SLOW FOOD: Locally grown

Movement emphasizes buying products within 120 miles of Las Vegas

Ray Girard picks out a bag of grapes at the North Las Vegas Farmers Market. The market is held Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the campus of City Hall, 2200 Civic Center Drive, and Fridays from 2 to 7 p.m. at Nature Discovery Park, 2627 Nature Park Drive. Jenna Dosch/View Jenna Dosch/ViewRosalyn Royal, right, and friend Cathy Phillips choose zucchini and squash at the North Las Vegas Farmers Market. Advertisement

It's the quintessential cinematic depiction of a desert town. A full moon hangs low in the night sky, illuminating the barren landscape below. The ground is sparsely dotted with cactuses, the only plantlife in the vicinity, and somewhere in the distance, a forlorn wolf howls as a lone tumbleweed is blown about by an aggressive, intemperate wind.

If you think that cactuses and sagebrush are the only incarnations of vegetation capable of growing and thriving in a brutal desert climate such as Las Vegas, think again. Local farmers produce everything from peaches to tomatoes. The struggle, until now at least, has been creating a public relations campaign that would inform the general public of the bounty born of this so-called barren soil.

But now, one Las Vegas group is trying to change all that.

The Las Vegas chapter of Slow Food USA is a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote and educate according to principles based in taste education, environmental sustainability, the defense of bio-diversity and a fair shake for local producers.

According to co-founding group member and associate professor with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and View Neighborhood Newspapers gardening columnist Bob Morris, the term local is defined by individual chapters of the national movement.

"In Las Vegas, Slow Food is defined as anything grown or raised within 120 miles of Southern Nevada," Morris said.

With a background in horticulture, Morris said he believes in supporting local producers, and that his research has revealed that 99 percent of the food found in Las Vegas supermarkets and restaurants is imported.

The self-proclaimed plant guy operates the experimental Master Gardeners Orchard at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension near Aliante Parkway and Horse Drive in North Las Vegas, where he has witnessed Slow Food tenants at work.

"The experiment began in the late 1990s just to see what we could grow," he said. "And since then, growth has been plentiful. We have peaches, plums, apricots, figs, apples, melons and 18 varieties of garlic. That's just naming a few. This is locally grown produce. It's what this movement is all about."

Nora's Cuisine and Wine Bar restaurateur Giovanni Mauro is one of the founding members of Slow Food Las Vegas, and while he said that he understands some people may see the philosophy behind the movement as sentimental and the practices too time consuming, he's comforted by the notion that education is the key to change.

"Slow Food is a philosophy of life," Mauro said. "It's about slowing down the pace. It's a celebration of food. I truly believe that it is every human being's divine right to consume clean, fair food."

By group definition, the term clean refers to meat and produce of a certain environmental quality that is safe for the consumer and promotes bio-diversity.

"Food that is free of hormones and pesticides, essentially," Mauro said. "It's organically principled."

The term fair, in this instance, refers to the plight of local farmers and ranchers, who, according to Mauro, deserve the opportunity to compete in the Las Vegas market.

"I think we, as a culture in Las Vegas, are cutting ourselves off from the rich variety that this region has to offer," Mauro said. "Ninety percent of the food used in this city's kitchens, casinos included, is imported. Why? There's no need for it."

According to Mauro, food that is shipped, packaged and trucked into the state is more a result of a lack of awareness among Las Vegas residents than anything else.

"People don't realize what can be grown here, what is being grown here," Mauro said. "If we allow our farmers a fair chance, we can create a culinary culture that historically has been an identifier from town to country for ages."

Mauro said the group's main focus is to provide small farmers with an opportunity to present and sell their product to the Las Vegas consumer.

For Mauro, finding fresh produce grown by local producers is as easy as finding the closest farmers market.

"Every city has one," he said. "It's a great, understated resource."

Morris said that Slow Food Las Vegas has been able to generate interest in Slow Food principles among chefs at places such as Caesars Palace and other high-end eatery destinations on the Strip.

"So many of the supply chains are connected," Morris said. "But, I think people are starting to become aware of the benefits of this movement."

Group member Michael Della Piazza began investigating the movement late last year with the intent of starting a Southern Nevada chapter. After calling the national organization, he learned that three Las Vegas-area culinary enthusiasts had beaten him to it.

"They said that a chapter had been formed sometime in January, and I thought it was great news," Piazza said. "I wanted to be a part of this, and share with other people who are as passionate about food as I am."

The long-time culinary wares salesmen said that Slow Food is about building a local food culture.

"It's about using what we have, and there's so much of it here people don't even realize what can grow in the desert," Piazza said. "It creates diversity in our foods and promotes freshness and flavor. It also helps our local farmers."

Rancher Jim Smith is happy to see that Las Vegas citizens and businesses are beginning to see the value in utilizing a regional food supply, in part, because of the efforts of Slow Food enthusiasts.

"It's nice that some doors are beginning to open," Smith said. "As a small outfit, it's nice to have a shot like some of the bigger ones do. Our product is just as good, if not superior because of freshness issues."

The group currently has 63 members, but according to Morris, always is looking to welcome new faces. Bi-weekly meetings are held at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's main office at 8050 S. Maryland Parkway. Admission is free.

"We want to educate the public about the benefits of Slow Food," Morris said. "We do that through events and seminars and fundraisers. Come out. Learn more about what we're doing."

To become a part of the Slow Food movement, or to learn more, visit www.slowfoodusa.com or send an e-mail to info@slowfoodlv.org.