on the town
Real TALK SHERYL VIEIRA shares thoughts on the community, good deeds and important things, big AND small.
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hat personal passions have developed in your life that you never realized you were exposed to growing up? What is the one thing you wish you could teach the world to help make everyone feel better or help them overall? Which family recipes shared through the generations have become your very favorite to share with your friends and family members any chance you get? This month’s Real Talk is all about heritage and how it shapes each of us, whether we realize it or not. And sometimes, it’s the children teaching the parents!
SUPPORTING FAMILY FARMERS AND THE NEXT GENERATION The average age of today’s farmer is 58, and as the generations go on, they’re choosing not to stay in the farming industry to continue running their family’s farming business. The Next Generation Scholarship Fund was created to offset the declining number of farmers. The Fund invites the next generation to attend college to study agriculture, and to take farming to the next level with hopes of keeping family farms in business. One local chef learned of this special project through Niman Ranch and wanted to get more involved. In order to do so, Chef Paul Mattison traveled to Iowa last summer to experience a different way of farming. The Niman Ranch’s family farmers and ranchers raise livestock traditionally,
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humanely and sustainably in order to deliver the finest tasting meats. For over 30 years, Niman Ranch has been at the forefront of supporting sustainable agriculture, animal welfare and U.S. family farmers and ranchers. Chef Paul was moved — so much so that he now orders his meats from Niman for his restaurants. Additionally, he brought his newfound knowledge about Niman to share with Sarasota through a five-course wine dinner featuring wines from the Benziger Family Winery in Sonoma County, meats from Niman Ranch, and inspirational cuisine from his talented team at Mattison’s 41. All four of Chef Paul’s longtime friend Chris Benziger’s estate vineyards are Demeter-certified Biodynamic, which aligned with what Chef Paul imagined for his special wine dinner. The Benziger Family Winery, recently nominated by Wine Enthusiast as one of the Best Winery Experiences in Sonoma, spans 85 acres and produces wines using a holistic farming philosophy called Biodynamics. Biodynamics is the highest level of ethical, organic farming, viewing the vineyard as a single organism. By eliminating synthetic chemicals, encouraging biodiversity, relying on natural predator-prey relationships, composting, covered crops, and the animals that live on their estates to keep