Meatopia: Sustainable and healthy meat for all!

On Sunday, July 11th, we worked our first large-scale event, Meatopia, on Governors Island! This city-wide event was co-created by Jimmy Carbone, of Jimmy's 43, to support local farmers in the greater NY area, and celebrate the high quality of their sustainable meat! The chefs were asked to use animals from farms that were treated humanely and responsibly. We really could taste the difference in the grass-fed beef! Fun fact: not only does the local grass-fed meat taste must better, it is also much more nutritious, better for the environment, and stimulates the growth of local economies and local businesses. Click here, and/or here, (and if your really interested here), to learn more about the nutritional value of grass-fed beef.

In short, grass-fed beef is better for human health than grain-fed beef. It has lower total fat, offers you more "good" fats, and are richer in antioxidants, including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. It is higher in B-vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Furthermore, they do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs. (results found from a joint study between the USDA and Clemson University)

Each of us was paired with a famous chef running a booth at the event. For the whole day, we helped make sure the booth was running smoothly.

Here are some personal experiences and photos from the day:

"I got to work with Top Chef Masters, Jonathan Waxman at Meatopia. You know when teachers ask you when you go back to school what your favorite thing this summer was... meeting him made it the best summer ever!" - Jessica Pascullo

“My experience at Meatopia was very pleasurable. I enjoyed working with my Chef, Michael Lomonaco, and learned that he attended the same high school I attend right now. It was nice to talk to people if only for a minute and see how they loved the food I was handing out. I even explained to some people about TIC and how we bring health awareness! Working with the Porter House, I even discovered that my chef had his own TV show! Many people took pictures with him and his food display. Also, I envied the way he described his dish because it made the food sound so great. Since I've never worked at an event like this before, I was very enthusiastic and it was a lot of fun! Riding the ferry was nice because I'm a nature person and the view of the ocean was beautiful. Meatopia was a great opportunity that I was glad to have shared with my TIC crew!" - Sira

“Meatopia was an amazing event! Working with the chefs was really worthwhile. It was hectic but great. I tried new foods (one of TIC food goals)” - Kristie

"Meatopia was definitely an incredible experience. We helped out the chefs at their stands with various tasks and we got to discuss the culinary world with them. My chef's recipe for honey glazed baby back ribs was amazing and delicious. He was from The Hurricane Club which is opening in September. It's definitely a place to visit. My stand at Meatopia was so busy that I never got a break, but I had a lot of fun and am definitely going next year."

- Daniel

"MEATOPIA!! It’s was epic. It might sound kinda weird because I am a vegetarian but it was so much fun. I really bonded with some of the other chefs there and I got my friend to volunteer and he loved it too. Meatopia is awesome, it's the only place where you can find bacon ice cream :D" - Andrea