Eat Local NOLA

Eat Local Overview

Eat Local New Orleans is a program that celebrates the rich bounty of our region’s food and drink. Through community events, workshops and partnerships, we connect residents and visitors to locally sourced food and beverages, strengthening the food system while highlighting New Orleans' unique cultural heritage.

Our events have included bike rides to educate participants about local food and expose them to local food production operations and the Garden to Glass Cocktail Competition, an annual event in partnership with the National World War II Museum. Garden to Glass highlights local growers and exposes attendees to local options. Before expansion of the Museum, distillers used ingredients from the Victory Garden (a demonstration of gardens that popped up during WWII to offset food rations and shortages). Today, distillers are encouraged to source local ingredients (from our partners/connections) and can receive an award for “Most Local”

History

Eat Local NOLA was founded in 2010 as the Eat Local Challenge and encouraged residents, dubbed “locavores”, to participate in different levels of a commitment to eating local, which the USDA defines as within 400 miles or within a state, during the month of June.

In 2018, the New Orleans Food Policy Council inherited the program. In 2020, Eat Local NOLA was relaunched as a program that encourages residents to eat local year round through cultural, educational, and celebratory events. In 2023, Councilmember Lesli Harris introduced Resolution 23-244, unanimously recognizing June as Eat Local Month.

Program goals

We host and share events and opportunities that support the following pillars

Advocacy & Education

Inspire individuals to make informed choices about supporting local food systems, by making information about the food system, its actors and its functions accessible.

Celebration of Culture

Honor the traditions, history, and creativity that make New Orleans cuisine a cornerstone of our shared identity and southern foodways.

Community

Convene residents, businesses, and visitors on the shared experiences that celebrate the region’s seasonal bounty.

Economic viability:

Prioritize the economic viability of food and beverages grown, harvested, caught, distilled, raised, brewed, or processed within 200 miles, supporting the region’s growers, producers, foodpreneurs, and makers.

Environmental Stewardship

Advocate for environmental stewardship through food and farming choices that protect and restore the land and waters of South Louisiana.

Current Activities

  • Garden to Glass

    The annual Garden to Glass Cocktail Competition began in 2010 and is held in partnership with the National WWII Museum. This event promotes and celebrates local distillers by connecting them to local consumers and allowing for direct communication and interaction with spirit producers. Participants vote on Best Overall, Most Unique, and Most Photogenic awards and a Most Local award is presented by Eat Local NOLA.

  • Bike Rides

    Eat Local NOLA hosts bike rides to celebrate local food wins and expose supporters to new local options. Cyclists enjoy a ride through city neighborhoods while learning current local food happenings and visiting locations spanning the food system. These locations vary and have included urban farms, coffee shops, breweries, farmers markets, parks and green spaces, local food retailers, and restaurants that spotlight local food.

  • Faces of Food

    Currently, Eat Local NOLA is working on a videography project that demonstrates the story of food and those that power our local food systems.

    Partners on this project include VEGGI Farmers Cooperative, Sprout NOLA, Recirculating Farms, New Orleans Food Policy Council, JV Foods, Crescent City Farmers Market/Market Umbrella, Top Box Foods, Indian Springs Farmers Association, and Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance.

  • Local Food Advocacy

    As a program of New Orleans Food Policy Council, Eat Local NOLA strives to increase access to local food as well as reduce barriers for those operating food businesses as well as navigating land access to grow local food.

    Resolution 23-244 was supported unanimously by New Orleans City Council and recognized June as Eat Local Month.

Powered by the New Orleans Food Policy Council, Eat Local would not be possible without the collaboration and advice of our partners and supporters through the Regional Food Systems Partnership.

Questions? Reach out to New Orleans FPC communications manager, Brynn Comeaux at brynn@nolafoodpolicy.org for more information.