Sustainable Table: A Celebration of Local Food, Farms, and School Gardens
Over 100 community members gathered at Tres Vientos Ranch on Saturday, May 25th for Sustainable Table, a celebration of local farms, organic food, school gardens, and Explore Ecology programs.
Tres Vientos is the beautiful home of Alan and Lisa Parsons. The evening began with a Parsonics Studio Tour and Demo led by legendary audio engineer and musician Alan Parsons and singer songwriter Glen Phillips. Founder of the Alan Parsons Project, Alan is a musician, songwriter, record producer, and sound engineer whose work spans decades.
While Alan engineered, Glen Phillips sang and played acoustic garden with fellow musician Sean McCue. Best known as the singer songwriter for the band Toad the Wet Sprocket, Glen Phillips is also an acclaimed solo performer.
(Alan Parsons and Glen Phillips)Guests on the Studio Tour also enjoyed a special wine tasting with Sanguis Winery and appetizers by Chef Clark Staub.
Guests not attending the Parsonics Demo enjoyed a Poolside Cocktail Hour with appetizers provided by Chef Nancy Weiss of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Food Services. Nancy’s secret ingredient? Produce grown by little green thumbs in Explore Ecology’s School Gardens program. Nancy Weiss is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and the former chef and owner of SOhO Restaurant and Music Club. In 2008, Nancy took over as Director of Food Services for the Santa Barbara School District where she revolutionized food service for students.
Costa Rican singer songwriter MishCatt played music as guests took in the dramatic views of the breathtaking coast.
As the sun set, guests enjoyed a family style farm to table dinner. Sustainable Table’s innovative, zero waste menu, created by Clark Staub of Full of Life Foods, highlighted fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from local organic farms.
The executive chef and owner of Full of Life Flatbread restaurant in Los Alamos, Chef Staub has been creating healthy and delicious food in his gorgeous wood fired stone and clay oven since 2004. Renowned for his restaurant and for sourcing his ingredients from farms within a 60-mile radius, Chef Staub provided a beautiful and delicious dinner for Sustainable Table guests.
After dinner, Glen Phillips entertained guests with a musical performance under the stars.
Sustainable Table 2019 raised awareness about Explore Ecology programs and ensured that students in EE Programs continue to have access to a garden, spend time outdoors during the school day, continue to learn about science and the environment, and benefit from Art From Scrap Art Programs.
(Explore Ecology Field Trip)The Sustainable Table live auction this year was filled with experiences, not things! Auction items included a handcrafted Garden Bed, a Vermi (Worm) Composting Bin, and a Wood Fired Pizza Oven Party!
(Guests Bidding at Sustainable Table)Special thanks to Sustainable Table Sponsors: Sea Forward, Sunrise 805 Solar, Marborg Industries, Village Properties, Montecito Bank and Trust, Boathouse Restaurant, James Cunningham, American Riviera Bank, Mission Wealth, Glass House Farms, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and the Squire Foundation. 2019 In -Kind Donors include: Margerum Wine Company, Night Lizard Brewing Company, Leitmotif Wines, Sanguis Wines, Veggie Rescue, Frinj Coffee, Sea to Sierra, Goodland Organics, Cutler’s Artisan Spirits, Dock to Dish, Amazing Days Events, and T.W. Hollister and Co.
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson
