The Travelers Rest Farmers Market will host its third Farm-to-Table Dinner Fundraiser on May 22, 2024 at Topsoil Restaurant. This much-anticipated dinner aims to celebrate seasonal eating while supporting the hardworking farmers of the Upstate through the TRFM Farmer Fund.
The Farm-to-Table Dinner promises a seasonal menu featuring ingredients sourced directly from the local farms which attend the Travelers Rest Farmers Market. Guests will be treated to a family style dinner crafted by renowned chefs Adam Cooke (nominated by James Beard as Best Chef Southeast) and Pastry Chef Tania Cienfuegos Harris (nominated by James Beard as Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker).
Beyond the exceptional cuisine, attendees can look forward to an immersive farm-to-table experience, complete with live music and opportunities to connect with the farmers whose dedication sustains our community.
“This event is not only a celebration of delicious food but also a testament to the strength and resilience of our local agricultural community,” said Maranda Williams, executive director of Travelers Rest Farmers Market. “By coming together to support the TRFM Farmer Fund, we are investing in the future of sustainable farming practices and ensuring the vitality of our local food system.”
All proceeds from the Farm-to-Table Dinner will directly benefit the TRFM Farmer Fund, which provides local financial assistance to farmers in times of need, helping them weather challenges such as crop loss, equipment damage, and other unforeseen hardships. The Farmer Fund also provides capacity building grants, helping local farmers invest in crop expansion, cold storage, or other farm-building projects.
“We are immensely grateful to the Travelers Rest Farmers Market for their unwavering support of our farming community,” said Kyle Logan, a recipient of the TRFM Farmer Fund and owner of Feather Creek Farmstead. “Events like these not only provide crucial financial assistance but also foster a sense of camaraderie and solidarity among farmers and community members alike.”
Tickets for the Farm-to-Table Dinner Fundraiser are available for purchase online at travelersrestfarmersmarket.com, with options for wine add-on packages available. Seating is limited, so early booking is recommended to secure a place at this culinary celebration.
For more information about the Farm-to-Table Dinner Fundraiser and the TRFM Farmer Fund, please visit travelersrestfarmersmarket.com or contact Erin Bankston at (678) 491-9566.
Join us on May 22 from 6:30 to 9:00 as we come together to savor the flavors of our region and show our support for the hardworking farmers who feed our community.
Event Details
What: Farm-to-Table Dinner Fundraiser, family style dinner prepared by Topsoil Restaurant’s Chef Adam Cooke using local farm ingredients
When: May 22, 2024, 6:30-9:00pm
Where: Topsoil Restaurant, 13 S Main Street, Travelers Rest SC 29690
Tickets: Available at www.travelersrestfarmersmarket.com/shop/farm2tabledinner
Contact: Erin Bankston, rin.faulkner@gmail.com, phone: (678) 491-9566.
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About the Farmer Fund
The TRFM Farmer Fund was launched in May 2023 as another way for community members to support farmers in the Upstate. The Farmer Fund was established to support two grants: a capacity-building grant and a crisis response grant. Although there are a multitude of federal and corporate grants for farmers, many are competitive and complex due to their national reaches. This presents a hurdle for local farmers as most grants are difficult to apply for and hard to win. The TRFM Farmer Fund provides a simple and local way for TRFM farmers to receive assistance. Especially in the instance of crisis response such as freeze or flood, farmers can receive help from TRFM within weeks, while federal or corporate grants may take months or years to process.
The grants awarded by the Farmer Fund are intended to help farmers who are a part of the market expand their farming capacity or move toward sustainable growing practices, according to the market’s website. Each grant recipient was carefully selected by a committee of local farmers and food system experts.
The 2024 recipients include:
- Farm Girl Deliveries – $5,000
- Common Ground Farm – $4,000
- Feather Creek Farmstead – $4,000
- Wet Knot Farms – $2,000
Each of the four farms’ projects were fully funded, meaning they were able to receive all that they asked for in their applications. The projects include two cold storage projects and two crop expansion projects.
About Travelers Rest Farmers Market
This year, Travelers Rest Farmers Market supports 39 farmers at market on Saturdays. Forty-eight percent of its farmers farm on 2 acres or less. The USDA’s definition of a local farm stipulates that food doesn’t travel further than 400 miles from where it’s grown. The Travelers Rest Farmers Market significantly shortens that distance by requiring all of its vendors to be from within fifty miles of the market.The Travelers Rest Farmers Market is a 501(c)3 nonprofit located in Travelers Rest, SC. As the largest independent farmers market in the state, it welcomes an average of 95 vendors on a typical Saturday in the summer. Last year, the TRFM celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. It began with just six vendors at Sunrift Adventures in 2008.
