In light of recent food events and festivals, The Rose Kennedy Greenway is continuing to prove itself as a huge proponent and supporter of some of Boston’s most exciting ventures in sustainability and food.
From their daily food truck presence to by-weekly farmer’s markets, The Greenway is preparing for its first shot at hosting the annual Boston Local Food Festival. For two years now, the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts has been the proud host of this festival which brings in around 30 000 guests and local enthusiasts as well as over 100 vendors. Having been held at the Fort Point Channel, the sheer numbers they are projecting for this year are reason enough to relocate to the Greenway.
I attended the festival last year and cannot contain my excitement for this year’s event! So, even though the date is set for October 7th, I figured I would start spreading the word:)
At this festival, you will find entertainment, you will find products and you will find food vendors and the best part about all of this? The participants are all from New England and many if not all are leaders in the local and sustainable food economy.
One company that deserves a special mention is Katsiroubas, so named after the two founding brothers of Greek decent, way back in 1914. Starting out as a business selling bananas to local restaurants, Katsiroubas is now a fully-fledged wholesale purveyor of quality fruits, produce and specialty items. Their main motto is to start any venture by first cultivating a personal and long lasting relationship with whoever they are doing business with. As one of the BLFF’s initial sponsors and participants, I went ahead and interviewed Hannah Mathews, the Manager, with a couple of questions regarding the upcoming Festival. Here is what I learned!
1. What is the inspiration behind your product or company that brings you to pursue a local perspective?
We have been part of the local food economy for almost 100 years and would not be where we are today without the support from other local businesses and the City of Boston. We prefer to cultivate long term relationships with both our customers and suppliers. It is also important for us to know exactly where our products are grown or made. We are proud to support our local growers and food makers, and continue to strive to be both sustainable and integral in the local New England food economy.
2. How perceptive do you feel the greater Boston area is to the local food movement that has resurfaced lately?
I believe the local food movement is quite successful on a retail level, especially customer direct sales, such as farmer’s markets, CSA’s, and local farms. It is a little more challenging on a wholesale level – mostly with obtaining product volume, and communicating “local” all the way down do the guests in the restaurants who are enjoying these fruits, veggies, and other foods.
3. What is your favorite thing or the thing that you are most excited about sharing with BLFF go-ers?
We are hoping to have maple sugar cotton candy this year for the festival go-ers! We had great success with this item at the Festival Kick-off event on The Greenway last month. We love sharing unique and quality foods that we supply to our New England Chefs.
As you can see, this company has been at the forefront of Boston’s local food movement for quite some time. From an emphasis on intimate and long lasting relations with farmers and local producers, Katsiroubas is a name to look out for at the festival…as well as other local food events.
Luckily, Katsiroubas is also planning some other events, happening in the fall, at the Back Bay Social Club. An evening featuring a menu of locally farmed produce selected among Katriroubas’ partners paired with a local Boston Brewer. Sound interesting? Keep your eyes and ears peeled for details as things draw nearer.
For now though, I think we can all agree that some Maple Cotton Candy is enough to keep us eagerly awaiting the 3rd Boston Local Food Festival!
Keep checking back for more segments featuring different participants:)
This post was written by Rachel Cossar of Foodista On Pointe, go check her out!