San Diego food lovers have a chance Sunday to sample bites from local chefs and bakers while funding school gardens across the county. The “Growing a Food Movement” fundraiser runs from 2 to 5 p.m. at The Chapel at Liberty Station, with tickets priced at $175 and the event open to all ages.
The gathering, organized by the Berry Good Food Foundation, is designed to support a healthier local food system, according to a listing from KPBS. Per that listing, money raised helps the foundation expand school gardens, deepen food literacy, and connect more people with sustainably produced food. The Chapel at Liberty Station sits at 2881 Roosevelt Rd. in San Diego.
Guests can expect tasting stations featuring chefs and bakers including Daisy Garcia, Arely Chavez, Yara Lamers and Shannon English, alongside offerings from Always Hungry Grocery, the KPBS listing notes. Seasonal wine selections from Pali Wine will be poured, and live music from Soul Ablaze is set to provide the afternoon soundtrack.
Hands-On Lessons From Local Food Experts
Beyond the tastings, the event includes interactive educational activations led by local food experts. The San Diego Fermenters Club, Florestar Farms and Specialty Produce are each slated to lead stations, per the same listing. A curated silent auction will also run throughout the afternoon, featuring items and experiences sourced from across the U.S. and Baja California.
Berry Good Food describes itself as a hands-on 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2015, with a mission to tackle the educational, economic, systemic and infrastructural barriers standing between the community and a local, sustainable, regenerative food system, according to Berry Good Food. Its programming has grown to include school and senior gardens, expert panel discussions and farm-to-table dinners, the organization says.
A Track Record Of School Garden Grants
The foundation says it awards grants of up to $10,000 to K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations for garden projects that promote healthy food education in San Diego County. With support from the San Diego Foundation, Berry Good Food has established or expanded gardens at 15 schools across six school districts, reaching approximately 1,800 students, according to the San Diego Foundation. The foundation has reported awarding nearly $100,000 in total to 36 schools in San Diego and Baja California, per Ranch & Coast.
Past fundraisers give a sense of what Sunday's event could generate. Berry Good Food's “Seeds for the Future” party in August 2024 raised $40,000 for the organization's school garden fund, featuring bites from 14 San Diego and Baja restaurants, the nonprofit's own recap states. A separate three-part summer dinner series raised another $44,000 to help replenish funding for the school garden grant program, according to the San Diego Business Journal.
Whatever Sunday's total ends up being, the format mirrors the foundation's established playbook: pair chefs, educators and local producers in one room, and let the proceeds flow back into classroom gardens and food literacy programs across the region.
