Sparking Conversations around the Kitchen Table
The kitchen is the heart of every home, isn’t it? Kitchens tend to be cozy and welcoming. It’s easier to open up when we’re sitting close to one another, chatting over coffee or sharing a hot meal.
The kitchen is where many important every day transactions take place from doing homework to paying bills. It’s also where we reconnect with family members and friends. Because the kitchen table is where some of life’s most important conversations take place, last week the Iowa Food & Family Project (IFFP) encouraged farmers and consumers to engage in “kitchen table conversations” in its tradeshow booth during the Des Moines Home + Garden Show.
Home + Garden Show attendees had the opportunity to visit with Iowa farmers like Cristen Clark of Runnells about topics ranging from food labels and sustainability to what farmers doing to prevent erosion and improve water quality. On Saturday morning, Iowa Girl Eats blogger Kristin Porter autographed copies of the Let’s Cook cookbook. As a Des Moines native, Porter hosts consumers on a journey through agriculture during which they meet with Iowa farmers to increase their confidence about choosing safe and healthy foods for their down dinner tables.
As a member of the IFFP advisory committee, I had the pleasure of working in the booth last Friday morning. Yes, working this tradeshow was a real pleasure!
Walking through the Iowa Events Center was like stepping into spring. A large Adirondack chair with potted flowers welcomed attendees inside. Display after display gave show-goers ideas for native landscapes, backyard patios featuring pizza ovens, and even tablescapes that take setting a beautiful table to a whole new level with themed centerpieces, linens, decorations, serving dishes and flatware to create a unique and positively memorable guest experience. Seeing all those spring colors was definitely a mood lifter!
Even the hardiest Midwestern can begin to suffer from cabin fever this time of year, so we’re bringing a “slice” of the Home Show to you! Enter for your chance to win this uniquely Iowa cutting board, just like the ones awarded each day of the Des Moines Home & Garden Show by the IFFP. To be entered in our online giveaway, follow the steps within the widget below.
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