Vegetables from SF State’s Sol Patch garden and farms’ within a 200-mile radius of campus, provided hundreds with a four-course, all-vegetarian lunch to enjoy Thursday, April 17.

The Sustainability Office partnered with the Environmentally Concerned Organization of Students (ECO Students) and Chartwells Dining Service to provide a locally-sourced meal offering vegetarian and vegan dishes for the SF State community at the 5th annual “Farm to Fork” lunch event.

The quad was filled with tables and fresh cuisine ready to prepare for the three seating times scheduled throughout the afternoon.

“I think people here have a general appreciation for people who are trying to source their food more sustainably and more locally,” said Tyler Wescott, the president of ECO Students. “This had been a good event to raise awareness as well as have a good time and enjoy good food and good people.”

The Sol Patch harvest took place the afternoon before the event. Eight bins of vegetables were ready to be harvested, including: fava beans, bok choy and many different types of lettuce. The lettuce pulled from the community garden was used for the organic mixed greens salad.

The Sol Patch Garden was one of many local farms involved in sourcing food for the lunch. Hodo Soy, Gourmet Mushroom and Riverdog Farms, were among others who participated.

Mei Xu prepares a salad made with local farm ingredients to be served at Farm to Fork, a lunch event hosted by SF State’s Sustainability Office and ECO Students. Photo by Jessica Christian / Xpress

“If I were a food critic, this would be five stars on the president scale. That was delicious,” said SF State President Leslie E. Wong. “Eating locally is supporting the local people and yet the food is healthy and good for you.”

To warm the palate, organic shredded beets with crumbled goat cheese was served, along with creamy avocado and cilantro hummus. Long-stem carrots and celery were served for dipping in the hummus.

The second course was filled with spring vegetable risotto and tofu, with a light thai coconut curry sauce, accompanied with organic bok choy.

The dessert was set up on its own table: warm, strawberry rhubarb cobbler.

“A lot of people were excited about the coconut curry tofu, which sounds pretty exotic and also the potatoes had a really nice pesto sauce on them, so they looked really good,” said Caitlyn Scherer, a Sustainable Initiatives intern with Chartwells.

Guests left the event full and satisfied. The small amount of leftovers went to the organizers of the event.

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