The Fingerlakes Farm-to-Cafeteria program is gaining ground, as new institutions join us in an effort to support local farms and serve fresh, seasonal food. Our efforts have been funded by Northeast SARE, F.F. Thompson Foundation and John and Jo Ingle. We initially began, in 2004, by connecting school cafeterias and farms, but we have now branched out to county programs, colleges, and elder-care facilities.

In addition to our first large event in June 2006, and all the cafeterias that are now consistently purchasing from local farmers, we have hosted the following events to reach out to new cafeterias and new farms.

On October 17, 2007, Farm to Cafeteria hosted an Autumn Event for local farmers, food service directors, and distributors. Everyone enjoyed the informative farm tours at Red Jacket Orchards and Bejo Seeds, Inc, both located in Geneva. A delicious local foods lunch was served, with kid-friendly items such as vegetable lasagna, beef stew, and apple crisp. Experiences were shared, and ideas were brainstormed, for continuing and expanding the Farm to Cafeteria program.

On June 19, 2008, we coordinated a Spring Harvest day which highlighted strawberries, because they were in season at the time, and they are, of course, loved by all. The Harvest Day was a great success, and we plan to make it an annual event, with more cafeterias involved each year. There were 7 participating cafeterias that all served the strawberries: Bloomfield, Victor, and Geneva Schools, Ferris Hills and Clark Meadows adult care facilities in Canandaigua, and the Ontario County Health Facility and Office for the Aging in Hopewell. The strawberries were purchased from White's Farm Market (Bob-Mar Farms) of Bloomfield, James Sheppard Farm of Clifton Springs, and Red Jacket Orchards.

During the month of October, 2008, Farm to Cafeteria facilitiated Autumn Harvest Days around Ontario County, and beyond. Not only did Victor and Canandaigua schools and the Ontario County Office for the Aging participate, but so did Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) of Canandaigua, Hobart and William Smith Colleges of Geneva, Keuka College of Penn Yan, and Wells College of Aurora. FLCC served a local foods lunch, and the other three colleges, all operated by Sodexo, held Harvest Dinners. A wide array of local produce was served, from Gale-Wyn Farms of Canandaigua, Pedersen Farms of Seneca Castle, Seneca Vegetables of Hall, Happy Goat Farm of Naples, Randall Standish Vineyards of Naples, Barron Pratt's Barn and Vineyard of Canandaigua, Tomions Farm Market of Penn Yan, Wager's Apples of Penn Yan, and Red Jacket Orchards.
In June of 2009, Farm to Cafeteria coordinated the second annual Spring Harvest Day, reaching more institutions and farms.ÿ In addition to Bloomfield, Victor, and Geneva school districts, and the Office for the Aging and Ferris Hills and Clark Meadows, local strawberries were also served at Horizon's Senior Living Facility in Canandaigua, Woodcrest Commons Senior Living Facility in Henrietta, Naples Central School District, Churchville-Chili Central School District, Corning-Painted Post School District, and Camp Good Days in Branchport.ÿ The strawberries were purchased from White's Farm Market, James Sheppard Farm, Red Jacket Orchards, Tomions Farm Market, and Gro-Moore Farms of Henrietta.

Farm to Cafeteria tabled at the SAMPO (State Association of Municipal Purchasing Officials) Conference in Niagara Falls, on October 9, 2008. We were asked to attend due to our positive connection with Ontario County programs. We spoke with purchasing directors from across Western and Central New York State and definitely experienced the growing interest in the use of local, seasonal foods!ÿ We also tabled at the Sierra Club Environmental Forum, Local and Sustainable Food, Local Food Choices on April 16th, 2009, and the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development's conference Enhancing Local and Regional Food Systems: Exploring the Research, What Works, and What We Need to Learn on May 19th and 20th, 2009.

We find that as cafeterias order one or two products, their success and positive feedback fuels them to purchase more.ÿ As we look forward, we would like to expand these initiatives to many more cafeterias in our county and outlying areas. Our ultimate goal is to create lasting relationships between local farms, cafeterias, and distributors to thus enable the farmers of our region to produce the majority of our food so that each day may be a local harvest day. Local, seasonal food is healthy, tasty, and sustainable, and one step at a time, this idea is becoming the reality.

For more information about our Fingerlakes Farm-to-Cafeteria program please contact Todd Fowler at