The event highlights the “slow food” movement, which promotes good, clean and fair food for all.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento is hosting an international food celebration this weekend as Terra Madre Americas joins the city’s annual Farm-to-Fork Festival for the first time.
What began as a yearly gathering on the Capitol Mall is now a global event inside and around the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, filling downtown with the smell of cooking and wine.
“From a food standpoint, this is the biggest event we have ever done, ” said Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento. Exciting that we keep leveling up,”
The festival is described as a giant farmers market where visitors can sip wines from Argentina, Mexico and Bolivia, along with tequila and gin.
“And luckily enough, if you like tequila, they can have that as well. And gin,” said attendee Brian Rodriguez. “We got a Roasted Negro here. It’s pretty good.”
“When it came to seeing the Mexican wine and the tequila, it had me all in,” attendee Curtis Rodriguez said.
“This is next level,” attendee Raj Singh said. “I have gone to Italy, I have gone to Spain, so I love seeing festivals abroad, but I’m glad that this is coming to Sacramento.”
The event highlights the “slow food” movement, which promotes good, clean and fair food for all.
“If they are interested in eating meat, we want them to buy better meat that’s produced by people who are caring for the earth and caring for your human health,” said Michael Dimock, executive director of Roots of Change.
Chefs are using the weekend to showcase their skills and preview new restaurants like Interlude Kitchen & Bar.
“We love doing stuff like this and we have the new restaurant opening up in Elk Grove so it was good to kind of let everybody see what’s gonna be happening in the next month or two,” said Tom Patterson, executive chef at Prelude Restaurant, Zinfandel Grill and the upcoming Interlude Restaurant.
Visitors are traveling from near and far.
“There are people here from South America, Central America, from Africa, from Asia that are here to celebrate good clean and fair food,” said Julie Diaz, who came from Mississippi.
General admission is free and samples are plentiful, but some specialty classes and chef demonstrations cost extra. Testa said the international pull will boost Sacramento’s economy, with many visitors staying in hotels and dining out.
“Significant economic impact for sure,” he said.
The celebration continues with a two-day street festival and a Saturday night concert featuring The War on Drugs and Spoon. Street festival gates open at noon Saturday and Sunday. Terra Madre Americas runs through Sunday night, with a multi-year deal bringing the event back to Sacramento in odd-numbered years while Italy hosts in even years.
Event hours:
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. inside, street festival noon to 10 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. inside, street festival noon to 6 p.m.
Street Festival (Saturday and Sunday only)
Entrances for the street festival will be at 15th and I Street and by exiting the J Street entrance of the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center
WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | Inside look at the Terra Madre Americas festival
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Dining and Cooking