The NM Grown Golden Chile Awards took place this past month and opened the 10th Annual National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Downtown Albuquerque.
Image: Gathings Gardens family from Aztec receiving their Golden Chile Award.
The Golden Chile Awards, now in its 5th year, saw over 300 participants from across the state, and honored a record 92 New Mexico changemakers including schools, senior centers, early childhood programs, farmers, ranchers, food hubs, and local non-profits. The award program is part of a partnership between the New Mexico Department of Health, the New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association (NMFMA), and other New Mexico Grown organizations. Awardees were honored for their work serving locally grown food, providing nutrition education, and establishing school gardens, with awards given in categories such as food production, K-12 schools, early care and education, and senior centers.
The Golden Chile Awards were followed by three days of learning and sharing at the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference that drew nearly 1,300 changemakers from across the country. The National Farm to School Network leads a movement that connects schools, early childcare centers and communities with local food, hands-on learning, and strong farmer partnerships.
Images: NMFMA Approved Supplier Director Alena Paisano introducing the panel, and Duane “Chili” Yazzie of Shiprock Traditional Farmers Collective with opening plenary panelists Helga Garza of Agri-Cultura Network, and Cristina Domingues of La Semilla Food Center.
New Mexico was chosen as the site for this conference due to national leadership in our New Mexico Grown farm-to-institution family of programs. The opening plenary panel discussion, “Grounding in Place: Honoring the Land and Nourishing the Future,” was facilitated by the NMFMA’s Alena Paisano, Approved Supplier Program Director. She was joined on stage with our food system colleagues Duane “Chili” Yazzie of Shiprock Traditional Farmers Collective, Helga Garza of Agricultura Network, and Cristina Domingues of La Semilla Food Center.
