arts&life fairs & festivals / on the cover Food, Glorious Food The third annual Michigan Jewish Food Festival gears up to be the best yet. ROB STREIT JN INTERN details The Michigan Jewish Food Festival takes place 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, at the Eastern Market in Sheds 5 and 6. For more about the festival, and for those looking to volunteer at the festival, visit Hazon’s website at hazon.org. 34 August 16 • 2018 E verybody eats. Food is the common denominator that brings people together — from the dinner table to restaurants and occasionally to food festivals. People gather wherever good food is to be found. There will likely be good food in abundance at the Michigan Jewish Food Festival. The festival is orga- nized by the nonprofit Hazon and will take place at Eastern Market on Sunday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. in sheds 5 and 6. This is the fes- tival’s third year, and Hazon expects it to draw more than last year’s 6,500 attendees. “Every year it becomes a challenge because more and more people want to become involved,” says festival manager Marla Schloss. “It’s very exciting.” This year, Hazon has brought together 30 vendors, nine prepared food vendors, four food trucks, 61 Jewish organizations, 18 food justice organizations and five musical acts to make the festival exceed expecta- tions. There will also be a kids’ tent, three guest chef demos and speakers giving 10-minute presentations in the TED Talk style. Hazon came to Detroit three years ago, bringing with it the ethos of environmentalism and sustainability as seen through a Jewish lens. The organization’s tagline is the “Jewish jn lab for sustainability,” and Hazon places a strong emphasis on food. “Hazon founder Nigel Savage real- ized that the Torah really is a docu- ment of food and food production,” says Sue Salinger, director of Hazon in Detroit. “All the holidays focus around Earth-based, agriculture- based events.” Hazon is working closely with all the festival’s partners to carry this message of sustainability forward. Vendors and tables are asked to cut out plastic products, reduce any type of packaging, and provide com- postable or recyclable plates and utensils. Water bottles will not be sold. Instead, attendees are encour- aged to bring water containers to fill at one of the festival’s water stations. “In terms of the food itself and what’s on offer, we have a food policy,” Salinger says. “All of the vendors are encouraged to share a vision around food sustainability, so we are asking people to source locally where they can, and to show the provenance of the food and the products that go into the food.” The festival has also partnered with advocacy groups that share its vision. Moms Across America is a nonprofit organization that focuses on changing the way kids eat. They also strive to reduce children’s expo- sure to toxic chemicals found in the environment and food systems. TOP TO BOTTOM: Participants last year; a diminutive taster of cheese, courtesy of cheesemonger (and Hazon board member) Zach Berg of Provisions; Festival manager Marla Schloss with committee member Carol Trowell.