Have You Met Heather Hawkins yet?

2 weeks from today is the third, and final, installment of the Slow Food CNY Speaker and Film series. We are pleased to be hosting Heather Hawkins.

Known for her passion and commitment, Heather has dedicated herself to fostering food advocacy initiatives  in the Central New York area. She has a long history of community involvement, including coordinating numerous events to promote awareness and interest in the Syracuse Valley community, as a Board member of the Skaneateles Area Arts Council, a participating founding member of Syracuse First, and involvement with her alma mater Georgetown University at both the local and national levels.

She also has worked hard champion small local food producers, humane and locally raised meats, consumer education, community service and involvement with multiple regional farmers markets. Leveraging her education and experience, she also led development and implementation of label reading tours for diabetics in association with the American Diabetes Association and Novo Nordisk.

She has received the Valley Champion award from the Meachem Area Parks Association, the Axilda Chadwick Humanitarian award presented to the Hawkins family and Green Hills, in addition to awards and recognition for promoting recycling, sustainability and inspiring others.

Heather continues to promote food advocacy, belief in small local food producers, and environmentalism as member of Baltimore Woods, recently helping to organize EnvIRONmental CHEF-HOMEGROWN and Syracuse First's Buy LOCAL bash. Inspired by Newell Street Community Garden's "Learning to Learn" series, in cooperation with the community, Heather and several organizations are working together to plan a Food/Health/Education/Sustainability Festival in June 2012, sponsored by Syracuse First and Farmshed 2.0

As part of her family’s innovative work in the nation’s food retailing industry through her role overseeing the Food Awareness Practice for the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology, Heather is engaged in promoting and facilitating best practices to support regional access, food justice, sustainability and parity for small family farms and businesses.

Phew. that's a mouthful. You can hear her tell it herself on Wednesday January 25 at the Redhouse Cafe. The event is free, open to the public, and begins at 7. There will be aa handful of local food producers giving out samples, and selling their wares beginning at 5. Following Heather we will be screening No One Ever Went Hungry: Cajun Food Traditions Then & Now.