Where there is food…there is fun!

This is what I witnessed at the first annual Food for Thought event held at the Northeast branch of the New Hanover County Library on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. This event was a celebration of the locavore movement right here in the Cape Fear region.

As a band played, twelve of the Cape Fear region’s top chefs showcased their talents by serving up bite-sized portions of mouth watering foods indigenous to coastal North Carolina. Every  cook knows what you prepare is only as good as the ingredients you start with; area chefs shared the spotlight with local growers, distributors, and agricultural organizations. They mingled with patrons and provided information on what, where, and when to buy local produce.

This fun and informative event didn’t end with food but included every culinary aspect you could image. Here are some of the highlights:

An overview of the local culinary arts program at Cape Fear Community College.

Tabletop wares created by local artists and featured in the silent auction.

Information on food tours offering an exciting way to experience the Cape Fear region.

A specialty bookstore set-up exclusively for this event featuring local cookbook authors.

An opportunity to hobnob with the Star News Port City Foodie blogger, Paul Stephen.

Retailers with specialty items from local sources.

A local nutrition expert, (yours truly) offering patrons links to reliable nutrition resources on the web.

Kudos to Pat Bell, Sandy Murphy and the numerous volunteers  for pulling together these diverse aspects of the Port Cities’ culinary interests into one harmonious celebration of the locavore movement. Hope this is the first of many!