Eat Local Lee

Eat Local Lee  (ELL)

is a non profit whose focus is linking Lee County, FL food and beverage producers to restaurants and end consumers to facilitate the availability of fresh, local food for everyone. This will be beneficial to the community in many ways. These include, but are not limited to community education in food production, availability, nutrition and the culinary arts. Through these educational endeavors in addition to direct and indirect marketing because of them, demand will increase for locally sourced food and beverage benefiting area businesses. This will also enhance county wide agritourism efforts and the visibility of Lee County itself to both residents and visitors.

ELL is furthering it’s agenda in a number of ways. From a grant from the Visitors and Convention Bureau of Fort Myers, the tourism marketing branch of Lee County government, and the largess of a local non profit, funding was available to create a Map of local food and beverage producers in addition to area farmers markets that will be distributed to local businesses and given out at ELL events. An app to this end is also in the works for your mobile.

There will be local tours of area producers coming up in addition to a free movie screening.

On January 20th, there will be a guided tour of two local producers, Pine Island Botanicals and Florida Microgreens. Both of these producers are top notch operations, and participants will learn more about local farming here. I have toured Pine Island Botanicals Before. They have a really nice and inventive hydroponic farming operation that certainly has become that much better since I was there over 3 years ago. Local spirit producer, Wicked Dolphin and craft brewer, Big Blue Brewing, will also be featured.

The next day, January 21st a poker run will start from Six Bends Harley Davidson in Fort Myers,

and feature four local producers and/or vendors. 31 Produce, Southern Fresh Farms, Roosters on Route 80 and Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm. The tour will end up at Babcock Ranch, the nation’s first solar powered community. They have many dining options and are very much into ” local farm to fork”. It you don’t have a motorcycle no worries, just follow along in your vehicle.

There will also be a screening of Wasted, a documentary of food waste produced by celebrity chef and journalist Anthony Bourdain. Afterwards, a question and answer session will be held with local chefs and food educators.

ELL members were recently at downtown Fort Myers Art Walk at their beer tent dressed as farm animals to promote their concept and events.

Look for them at future Art Walks and help promote their mission in Lee County.

It’s a wrap for another post on Forks.Eat Local LeeEat Local Lee WebsiteEat Local Lee Face Book Page