Alchemist CDC Presents
Terra Madre: Farm To Every Fork
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Alchemist CDC Presents:
Terra Madre Americas –
Farm To Every Fork
Join Alchemist CDC and partners for a weekend full of delicious foods, educational panels, movies, events, and more!
Jump to daily schedules:
Jump to the event Map and Directions, Sponsors, or Farm & Food Partners.
Terra Madre Americas marks the U.S. debut of Slow Food’s renowned international gathering, returning to North America for the first time in nearly two decades. From September 26–28, 2025, downtown Sacramento will host this three-day culinary celebration uniting chefs, growers, vintners, and food advocates from across the Americas.
Alchemist CDC is thrilled to bring our voice to the table through a vibrant collaborative activation of Empress Tavern and the historic Crest Theater, located only 2 blocks from SAFE Convention Center, the hub for Terra Madre Americas activities [1013 K St, Sacramento].
In the spirit of ensuring that Sacramento’s Farm to Fork movement is truly Farm to Every Fork, throughout the weekend, we’ll celebrate the farmers and food makers from our Certified Farmers’ Markets as well as other growers from our region. We’ll uplift Alchemist Kitchen entrepreneurs, and we will highlight the stories of culinary and cultural leaders from the Sacramento and Bay Area communities.
From lively speaker panels and hands-on cooking demos to intimate coffee conversations, film screenings, live performances, and ticketed fundraisers, our programming will be as diverse and dynamic as the communities we serve.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 25
05:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Empress Tavern
Slow Food Welcome Reception
Free – Open to Friends of Slow Food and Industry Professionals
Please RSVP at this link if planning to attend.
- All friends of Slow Food are welcome.
- Complimentary wine tasting provided by Slow Wine sponsor, Heringer Estates Family Vineyards & Winery
- Hosted appetizers featuring regional organic and regenerative growers and ranchers
- No host bar
- Location – Empress Tavern, 1013 K Street, Lower Level, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Hours – 5:00pm – 8:00pm
- Butchery Demo starts at 5:30 pm
- Welcome comments from Slow Food International, Slow Food USA, and Roots of Change at 6:15 pm
Special thanks for the generous support of our farm partners:
Jump to Saturday's Schedule
The Friday schedule is lengthy, but you can jump to Saturday from here.
Friday, September 26
08:00 AM - 9:00 AM, Empress Tavern
Coffee and Community with COOK Alliance
Free – Open to All
Start your day with coffee and community. We will be opening the doors of Empress Tavern and serving complimentary brewed coffee to provide you with a launchpad for a day full of education and events.
Head over solo or meet up with friends at Empress and take a little time to indulge in delicious coffee while planning your day.
The morning’s coffee will be brewed from Sacramento-based Black Coffee Roastery, an Alchemist Kitchen Incubator participant. You can find Black Coffee’s beans for sale at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op or their hand-crafted beverages at the Midtown Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings. Sponsored by COOK Alliance with pastries donated by Faria Bakery, the Coffee and Community hour is open to all!
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM, Crest Theatre
From Policy to Plate: What the Data Says About Permitted Home Kitchens
Free – Open to All
In 2018, California passed the Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) law, allowing home cooks to sell homemade food legally from their permitted home kitchens. COOK Alliance, which championed the legislation, has partnered with the University of Washington to assess the program five years on. This session shares early research findings, highlighting how MEHKOs have proven safe and successful while opening doors for entrepreneurs and strengthening local food systems.
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Crest Theatre
Growing the Homemade Food Economy: Diverse Voices on Permitted Home Kitchens
Free – Open to All
Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs) allow home cooks to sell homemade food legally from their permitted home kitchens, opening new pathways to entrepreneurship while nourishing communities with fresh, scratch-made meals. This panel, moderated by COOK Alliance, brings together MEHKO operators, advocates, and an environmental health specialist to explore how MEHKOs are taking root, the challenges they face, and their potential to strengthen local food systems
11:30 PM - 1:30 PM, Empress Tavern
Lunch and Bar Service
Food available for purchase
Stop by Empress Tavern for a delicious lunch prepared by a business in the Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Program! Eating here will not only satisfy your appetite but also provide the satisfaction of supporting an emerging local business.
Specialty cocktails featuring ingredients from local farmers’ markets and Alchemist Kitchen Incubator businesses will be available for purchase!
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Empress Tavern
Flavors of Sacramento – Alchemist CDC Tasting Event
Experience the future of Sacramento’s food scene with this free tasting event featuring new small food businesses. A broad range of flavors and foods will be available for samples from businesses in the Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Program, graduates of the Alchemist Microenterprise Academy, and vendors from Alchemist-managed farmers’ markets. Discover a product that you love? You can purchase more directly from the business during the event and learn where to shop for it in the future!
Specialty cocktails featuring ingredients from local farmers’ markets and Alchemist Kitchen Incubator businesses will be available for purchase!
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Empress Tavern
Fundraiser Dinner for Alchemist CDC Farmers’ Market Programs
Private Ticketed Event – Tickets Available for Purchase
A special ticketed dinner on Friday night of Terra Madre Americas to celebrate the history and future of Certified Farmers’ Markets in California, and to raise funds to support Alchemist CDC Certified Farmers’ Market operations throughout Sacramento County.
Join us to hear from special guests, Dan and Renae Best, about the importance and future of certified farmers’ markets.
The evening’s menu will include hosted appetizers, wine, and a seated, family-style dinner featuring small, family-owned ranchers, growers, and farms.
Complimentary table wine is provided by Heringer Estates Family Vineyards & Winery, accompanied by a few remarks from winemaker Mike Heringer.
You won’t want to miss the experience of this delicious meal in a uniquely beautiful venue!
- Cocktail Reception – 7pm to 8pm
- Dinner – 8pm to 10pm
Special thanks for the generous support of our farm partners:
Saturday, September 27
08:00 AM - 9:00 AM, Empress Tavern
Coffee and Community
Free – Open to the Public
Start your day with coffee and community. We will be opening the doors of Empress Tavern and serving complimentary brewed coffee to provide you with a launchpad for a day full of education and events.
Head over solo or meet up with friends at Empress and take a little time to indulge in delicious coffee while planning your day. The morning’s coffee will be brewed from Sacramento-based Black Coffee Roastery, an Alchemist Kitchen Incubator participant.
Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, with pastries donated by Faria Bakery, the Coffee and Community hour is open to all!
08:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Various Locations
Visit a Certified Farmers’ Market
Free – Open to All
Saturday mornings are full of farmers’ markets around Sacramento!
Learn more about local farmers’ markets here.
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM, Crest Theatre
Tea Time with Alice Waters
Free- Open to the Public
Enjoy one of the best cups of tea of your life in the magnificent Crest Theater with Alice Waters! A world-renowned chef, restaurateur, and author, Alice will be sitting down to a unique question and answer session.
Guests will enjoy complimenary teas served by Leo Hickman, tea sommelier and founder of Sacramento’s own Classy Hippie Tea Co. Classy Hippie blends all of their loose leaf tea offerings in a certified kitchen in Oak Park, and sources only the highest quality specialty tea; those scoring 80 or above on a 100-point scale. They even grow many of their own ingredients. Classy Hippie’s loose leaf teas, includes 22 signature blends, 13 herbal blends, and 6 single originals.
Leo, a graduate of the Alchemist Microenterprise Academy, will be on hand before and after Tea Time with Alice in the Crest lobby to speak with guests and teach about the hidden complexities and charms of tea.
Guests are strongly encouraged to arrive as early as 8:00 am to procure tea and to find seats! We expect a crowd.
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM, Crest Theatre
Nothing Wasted: Edible Food Recovery and Organic Waste Composting in the Sacramento Food System
Free – Open to the Public
In the United States, roughly 1/3 of all food is wasted. The problem of food waste has enormous consequences for hunger, the environment, and the economy. Join us for a panel discussion, hosted by Alchemist CDC, in which we will hear from a few local organizations who are reducing food waste through diversion programs.
NorCal Resist and UniverSOUL Cafe represent two different models (one a non-profit, one a Black, woman-owned social enterprise small business) to recover edible food from restaurants for distribution to food-insecure Sacramento residents. ReSoil Sacramento/Green Restaurants Alliance Sacramento (GRAS) intercepts organic waste from restaurants for composting, in order to help it produce more food and healthier soil.
Marcos Lopez, Ph.D, of Tithonia Consulting, will be moderating this important panel.
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM, Empress Tavern
Lunch and Bar Service
Food available for purchase
Stop by Empress Tavern for a delicious lunch prepared by a business in the Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Program! Eating here will not only satisfy your appetite but also provide the satisfaction of supporting an emerging local business.
Specialty cocktails featuring ingredients from local farmers’ markets and Alchemist Kitchen Incubator businesses will be available for purchase!
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM, Empress Tavern
Meet and Greet with the Sacramento Food Policy Council
Free – Open to the Public
Are you looking for a way to get involved in local advocacy for an equitable, ecologically sound food and farming system in Sacramento County? Come meet representatives of the Sacramento Food Policy Council (SFPC) to learn more about organization and its renewed vision and strategy. Learn how to join and help shape the work, because SFPC needs you!
You will find SFPC in a reserved portion of Empress Tavern during lunch.
1:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Crest Theatre
Free Movies for Foodies
Alchemist CDC is proud to present free movies celebrating the joys and community of good food at the Crest Theatre.
- 1:30 PM – Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
- 4:00 PM – First Cow (2020)
- 7:30 PM – Big Night (1996)
Tickets are not required and patrons will be allowed entry until seats are filled. Unique concessions featuring local flavors will be available for sale!
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Empress Tavern
Fundraiser Dinner for NorCal Resist
Private Ticketed Event – Tickets Available for Purchase
Come out for dinner on Saturday night of Terra Madre Americas to raise funds for NorCal Resist! NorCal Resist is a local non-profit made up of community members organizing to fight injustice and to build a better world. They build infrastructure against oppression and empower our communities through shared resources and support, including creative programs that grow food for distribution on community farms and recover edible food from restaurants for immediate distribution to food-insecure neighbors.
Alchemist CDC is honored to host this fundraiser at Empress Tavern in support of NorCal Resist and the essential work they are doing to protect immigrant neighbors and newcomers to our communities. Complimentary table wine is provided by Heringer Estates Family Vineyards & Winery, accompanied by a few remarks from winemaker Mike Heringer.
- Cocktail Reception – 7pm to 8pm
- Dinner – 8pm to 10pm
Purchase your tickets now! This event will sell out!
Sunday, September 28
08:00 AM - 9:00 AM, Empress Tavern
Coffee and Community
Free – Open to the Public
Start your day with coffee and community. We will be opening the doors of Empress Tavern and serving complimentary brewed coffee to provide you with a launchpad for a day full of education and events.
Head over solo or meet up with friends at Empress and take a little time to indulge in delicious coffee while planning your day. The morning’s coffee will be brewed from Lyons’ Pride Coffee, a small batch, hand-crafted roastery nestled in the heart of Shreveport, Louisiana. Lyons’ Pride is a Slow Coffee member and can be found at Slow Coffee events at SAFE Convention Center throughout the Terra Madre Americas weekend.
Sponsored by River City Bank, the Coffee and Community hour is open to all!
08:45 AM - 9:30 AM, Crest Theatre
Farmer / Chef Relationship Discussion
Free – Open to the Public
Join chefs Patrick Mulvaney and Daniel Asher, and farmers Mark DeRespinis and Shawn Harrison for a lively conversation about the relationship between farmers and chefs.
Chef Daniel Asher (River and Woods & Acreage) is a culinary leader known for championing local agriculture, food justice, and regenerative sourcing across Colorado’s restaurant scene.
Farmer Mark DeRespinis is the founder of Esoterra Culinary Garden, a Snail of Approval agroecological farm in Boulder County known for growing rare and exquisite produce for Colorado’s top restaurants.
Farmer Shawn Harrison is the founder and co-director of Soil Born Farms, a nonprofit urban farm and education center in Rancho Cordova, California. Since 2000, he’s worked to reconnect people with the land through organic farming, youth education, and community health initiatives.
Chef Patrick Mulvaney is the chef and co-owner of Mulvaney’s B&L, a celebrated farm-to-table restaurant in Sacramento known for its seasonal menus and deep ties to local growers. He is a driving force behind Sacramento’s “Farm-to-Fork” movement.
08:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Various Locations
Visit a Certified Farmers’ Market
Free – Open to All
Sunday mornings have great farmers’ markets in Sacramento!
Learn more about local farmers’ markets here.
09:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Various Locations
Buy One, GIVE One Brunch at Empress Tavern
Free – Open to All
Drop by Empress Tavern to enjoy a fantastic brunch menu created by Alchemist Events at Empress Tavern Culinary Manager, Chef Dennis Sydnor. Every brunch item sold will support our Buy One, GIVE One partnership with NorCal Resist and Food Not Bombs who will be distributing vegan burritos to the unhoused individuals in our downtown and midtown area on Sunday morning. The bar will be open, music will be playing, and will will be celebrating the many ways food can bring us together as a community.
10:00 AM, Crest Theatre
Free Family Movie: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Free – Open to the Public
Bring your family to the historic Crest Theatre for a free film screening, courtesy of Alchemist CDC!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a zany, food-centered family movie.
The Crest concessions stand will be stocked with unique local products!
12:30 PM, Crest Theatre
Free Family Movie: Disney’s Ratatouille
Free – Open to the Public
Bring your family to the historic Crest Theatre for a free film screening, courtesy of Alchemist CDC!
Ratatouille is a celebration of culinary traditions and innovation, and the central role food plays in community life.
The Crest concessions stand will also be stocked with unique local products!
Event Sponsors
Farm & Food Partners
Special thanks to these farms and food businesses who are supporting our programming with donations of meat, produce, and pastries.
Food Waste Reduction Plan
All leftover edible food from the Terra Madre: Farm to Every Fork events at Empress Tavern will be donated to NorCal Resist’s Community Meal program, which distributes excess prepared food to Sacramento neighbors who are food-insecure. All organic waste will be collected by ReSoil/Green Restaurant Alliance Sacramento for composting.
Map & Directions
Empress Tavern and Crest Theatre (1013 K St) are just 400 steps away from SAFE Credit Union Convention Center! Simply head west on K St (the street numbers will be getting lower) for 2 blocks and you will reach Empress and Crest!
