What’s a Slow Food party? I’m so glad you asked. You can join the group and party or host a dinner in your home made from “clean food grown and harvested with methods that promote biodiversity and have a positive impact on local ecosystems, and produced in a fair manner by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.” Yes, that is a mouthful.
Thanks to Chef Vincent Mack, Dallas now has TASTE Catering and Events, a full-service caterer offering “local, sustainable, and organic” menus. (Website is in (slow) production.) Full-court press release below.
ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE, AND LOCAL PRODUCE BUILDS CATERING COMPANY FROM GROUND UP— LITERALLY
TASTE Catering and Events announced as DFW’s first full-service catering and events firm developed around green products from 23 of North Texas’ organic, sustainable vendors
DALLAS/FORT WORTH— Chef Vincent Mack announced today that after 10 years of development, TASTE Catering and Events will realize his vision for innovative full-service catering built on continual support of local organic farmers.
“We are one of the first caterers to implement such a large focus on local, sustainable, and organic menus,” said owner and Executive Chef Vincent Mack. “Because other full-service caterers began their operations five, ten, or fifteen years ago, it is very costly for them to substitute green products into their large infrastructures. We are lucky to open our doors in an era where we had 23 socially and environmentally conscious vendors to partner with on our menu development.”
TASTE Catering & Events abides by the “Slow Food” way of living and eating, which is a global, grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. This philosophy includes enjoying delicious foods created with care from healthy plants and animals, using “clean” food grown and harvested with methods that promote biodiversity and have a positive impact on local ecosystems, and produced in a fair manner by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.
“There is a bit of confusion amongst the general public about the differences between local, organic and sustainable products,” explained Chef Mack. “Organic foods contain no added hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, or fertilizers. Sustainability is a healthier, better tasting, better-for-the-environment approach to food that focuses on supporting smaller-scale farms, sustainable agriculture, and the humane treatment of animals. Local products, of course, are locally-grown and eliminate the carbon footprint involved when shipping in Bosc pears from Oregon, for example.”
Chef Vincent Mack’s vision formed over his fifteen years of culinary experience, which includes training with chefs of several nationalities, including French, Italian, Vietnamese and American Southwestern. He continued his training in Galveston in Italian/Mediterranean cuisine with two chefs from Zagat’s top rated Italian restaurants in the region. In Miami, he accepted the Executive Chef position at the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club; he also staged the Doral Open at the Doral Golf Resort for three years. In 2000 he opened Downtown Lo Spaghetto, where he hosted the Miami International Film Festival’s pre and post parties in 2002. Back in Texas in 2005, Chef Mack accepted another Executive Chef position at the Tour 18 Golf Club, where he began forming relationships with local farmers and incorporating organics into corporate management structures and food chains. In 2007, Chef Mack was hired by one of Dallas’ largest premier catering companies, where he orchestrated food service for 4,000 at the Cattle Baron’s Ball and 5,000 guests at the Copeland Ministries Annual Conference.
Chef Mack has been accepted to the Hautes Etudes du Gout program in Paris and Reims, France, which takes place in October 2008. Sponsored by Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, this course is designed as an advanced study in taste, gastronomy, champagne, wine, and the arts of the table. He is slated to receive his Masters from Le Cordon Bleu and the University of Reims in October 2009.
TASTE Catering and Events has already been hired to cater three notable events, the Family Place Texas Trailblazers luncheon in August 2008, the Kidney Texas Patron Party in September 2008, and the LUXE Showhome Opening Party in November 2008.
