18th Annual
Organic Harvest Benefit

One Market Restaurant ~ San Francisco, California
Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Phenomenal food and engaging conversation highlighted our annual Organic Harvest Benefit reception and dinner at the One Market Restaurant in San Francisco in mid-October.

Working with a team of creative chefs from the Bay Area, Chef John Mitchell coordinated the dinner, which featured braised California abalone from Charles Phan of The Slanted Door, marinated beets and heirloom tomatoes from Charlie Ayers of Calafia Restaurant, and Salmon Creek Ranch goat prepared by Mark Dommen of One Market Restaurant. Dessert was designed by One Market Chef Patti Dellamonica-Bauler who offered guests a Frog Hollow Warren pear sorbet in Concord grape sauce. It was a harvest dinner to remember.

As always, our celebration was as much about friendship as food. It happens that this is our 20th anniversary this year, and we observed it by honoring the Columbia Foundation. The foundation was the first to provide us with grant support when we were just getting started back in 1990. Our long-time friend, Susan Clark, Columbia Foundation executive director, had kind words about OFRF’s strong record of achievement advancing organic agriculture.

Our event this year was presented by Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market Vice President Margaret Wittenberg credited OFRF with strong programs and a positive vision to involve organic farmers in forming the agricultural research agenda.

The dinner also gave us a chance to honor our founding Executive Director, Bob Scowcroft, who plans to retire at the end of this year. Organic kiwi grower Mark Nielson, our first board president and a key figure in OFRF’s founding,
00:45 Mark Nielson credited Bob with providing strong ideas and a community-building enthusiasm to help build the organic movement.

Thanks to those attending and our event sponsors, we raised $85,000 this year to continue our work giving farmers the policy and production tools they need to successfully grow and market good organic food.

Organic Harvest Benefit menu

Presented by Whole Foods Market

OFRF gratefully acknowledges our event partners
for making this gathering possible and for supporting
organic farming research and education.