Slow Food Chicago

is a member-supported educational non-profit organization run by an all-volunteer Board of Directors and network of volunteers who help with operations and events. Slow Food Chicago is one of the largest chapters of Slow Food USA with more than 500 members and 5,000 supporters.

Through our events and programs, we

• Advocate for renewed interest in and support for our local food culture

• Promote biodiverse and sustainable producers and purveyors in our community.

• Bring people together through the common language of food

About the International Movement

Slow Food first began as a small Italian association in 1986. Led by Carlo Petrini, Slow Food was created as a grassroots response to the increasing industrialization of food and standardization of taste. Carlo recognized that with the rise of fast food, thousands of food varieties and food traditions were disappearing, and that people were losing the connection between the plate and the planet.

To counter the fast food trend, Slow Food promotes alternatives to industrial food and farming, raises awareness of how our food impacts the environment, and supports the workers who produce our food.

Slow Food has grown rapidly since its birth in 1986, and today has more than 100,000 members with chapters in over 150 countries.

• Slow Food national office: Slow Food USA

• Slow Food International office:  Slow Food International