Rooted Santa Barbara County will present Rooted in Community, the second annual bilingual plant-powered fall festival, 2-7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13 at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden St. Santa Barbara.
Featuring a food court, live music, storytelling, art projects, trivia, giveaways, and a “Chopped”-like competition, the event celebrates the role of plant-centered nutrition in providing the community with more health-care options.
Attendees can enjoy this event in either English or Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation by Bridging Voices-Uniendo Voces.
Rooted in Community will showcase local partnerships, activities for kids, live music, trivia and giveaways, as well as plant-powered bites from local restaurants, 2-5 p.m.
The event will feature an educators’ table with five-minute meal plans, tips, and recipes.
Participating restaurants include Rascals Vegan, Cafe La Fonda, Nimita’s, and Farm to Bar serving plant-based mocktails. This portion of the festival is free and presented in partnership with the Greater Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Guests who pre-register for the event will be entered into a drawing for plant-filled prizes and will receive a treat from Sun & Swell Foods.
The “Chopped”-like competition will be 5-7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.
Hosted by local television producer JD Roth, the showdown will challenge three teams of area chefs and culinary educators to prepare an appetizer and entrée using a mystery basket of plant-based ingredients for a panel of judges.
Competing will be Diurka Sotomayor and Mary Galindo, Registered Dietitians and culinary educators, Rooted Santa Barbara County; Sandra Adu Zelli, chef/owner Gipsy Hill Bakery; and Melissa Pettito, personal chef, registered dietitian, and cookbook author.
Judging the competition will be Dalan Moreno, chef/owner, Rascals Vegan; Erik Talkin, CEO, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County; and Michelle Fried, sustainability manager who holds a masters degree in food systems sustainability.
To pre-register for the festival or buy tickets for the Plant-Based Showdown, visit Rooted Santa Barbara County’s website.
“Join us for a fun-filled day of activities and learn how you can eat your way to better health,” said Beth Skidmore, Rooted Santa Barbara County chair/executive lead.
“Rooted Santa Barbara County is committed to growing health equity and resilience through whole food plant-forward nutrition education and support,” she said. “This event is part of Health Literacy Month, where we focus on ensuring that everyone has the knowledge and resources to make informed health choices.”
Sponsors and partners of this event include Sansum Clinic now a part of Sutter Health, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, Eji Events, Dr. Fred and Sarah Kass, David and Lori Tremer Huey, The Skidmore Family.
Also, Greater Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Cottage Health, Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara Foundation, Chrissy & JD Roth, Friendship Center, Crawford Speier Group, Rascals Vegan, Farm to Bar.
And Cafe la Fonda, Nimita’s, Sun & Swell Foods, Edwards & Sons, Veggie Rescue, Hodo Foods, Apples to Zucchini Cooking School, Community Arts Workshop, and Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.
For more about the event and the organization, visit Rooted’s website.