Day 22: The Perennial Plate.

As I knelt down to take this photo — during the Perennial Plate celebration on the rooftop of Solera — I whispered a thank you to this pig for giving his life so we could have a magnificent feast among friends. Not a bit of this pig, raised on a local farm, was wasted. Its cheeks were even auctioned off to raise money for the Youth Farm and Market Project. Knowing where your food comes from is a central theme in our food philosophy and is the basis of the Perennial Plate.

If you’ve never seen the Perennial Plate web series, watch it. Now. Not only can it be fun and beautiful, but it’s educational and intriguing. It’s also often difficult to watch. But food isn’t easy. You work to put food on your table, of course, but others do too (like the people who pick tomatoes in Immokalee, Florida). It might feel like your life revolves around food, but for some their life is given to be our food (like our friend above). Daniel and Mirra focus on “adventurous and sustainable eating” and have, in fact, devoted their lives to it. Watch some episodes, take it all in and do what you can to make what’s on your table (and going into your body) better.

This celebration wasn’t about Daniel and Mirra — they’re both too modest and unassuming for that. It was about the food, the process of making it and where it came from. That pig fed a rooftop full of people. There were pickles and beets and a beautiful grain salad and a creamy potato and lentil salad with crispy onions and Fulton beer and sangria and more.

And it was a beautiful summer night with lots of friends and laughs. New people met, connections made. No matter where you are or who you’re with, food is always a unifying topic of conversation.

The Perennial Plate focuses on adventurous and sustainable eating. Our food philosophy is to make restaurant food and master chef recipes home cook-friendly using as many local, sustainable ingredients as possible. What’s your food philosophy?