board as a memento of the experience.  In support of all the benefits the market offers its community, Toyota will also make a financial donation to FRESHFARM Markets.  Throughout the tour Toyota has committed to using eco-friendly materials and will be purchasing carbon credits through TerraPass to offset the impact of the tour’s carbon footprint.

“The Toyota Farm to Table Tour was created to celebrate farmers markets and the benefits they offer their communities while also showcasing Toyota’s extensive line of hybrid, fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles that give consumers options to choose a vehicle that complements their lifestyles,” said Keith Dahl, Toyota National Manager of Engagement Marketing.  “Now in its second year, the tour provides Toyota the opportunity to connect with people who have made lifestyle choices such as driving hybrid vehicles, eating locally-grown food and shopping at farmers markets, while also providing the opportunity to directly give back to the communities where our customers live.”

The 2010 Toyota Farm to Table Tour runs from July 10 to August 28 and is visiting the following farmers markets:

The City Market – Kansas City, MO – Saturday, July 10

The Little Rock Farmers’ Market – Little Rock, AR – Saturday, July 17

The Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market – Raleigh, NC – Wednesday, July 21

The Pepper Place Saturday Market – Birmingham, AL– Saturday, July 24

FRESHFARM Market, by the White House – Washington D.C. –  Thursday, July 29

The Market Square Farmers Market – Pittsburgh, PA – Thursday, August 5

The Chattanooga Market – Chattanooga, TN – Sunday, August 8

The Rochester Downtown Farmers Market – Rochester, MN – Saturday, August 14

The Farmers Market Annex – Minneapolis, MN – Sunday, August 15

The Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market – Salt Lake City, UT– Saturday, August 21

The Red Stick Farmers Market – Baton Rouge, LA – Saturday, August 28

To learn more about the Tour, visit www.farmtotabletour.com.

###

About FRESHFARM Markets

FRESHFARM Markets, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1997, starting with the opening of the market at Dupont Circle. Inspired by a vision of a more sustainable regional food system, the markets were created not only to connect urban residents with local farmers, but also to educate the public about food and farming issues, and to provide tangible economic opportunities for farmers. As of 2010, FREHSFARM Markets operates11 producer-only farmers’ markets in the Washington, DC metro area, with farmers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Delaware. More information is available at www.freshfarmmarkets.org.

About the Famers Market Coalition

Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) is a national 501(c)(3) organization that provides educational resources, networking, and technical assistance to local, state, and regional farmers market organizations.  With the support of its members, FMC represents farmers markets at the state and federal level, communicating their needs and garnering public and private support for their long-term growth and sustainability. For more information, visit farmersmarketcoalition.org.

About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., INC.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion.  Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009.  Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion

For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.