MQT Local Food Fest Statistics
•7 Northern Michigan University Hospitality Management Alumni Chefs
First Place & People’s Choice Rory Shimp of Spiaggia in Chicago
MAD Rabbits Farm, Daggett
Second Place Colin Campbell of POUR Kitchen + Bar –
Thill’s Fish House, Marquette
Third Place Angela Verburg of Harley’s Lounge at the Ramada Inn –Swanzy, Gwinn & Seeds and Spores Farm, Marquette
•3 NMU Hospitality Management Faculty
•5 NMU Hospitality Management Alumni Coordinators
•10 NMU Student Volunteers
•3 Outstanding Community Volunteers
•7 Judges
•Over 10 indispensable Sponsors
•Over $500 spent on a UP Food Exchange Purchase from UP Farmers
•Over $1,100 spent on local food via direct farmer & producer purchases
•11 UP Harvest Basket Entries raising a total of $615
•$1,100 spent on local live entertainment
•$400 spent on other local specific businesses
•$150 spent on local decor; flowers & produce
•Purchases made from over 20 local farmers, and 6 local producers
•14 Different Locally Focused Chef Dishes
•Over 30 Door Prizes from Local Businesses
•Over 200 Attendees – plus kids!
$1,850 Raised! – THANK YOU!
I had this vision for the MQT Local Food Fest, and that vision is not 
what I saw this past Saturday at Barrel + Beam Brewery, in Marquette, MI. What I saw when I took a moment to step onto a hay bale and look over the crowd was so much grander. Since I have become a part of the Taste the Local Difference Team, I’ve had the honor of traveling and working with some incredible people including chefs, farmers, local business, different organizations, health professionals, brewers, and everyday people who are passionate about local food. This past Saturday, I got them all in the same room. I wish I could write a novel so I could tell every small story and highlight every relationship, because each one give me more and more confidence in the success of Local Food Systems here in the UP.
I think the most important message of our event wasn’t just to support local food, but to honor and respect the people and careers connected to food. I started raising animals at the age of 5, and started working at a local resort at the age of 16. I don’t mention this because I want to prove that I have experience, I mention this because since then, I’ve been a first hand witness of the struggles, successes, ups and downs of people who work in careers surrounding food. Late nights washing dishes, long days planting in the sun, hauling hundreds of pounds of produce to and from market, 16 hour days all on your feet, high stress situations – and these are just some of the experiences people in our industries encounter daily. These situations will always be a part of life for many of us – but the point I want to make is that healthy and delicious food, purchased from local farmers, producers, and chefs is to be honored and respected. A lot of work goes into something that we then place into our body – a very intimate experience and decision that affects your own health and wellbeing, along with the wealth of your own community.
I am proud to say we raised over $1,800 at our event, and that $300 will go to sponsor a Garden Bed through Partridge Creek Farm, a non-profit farm working on Farm-to-School programs and community garden projects in Ishpeming. We are also excited to donate $150 to the Downtown Marquette Farmers Market Power of Produce Program. Monetarily, our event was a success, but more importantly we were able to get some important conversations started and some crucial connections made.
Personally my favorite part was how this event helped put a little glimmer of light back into the eyes of people that mean so much to me and the Local Food Movement. I saw so many smiles, hugs, high fives, so much teamwork, collaboration and most of all celebration. So thank
you again to our amazing sponsors: Ojibwa Casino, Marquette Food Co-op, Radio Results Network, Barrel + Beam, NMU College of Technology and Occupational Sciences, NMU Alumni Association, UP Health & Happiness Magazine, Travel Marquette, the Marquette Downtown Development Authority, the Marquette Chamber of Commerce, Econo Foods and last but not least – Taste the Local Difference for all your support, and helping us make our event a success.
Stay tuned for details on next year!
Cheers,
AP
Alex Palzewicz is the UP Local Food Coordinator. Contact her at [email protected]