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Visit Sacramento previews Terra Madre Americas, pairs event with Farm-to-Fork programming
Summary
Visit Sacramento and Slow Food will host Terra Madre Americas Sept. 26–28 at the Safe Credit Union Convention Center, featuring culinary programming, indigenous and agricultural representation, panels and a Farm-to-Fork street festival, Visit Sacramento said at the Sept. 9 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Visit Sacramento presented Terra Madre Americas to the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 9, outlining programming that will run Sept. 26–28 at the Safe Credit Union Convention Center and the surrounding streets.
Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento, said the event — an American debut for the Slow Food movement’s Terra Madre brand — will combine three days of panels, chef demonstrations, a 125-wine anoteca, indigenous and tribal representation, and a Farm-to-Fork street festival outside the convention center.
"Terra Madre Americas will be inside of the convention center, and the Farm to Fork Fest will be on the outside of the convention center," Testa told supervisors, adding the program will include partners from UC Davis, Wilton Rancheria, regenerative meat advocates and wineries such as Bogle.
Testa said the event will include celebrity chefs and large-scale programming designed to draw visitors from across the region: "We think we're in a good place to do that with this event," he said, and noted Visit Sacramento has signed a 10-year agreement with Slow Food International to host the event in odd-numbered years in Sacramento.
Why it matters: Terra Madre Americas is Visit Sacramento’s largest cultural and culinary event to date under the Terra Madre brand and is intended to increase hotel stays, cultural tourism and food-industry visibility for the region.
Key points presented to the board - Partners and programming: UC Davis, tribes including Wilton Rancheria, local nonprofits on food literacy, and organizations focused on regenerative agriculture and workers’ rights are part of the program. Panels will address food-as-medicine, coffee traditions, access to water and seed sovereignty, and worker rights in the wine industry. - Audience and reach: Visit Sacramento reported Bay Area advertising, freeway billboards and BART station placements as part of an effort to attract regional visitors; Testa said the goal is to increase hotel stays and local spending. - Legacy and schedule: Testa said Terra Madre is in Italy in even years and will be in Sacramento in odd years under a 10-year agreement; the first U.S. iteration is scheduled for Sept. 26–28.
Board response: Chair Serna and other supervisors welcomed the event as a showcase of Sacramento’s food and agricultural ties; several supervisors offered personal anecdotes and expressed support. Supervisor Pat Hume noted the region’s agricultural production and expressed enthusiasm for the event’s longevity.
Next steps: Visit Sacramento will continue marketing and coordination with county partners, and the board recorded the presentation on the public record.
