Food Circles are now forming!

 

Experience Community Cooking at Whole Foods in Seattle!

 

You are invited to attend our first evening

on Thursday, February 21 at 6:00pm

 

 

The Team Members of Whole Foods have generously allowed FoodCircle, a non-profit, membership based community-cooking program an evening every month to bring our community cooking program to their store. 

  Every FoodCircle evening begins by setting the menu and deciding who is going to cook what dish.  (We usually cook our dishes in groups of 2-4 people.)  We then go out into the store, buy the food, cook the food and finally, sit down and have a quiet meal together.  At Whole Foods, our emphasis will be on vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

  The first FoodCircle groups were conducted at Whole Foods last year and were a great hit.  Due to the success of FoodCircle, we've decided to form a membership based, non-profit organization to further coordinate the development of community cooking and the FoodCircle mission (see below).  This year only we are offering charter annual memberships of $30.00.  This gives you access to attend FoodCircle community cooking groups for only the cost of the food that is purchased.  You can attend FoodCircle two times before membership is required.  FoodCircle is an inexpensive way to learn to cook, experience new foods and meet great people.

  This is how it works; classes are on a cost basis only.  In other words, the only cost to you is the cost of the food that we prepare.  This is split between all attending FoodCircle members.  Whole Foods is allowing us to use the room for free.  A charter membership fee of $30 is required to become a part of FoodCircle.  Your membership goes to support the development of the new FoodCircle groups, the management of your FoodCircle group and for the FoodCircle web server.

 

What is FoodCircle?

  FoodCircle is a non-profit organization founded by Seattle Chef David Lee whose mission is to:

  1.  To promote a deeper understanding of food and cooking by facilitating community-cooking groups (FoodCircles) whose culinary focus is either general or specific.   The organization values direct experience learned from a combination of community peers and voluntary culinary professionals as its educational paradigm.

  2.  To bring community groups and individuals together, promote and facilitate community food experiences by organizing and planning community meals.

  3.  To facilitate food service industry professionals' information exchange and communication by providing email discussion lists and other forms of discussion and information exchange.

 

Core FoodCircle Values

  1.  We value direct experience over educational presentations and information.

  2.  We value experimentation and/or learning from other members instead of using recipes and measuring foods.

  3.  We conduct FoodCircles (FC's) in public, community sites and not in private homes or buildings.

  4.  We believe that everyone has a food history, a food story and food experience to share with other members.

  5.  We recognize that food is the life of another plant or animal and to consume it is a sacred gift.  We endeavor to treat the life we consume with thanks and awareness.  In today's world of mass animal farming, we recognize the moral value of a vegetarian diet.

  6.  We respect diverse approaches to food and recognize the right of members to prepare and consume whatever foods they wish and encourage them to do so with awareness.

 

What is a FoodCircle and how does it work?

  1.  A FoodCircle (FC) is a group of FoodCircle members who come together on a regularly scheduled basis at a public facility to explore cooking and share a meal. 

  2.  The menu is set by the group either during day of the experience or at the previous meeting.

  3.  Each FoodCircle participant must be a dues paying member of FoodCircle.

  4.  There is no charge to participate in a FoodCircle other than the costs involved in renting the site and paying for food.  A $30.00 membership fee is required before you attend your third FoodCircle.  This way you can experience FoodCircle before deciding becoming a member.

  5.  Donations are encouraged for attending food professionals and culinary guests but not obligatory.

  6.  FoodCircle participants are encouraged to bring their own equipment or use the equipment available at the facility.

  7.  Every FC concludes with the group sharing in the food.  A table is set, candles may be lit, a prayer of thanks is encouraged and the meal enjoyed by all.

  8.  Every FC participant is expected to help clean up after the event.

  9.  FoodCircle participants communicate in the form of an email list when they aren't cooking together.

  10.  Sometimes, FoodCircle groups will go on outings to restaurants, food manufacturing facilities and other interesting places to further develop their ideas about food and learn new information about ingredients, processes and such.