‘Let’s Talk About Food Festival’ Returns on September 27

Rialto’s Jody Adams and governor Deval Patrick at 2013’s Let’s Talk About Food Festival. Photo provided

The third annual “Let’s Talk About Food Festival” returns to Copley Square on September 27 with a lineup of celebrity and local chefs, scientists, and academics. The free festival, which was founded by renowned local journalist Louisa Kasdon, features discussions with experts on current food issues such as sustainability and GMOs, live interactive cooking demonstrations, and healthy food sampling—all designed to question how we eat, grow, cook, buy, and sell food in the community.

The year’s festival, presented in conjunction with Whole Foods Market and The Boston Globe, kicks off on Friday, Sept. 26, with a National Food Policy Scorecard rally with Food Policy Action, based in Washington D.C.

Speakers and events include: former White House pastry chef, Bill Yosses; a build-a-better-burger competition with local chefs such as Tony Maws (Craigie on Main) and Chris Coombs (Deuxave); and discussions debunking the myths surrounding “fresh seafood.” Below are some highlights of this year’s festivities:

Sept. 26 at the Trinity Church from 6-8 p.m.

Festival Kick-Off Rally: Vote with Your Fork
Rally to raise awareness and inspire civic action on issues that affect the food we eat. Speakers include: Michel Nischan, president and founder of the Wholesome Wave and a James Beard award-winning restaurateur; Ken Cook, president of Environmental Working Group; and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Linda Pizzuti Henry. An RSVP is requested for this event.

Sept. 27 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Let’s Talk About Food and Kids
Featuring chef Bill Yosses, interactive kid-friendly cooking demonstrations, gardening activities, and workshops presented by Chop Chop Magazine covering topics like cooking for picky eaters.

“Earth and Turf” Burger Challenge
Some of Boston’s most best burger chefs will be challenged to create their version of the “Earth and Turf” burger— a burger that has a lighter carbon footprint, but still satisfies self-proclaimed meat lovers. Participants include: Tony Maws (Craigie On Main and Kirkland Tap and Trotter); Chris Coombs (Deuxave, Boston Chops and dbar); Tony Rosenfeld (B.Good); and Richard Chudy (the Boston Burger Blog).

Pizza Pizza!
Chef Joe Gatto will demystify the process of pizza-making by demonstrating how to knead and toss dough, pull your own mozzarella, stuff sausage, and bake a restaurant-quality pie.

Fresh vs. Frozen: Is Fresh Always Best?
Chef Barton Seaver, director of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Program at the Harvard School of Public Health, will help demystify the idea that fresh seafood is always best. Seaver will be joined by seafood distributor Michael Dimin of Sea2Table and chef Jeremy Sewall (Row 34 and Island Creek Oyster Bar) who will discuss how to select the highest quality sustainable seafood and how to prepare it at home.

Grass-Fed, Organic, Local: What Does it All Mean?
What are the differences between natural and grass-fed, or heritage and local? Chef Louis DiBiccari (Tavern Road) and Michael Leviton (Lumiere and Area Four) will discuss how they choose meat for their restaurants and families, and demonstrate simple charcuterie dishes that can be made at home using lesser-known cuts of meat.

Science Tricks in the Kitchen
Dan Souza from America’s Test Kitchen Magazine and cookbook author Jeff Potter (Cooking for Geeks) will show advanced culinary tricks centered around the usage of liquid nitrogen. Souza and Potter will demonstrate how LN2 works and how these science tricks can translate in the restaurant setting.

Food for Thought: Author Book Signing Tent
Join James Beard award-wining presenting chefs and bestselling cookbook authors such as Laurie David (The Family Cooks), Rowan Jacobsen (Apples of Uncommon Character), Jeff Potter (Cooking for Geeks), Sally Sampson (The Chop Chop Cookbook), Barton Seaver (National Geographic Kids Cookbook), Maria Speck (Ancient Grains for Modern Meals) and Amy Traverso (The Apple Lover’s Cookbook).

Let’s Talk About Food takes places Friday, Sept 26. at Trinity Church from 6-8 p.m. and on Saturday, Sept. 27. at Copley Square from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is free. For a full schedule and more info, visit letstalkaboutfood.com.