Happy Tuesday. Here’s a bit of good food news from Terra American Bistro:
In April, Terra American Bistro launched Terra Tens to raise money for two of local nonprofit Jewish Family Service’s (JFS) vital programs: the Hand Up Youth Food Pantry and Project SARAH. The Rossman family did this in association with the first anniversary of Terra’s new location to celebrate their success. The program ran April 1 through 30.
Guests who brought in a non-perishable food item for Jewish Family Service’s (JFS) Hand Up Youth Food Pantry received 10 percent off their bill. Terra then donated an additional 10 percent to JFS’s Project SARAH, providing emergency assistance, therapy and other support for adults and teens experiencing abuse, and for children in abusive homes.
The results: Through Terra, the community donated 127 pounds of food, according to JFS, enabling the organization to provide meals for 99 individuals. Moneys raised through the other component of the fundraiser went directly to Project SARAH and were used to support families left with extra rent after the departure of an abuser.
More details about Terra American Bistro are below. Let me know if you have any questions or would like to speak with Jeff Rossman or a representative from Jewish Family Service.
About Terra American Bistro & Chef Jeff
Helmed by executive chef Jeff Rossman, Terra American Bistro is a New American restaurant in San Diego’s East college Area, where seasonal menus reflect Chef’s ties to local, organic growers and ranchers who practice humane animal husbandry. Rossman sits on the Advisory Board for Central Elementary School’s “From the Ground Up Garden Project,” which teaches children about nutrition and the environment. For his dedication to end childhood obesity, the County of San Diego bestowed him with the Sharing a Healthy Future Award at the Childhood Obesity Summit, which joined forces with the Garden Project to take the latter countywide. Rossman is vice president of the board for the Chef Celebration Foundation of San Diego, a nonprofit group that raises scholarship funds for aspiring chefs. He also sits on the advisory board for San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies culinary/wine program.
Rossman is working to evolve school lunch programs to a more nutritious level and has received support in this initiative. In 2011, Rossman received the inaugural San Diego Grown 365 Award from the San Diego County Farm Bureau for his perseverance in supporting local growers and making locally-grown food more accessible to the average person. Rossman’s cookbook-come-love story to local growers, “From Terra’s Table: New American Food, Fresh From Southern California’s Organic Farms” (Chefs Press, 2010), garnered the coveted Best Cookbook 2011 award at the 17th annual San Diego Book & Writing Awards. His passion for serving good, clean and fresh food stems from his commitment to his teenage son, Aaron.
Chef/owner Jeff Rossman and his family source their produce from the following local farms:
Stehly Farms Organic
Suzie’s Organic Farm
Cunningham Organics
Crows Pass Farm
Lawson Valley Farms
New Roots Community Farm
Other local family farms
