BATH

Locally sourced food is getting its moment in the sun in Bath.

Organizations throughout the city will be promoting local food as part of its inaugural Good Food Week.

Starting Saturday, through July 27, the intent of the week is to show how various groups and restaurants are working to incorporate local food in their work. Good Food Week is being presented by Good Food for Bath, said Kelsey Keller with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust.

“Good Food for Bath has been a kind of local coalition — a group of advocates around Bath working on hunger fighting initiatives in the area,” said Keller. “Everyone in the Bath area that has a hand in getting more good food to more people.”

Keller said the group was formed in 2016 to help different organizations get on the same page, reduce redundancy and help meet each other’s needs. Good Food for Bath includes representatives from the Bath Farmers’ Market, SNAP-Ed, Bath YMCA, Merrymeeting Gleaners, Bath Area Backpack Program, Salvation Army and Kennebec Estuary Land Trust.

“We talk about what we’re doing, what’s going on and what the needs are,” said Keller. “From there we’ve been able to do some problem solving and get more resources to people.”

This is the advocacy group’s first Good Food Week.

“It was sort of a brainchild of mine,” explained Keller. “I went to a conference with people who were doing food initiatives in their communities and I talked to this one woman who had done a local food challenge — where you try to get people to eat food that is solely made, grown and produced in a specific area.”

Keller worked with local organizations to adapt the idea of a challenge to the Bath area, and what it became was Good Food Week.

“We’re also encouraging restaurants to do Green Plate Specials,” said Keller.

These are menu items made entirely with locally sourced ingredients. Participating restaurants include Starlight Cafe, Concinnity and Mae’s Cafe & Bakery.

Ginger Dermott of Concinnity on Front Street said her establishment would be coming up with a Green Plate Special, although she already uses locally sourced ingredients. Dermott noted that using local foods had a number of benefits.

“I think it’s really good for the Maine economy, and I think it’s a quite a bit healthier when you’re buying fresher food,” said Dermott. “It’s often more affordable.”

She added that since local food isn’t shipped from far away, it uses less fuel to get to the market and is therefore better for the environment.

“I could go on and on and on,” Dermott said.

The Good Food Week in Bath is tapping into a growing interest in using locally sourced food.

“I think it’s great — the more the merrier. I think there’s all sorts of local farmers and producers that are growing exponentially and it’s a huge movement in Maine,” Dermott. “The more that everyone’s supporting it, the better it is for everyone.”

The week kicks off Saturday with a tour of the Bath Farmers’ Market at Waterfront Park at 8:15 a.m. From there, events will occur daily through Friday, including a pickling demonstration, and open farm day and much more.

“In the years to come, I think there are a lot of opportunities to make this bigger and better and include more people and even expand it beyond Bath,” said Keller.

For a full list of events and participating organizations, visit kennebecestuary.org/good-food-for-bath.

nstrout@timesrecord.com

What & who

• GOOD FOOD FOR BATH was formed in 2016 to help different organizations get on the same page, reduce redundancy and help meet each other’s needs. Good Food for Bath includes representatives from the Bath Farmers’ Market, SNAP-Ed, Bath YMCA, Merrymeeting Gleaners, Bath Area Backpack Program, Salvation Army and Kennebec Estuary Land Trust.