Our mission is to promote good, clean, fair food for all in the greater Saint Louis area.
We unite to celebrate our local food heritage and advance Slow Food principles:
- Food we eat should taste good and be good for us;
- Be accessible to all;
- Be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment or animal welfare; and
- Good producers should receive fair compensation for their work.
We aim to be a St. Louis resource of information, education and funding for local, sustainable food enterprises and consumers and serve as a catalyst for the growth of a St. Louis food culture based on the enjoyment of eating locally produced, healthy and delicious foods.
Slow Food St. Louis is the local chapter of Slow Food USA and Slow Food, an international non-profit organization promoting good, clean, and fair food.
Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Read the Slow Food Manifesto at https://www.slowfoodusa.org/manifesto. Slow Food has 1,300 chapters in over 150 countries.
We organize a variety of programs supporting local, sustainable farming and eating and the use of locally produced products.
Educating Consumers
Slow Food St. Louis hosts over 40 events each year dedicated to raising awareness about where food comes from and how it was produced. Recent programming has included documentary film screenings, tastings, gardening workshops, urban homesteading classes, and a speaker series with local farmers. Slow Food St. Louis also hosts fundraising events such as Feast in the Field, a multi-course, sit-down dinner prepared by area chefs at a local farm, and Farm Tours, to introduce St Louisans to the local farms and farmers who grow their food.
Promoting Sustainable Farming
Since 2009, Slow Food St. Louis has awarded over $87,000 to over 80 local farms supporting the cultivation of over 200 heirloom varieties and heritage breeds through our Biodiversity Micro Grant program. This initiative encourages farmers to grow heirloom produce and raise heritage breed animals by taking on all or part of the financial risk of the project. The program also encourages farmers to explore more niche product offerings distinguishing their businesses.
Known & Grown
Slow Food St. Louis is a proud supporter of Known & Grown.
Known & Grown STL vets and promotes local, environmentally-responsible farmers within 150 miles of St. Louis. Known & Grown farmers don’t use synthetic chemicals on their crops or confine their animals. View a complete list of Known & Grown standards here.