Sacramento Gets the Slow Food Spotlight: What Makes it Terra Madre America‑worthy

Every so often, a city “has its moment.” For Sacramento, that moment arrived in May 2025 when Visit Sacramento and Slow Food announced a fusion: the U.S. debut of Terra Madre Americas—paired with the city’s beloved Farm‑to‑Fork Festival—for September 26–28 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and city streets.

Slow Food’s global mandate? Celebrate food traditions, biodiversity, sustainability, and local farmers. Sacramento, surrounded by some 1.5 million acres of farmland and boasting a vibrant, internationally recognized food scene—including Michelin and James Beard nods—fit the brief perfectly.

The selection wasn’t random: Paolo Di Croce highlighted Sacramento’s diverse cultural fabric (over 120 nationalities) as emblematic of the Americas’ culinary mosaic.

And Visit Sacramento’s leadership knew merging their Farm‑to‑Fork Festival with Terra Madre would elevate both: local pride and global reach in one bite

Slow Food Sacramento

Attendees can expect a rich lineup: artisan food markets featuring flavors from Patagonia to Alaska, Slow Food Coffee coalition tastings, interactive panels on olive oil and biodiversity, and an Enoteca presented by Bank of America—all free to enter. Tickets are only needed for select demos, workshops, and an intimate chef‑curated pop‑up restaurant experience.

And let’s not forget the stars: Alice Waters, Jeremiah Tower, Sean Sherman, Elizabeth Falkner, Drew Deckman, and others share the stage in demonstrations that embody terra‑madre philosophy in action.

Combined with outdoor concerts from The War on Drugs, Passion Pit, Spoon, and Jade Bird—this event promises sensory overload in the best possible way.

Sacramento’s hosting of Terra Madre Americas marks a bold step: bringing the world’s food stories to California’s capital, honoring growers and traditions from across the hemisphere, and inviting everyone to savor it together.