Food notes
Talking about food for good
The group Sow Much Good, founded by Robin Emmons, is bringing local and national speakers to talk about food as an agent for social justice in “Food For Change,” 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 17.
Speakers include Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, Charlotte chef Clark Barlowe of Heirloom, urban-revitalization strategist Majora Carter, activist and filmmaker Byron Hurt, and Dr. Jewel Hairston, agriculture dean at Virginia State University.
Tickets are $99 ($150 for VIP seating), or $35 for Robb’s speech and a breakfast reception only. The event is at the Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St. Details and tickets: www.sowmuchgood.org/food-for-change. Kathleen Purvis
Keep lunches cool
Instead of ice blocks to keep lunch boxes cool, buy a pack of basic sponges, then soak them in water the night before. Place the wet sponge in a zip-top bag, lay it flat in the freezer and freeze overnight. In the morning, it will be frozen. The sponges soak up the water they release as they melt, so when you’re done using them, throw them back into the freezer for the next day. If you keep them clean, you can replace them every couple of weeks.
Michelle Stark, Tampa Bay Times
Chef contests
Two contests ahead:
▪ Local bakers try for the best cookie in the Center City Charlotte Great Cookie Crumble, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday at the 7th Street Public Market, 224 E. Seventh St. Contestants include Cloud 9, Omni Hotel, Something Classic, Jewel Treats, Hilton Center City, Bar Cocoa, Double Tree, Melt in Your Mouth, Greeneman Farms and Local Leaf. Free; details at www.7thstreetpublicmarket.com.
▪ Chefs from the Piedmont Culinary Guild face chefs from the American Culinary Federation in the Queen City Food Fight, 4 p.m. Aug. 30 at Central Piedmont Community College, 425 N. Kings Drive. The public and judges (including The Observer’s Kathleen Purvis) decide the winners. Tickets are $85 and include a six-course tasting meal. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. Kathleen Purvis
This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Food notes."