The lovely sister of one of my best friends, Sarah Obraitis, is on the staff of Heritage Foods USA, a company devoted to promoting genetic diversity, small family farms, and a fully traceable food supply. I adore Sarah and her work. She asked me to help promote an upcoming event they’re hosting on September 25 from noon to 3 at Otto Enoteca Pizzeria in New York City featuring Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Mario Batali. She has a few seats available at $125-per and would love to have you, if you’re free and can be in NY at noon on the 25th.
From Sarah, “It’s going to be a memorable occasion – we’re talking about LIVING LEGENDS here, RFK Jr, Batali and, well, ME!! I know you’re not in NYC but perhaps you can forward this to potential interested folks who are….. it’s smack in the middle of the day, but it’s so special an occasion hopefully any one of them can duck out even for even an hour or so.” Proceeds from this event will support the Animal Welfare Institute and the Waterkeeper Alliance. Please call 212-980-6603 to reserve.
What: Lunch at Otto Enoteca Pizzeria
Where: Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, New York City, NY
When: September 25, 2007
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Mario Batali join Heritage Foods USA and the
Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) to honor Frank Reese, the preeminent poultry
expert in the United States, at a luncheon on Tuesday, September 25 from
noon to 3:00 pm.
Tickets for the lunch are $125. Proceeds from this event will support the
Animal Welfare Institute and the Waterkeeper Alliance.
Please call 212-980-6603 to reserve.
A LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF FRANK REESE
Chef Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich and Heritage Foods USA
Invite You to Attend
A LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF FRANK REESE
An Extraordinary Farmer, Whose Turkey Farm is
Endorsed by the Animal Welfare Institute
With Special Guest Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Frank Reese’s Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch is recognized by the Animal Welfare Approved program of the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI). To be accepted, farmers must raise turkeys meeting the American Poultry Association definition of standard-bred poultry or the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy definition of heritage birds. The turkeys must be able to graze on pasture and perform instinctive behaviors essential to their health and well-being.
Good Shepherd Turkeys have been marketed by Heritage Foods USA, a company dedicated to bringing quality foods to the table, since 2002. Numerous once-critically endangered breeds have now been upgraded to a more sustainable status thanks to Heritage Foods, Frank and other farmers who raise standard-bred birds.
The Waterkeeper Alliance (WA) champions clean water and strong communities by working to stop the environmentally destructive practices used by agribusiness and other industries.
All proceeds from the luncheon will benefit AWI and WA. We hope you will join us for this very special occasion.
Tickets $125.00
RSVP by contacting Heritage Foods USA
Tel. 212-980-6603 or info@heritagefoodsusa.com
By September 17, 2007
Sarah Obraitis Official Staff Bio
Sarah Wells Obraitis was born and raised in Queens, New York. Early visits to family farms in Latin America instilled in her an appreciation of and passion for sustainable agriculture, rural workers and stewards of the land.
Sarah received a Bachelor of Science in international development and agriculture economics at the University of Vermont. In 1998, she spent a year working for the Ministry of Agriculture in Belize and worked independently with a Guatemalan refugee community in the north. Sarah also spent long hours on her uncle’s rose plantations in Cayambe, Ecuador, learning how to produce flowers for export in an eco-friendly manner. She also stayed at a dairy farm in Lurin, Peru growing corn hydroponically and working the gardens.
Back in the States, in an effort to help city kids get better classroom resources, she helped organize in Central Park, NYC one of the largest tag sales in history.
From 1999-2005, Sarah was at the Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation group, developing markets for sustainable tropical commodities
Sarah joined the Heritage Foods team in the summer of 2005. She is currently now the Head of Business Development.
The farms and foods that once sustained our forefathers as they settled this great land are now endangered. Farms are going belly up every day and the foods small farms raise are being lost forever because they are ignored by industrial agriculture. Just as the Bald Eagle and Panda Bear are on the brink of extinction in the wild, so are numerous varieties of livestock like Bourbon Red turkeys, Red Wattle pigs, Tunis sheep, Barred-Plymouth Rock chickens and Iroquois corn flour. If we want to save them, we must eat them! And Heritage Foods USA exists to help accomplish this goal by selling foods from small farms to consumers and wholesale accounts.
Heritage Foods USA was formed in 2001 as the sales and marketing arm for Slow Food USA, a non-profit organization founded by Patrick Martins and dedicated to celebrating regional cuisines and products. The Heritage Turkey Project, which helped double the population of heritage turkeys in the United States and upgraded the Bourbon Red turkey from “rare” to “watch” status on conservation lists, was Heritage Foods USA’s first foray into saving American food traditions. In 2004 it became an independent company dedicated to saving not only turkeys but also Native American foods, pigs, sheep, bison, cows, reef-net salmon, chickens and all breeds of food livestock.
Chefs, journalists, the Heritage Advisory Board and consumers have been quick to rally around the idea of preserving the farmers and food traditions of this country. In 2005, over 10,000 heritage turkeys and 1000 rare pigs were raised for sale by Heritage Foods USA. All foods are raised according to strict production protocols and come to buyers with a traceable label that lists all details about the production and processing of the food. Our turkey-cam allows buyers to see their birds live on the farm before they are processed.
If you are a home cook, please check out the products we sell and recipes and call us (212-980-6603) or click here to order our products via the Internet. If you are a wholesale account please call us and we would be happy to send you food!
