Good Food.
Grown Here.
Shared Together.

Slow Food Tri-Cities is a community of farmers, cooks, and eaters working to keep Appalachian food culture alive and make sure everyone has a seat at the table.

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What is Slow Foods Tri-Cities?

Slow Food Tri-Cities is a newly established local chapter of Slow Food USA, the American arm of an international movement founded in Italy in 1989 by Carlo Petrini. What started as a protest against a fast food restaurant opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome became one of the world's most significant food and farming movements and is now active in over 160 countries.

Our chapter brings that mission home to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. This region has one of the richest food heritages in America: Cherokee foodways, Scots-Irish preservation traditions, generations of farmers who have fed their families and their neighbors from this land. We believe that heritage is worth protecting, celebrating, and building on. We also believe that heritage is under threat, and we aim to do something about it.

Learn more

We believe food should be:

Good

Food that tastes good and is good for us. We celebrate the flavors and traditions of the Appalachian foodshed and the farmers, producers, and cooks who bring them to life.

Clean

Food is produced in ways that don't harm the land, the water, or the people growing it. We support farming practices that work with nature, not against it.

Fair

Food that is accessible to everyone, and a food system that treats growers and workers with respect. Healthy, delicious food shouldn’t be a luxury.

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Slow Food Tri-Cities is part of a global movement with deep local roots.

Slow Food Tri-Cities is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit, locally governed and volunteer-led. We're one of more than 200 chapters across the country affiliated with Slow Food USA and part of a global movement active in more than 160 countries, all of us bound by the same conviction: that food should be good, clean, fair — and joyful.

We're not a franchise and we don't answer to a national office. Our decisions, our programs, and our priorities are determined right here by the people who live, eat and grow food in this place. Your membership dollars go to support national initiatives like Plant a Seed, Cooks' Alliance, Slow Farms, and Slow Books but your donations to our peer-to-peer fundraiser and ticketed event sales, as well as your time and energy, stay 100% local because we believe the work we do together should grow out of and nourish our collective souls and soil. 

Become a Founding Member

Key Programs

'Rooted' Digital Atlas of Food

Want to find an egg or meat share, join a CSA, buy a handmade mug, or find a farm-to-table restaurant for dinner, but don't know where to go? We're creating a digital atlas that links the farmers, food business owners, and foodies in the Tri-Cities.

The Ark of Taste

Some of our most beloved regional foods are at risk of being lost forever. We're working to identify, protect, and preserve them.

The Snail of Approval

We're developing a recognition program to celebrate local food businesses that support Slow Food's mission of clean, fair and joyful food.

Get Involved

Slow Food Tri-Cities runs on people who show up. There are several ways to put your enthusiasmd to work.

Serve on a Committee 

Our committees are where the real work happens: programs, communications, fundraising, and community partnerships. You don't need a farming background or a food credential. You need to care about this region and be willing to do the work. Committee members meet regularly, drive specific initiatives, and have direct influence over how SFTC grows. If you want a seat at the table, this is it.

Volunteer

Maybe the monthly membership requirements aren't for you, but you'd like to help out when you can. We'd love to hear from you! From event setup to harvest days to tabling at cooking classes, volunteer opportunities span the seasons and the skill sets. Whether you can give an afternoon or a whole growing season, there's something useful for you to do here.

Become a Member 

Not ready to commit to a regular role? Become a member, follow our programs, and show up when you can. An organization like this grows through relationships, and every connection counts.

Board Membership

Our founding board is currently full, but we welcome expressions of interest from people with expertise in food systems, nonprofit finance, law, community organizing, agriculture, or communications. We'll be in touch as seats open.