Local Heroes 2007

Farm/Famer
Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butler, Boggy Creek Farm

Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butler have been farming since the early 1980s and now farm two properties including their five-acre urban farm in east Austin, where they also have a two-day-a-week USDA-certified organic farm market. Carol Ann is also a regular contributor to Edible Austin and is on the EA advisory board. She writes a very popular and lively "news from the farm" weekly newsletter for her customers. Carol Ann and Larry also are community leaders who host many fundraisers at their farm, such as the annual Green Corn Project fundraiser, as well as educational workshops like the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's  New Farmers Workshop. They are frequently heard in the media as eloquent spokespersons for local food movement policy issues and general awareness of the value and benefits of growing and eating locally-grown, organic food.

Chef/Restaurant
Jesse Griffiths, Dai Due Supper Club

You can't dine more locally than at Jesse Griffith's Dai Due Supper Club, where he literally procures all of the food and ingredients locally for his seasonal menus and all is celebrated at family-style tables at primarily local urban farm locations. As he says on their website, "At Dai Due we are connecting Austinites with local farmers in an effort to eliminate the harmful elements of a food system gone awry. By illuminating responsible agricultural methods and exposing diners to local food resources, Dai Due is cultivating a more conscientious food culture in Central Texas."  Jesse is also a masterful chef and in addition to his dinners, he has created and teaches workshops like "The Whole Hog," where over the course of several days he demonstrates how to butcher a hog with incredibly little waste by cooking dishes that utilize the whole carcass.

We have run a photo essay on Dai Due, and Jesse is a contributor and considerable resource to Edible Austin.

FoodArtisan
Tracy Claros, Sticky Toffee Pudding Co.

Tracy won the 2007 Fancy Food Show gold award for "best baked good" as well as was recommended by Marion Burros in her NY Times holiday eating guide story (11/28/07). Tracy's delectable and totally handmade desserts are sold at Whole Foods as well as at the downtown Austin Farmers' Market.

Beverage Artisan
Matt and Mark Seiler, Maine Root

Brothers Mark and Matthew Seiler started out in Matt's kitchen in Scarborough Maine four years ago brewing in a lobster pot, now they're in 42 states and the UK. The lobster pot is a lot bigger now and so is their passion and commitment for brewing the best tasting most environmentally friendly organically sweetened handcrafted sodas (free-range root beer and ginger beer and their new, prickly pear pink lemonade). These guys rock and we're really glad they are headquartered now in Austin.

Non-profit organization
Sustainable Food Center

The Sustainable Food Center is one of Austin's most enduring and well-respected non-profit food organizations. Founded in 1993 with roots dating back over 30 years as Austin Community Gardens, SFC is involved in every step of our local food system from seed to table. They teach sustainable food gardening practices to children and adults (the Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre program and Sprouting Health Kids); organize markets for locally-grown produce in urban areas accessible to low-income residents (the Austin Farmers' Market and Triangle Farmers' Market); donate produce to area food pantries, and train individuals and institutions to prepare healthy and affordable meals. Their mission is to create a food secure community by improving access to local, healthy, and affordable food for children and adults in Central Texas and to create a healthy community where healthy adults and children are able to grow, share and prepare their own food while minimizing our impact on our natural resources.