{"id":12999,"date":"2011-01-25T11:00:52","date_gmt":"2011-01-25T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodembrace.com\/?p=12999"},"modified":"2011-01-25T11:00:52","modified_gmt":"2011-01-25T15:00:52","slug":"oeffa-winter-warmer-fundraiser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/2011\/01\/oeffa-winter-warmer-fundraiser\/","title":{"rendered":"OEFFA Winter Warmer Fundraiser"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Last Saturday night Scott and I had the wonderful chance to attend our first OEFFA<\/a> event! As you know, I’m a big supporter of the Eat Local movement.\u00a0 About becoming more involved in being aware of where exactly your food comes from, who’s providing, and how they are getting it to you.\u00a0 I’m still extremely new and am constantly trying to learn more about Ohio and what all we have available to us.<\/p>\n

It turns out that we have a lot! Being a Midwest state and having a varying climate along with a decent landscape means that not only is Ohio able to support multiple kinds of livestock, it can support agriculture as well.\u00a0 This means that we have access to some of the very best meat and produce in the country.<\/p>\n

Not to mention, wine, fruits, and maple syrup.<\/p>\n

Ohio has it all and I’m determined to learn as much as I can and pass along that information to you.\u00a0 This way we can all make better informed choices about what we eat and where we get it.<\/p>\n

Because I want to learn, I decided that attending an OEFFA event would be a great step in finding out information.<\/p>\n

OEFFA<\/a> stands for, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. From the website, this blurb describes them perfectly:<\/p>\n

The Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association (OEFFA) was formed in 1979 and is a membership-based, grassroots organization, dedicated to promoting and supporting sustainable, ecological, and healthful food systems.<\/em><\/p>\n

The best way to learn more about the local food scene is to talk to those that provide it, right?<\/p>\n

Saturday Night’s Event, called Winter Warmer, provided the perfect opportunity to do just that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The event was held at Wild Goose Creative<\/a>, which is a lovely space that can be rented out and used for events such as this, or whatever strikes your fancy.\u00a0 Their website has a list of events that you can check out!\u00a0 If you have never been to an event at Wild Goose, I suggest you attend one that strikes your fancy.\u00a0 I doubt you’ll be disappointed.<\/p>\n

Scott wrote out our nametags while I walked around snapping some pictures.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Along with mingling and making new contacts, this event also featured a silent auction filled with lots of fun local services and a small buffet of appetizer items.\u00a0 This wasn’t just any old buffet though, all the food featured were from local resources.\u00a0 Everything from the cheese to mushrooms.<\/p>\n

Being served up was:<\/p>\n