SACRAMENTO 2023 HOMELESS WORLD CUP: FARM TO FORK
Credit: Dan Higginson
The memorable ‘farm to fork’ tagline emblazoned on a water tank visible from the I5 as you head towards Sacramento sums up the city—the area and the six counties it touches host more than 1.5 million acres of farmland, so it’s essentially a vast, rich food bowl. That’s good news for the 2023 Homeless World Cup participants, who are getting to experience a range of foods from the region.
Having had pizzas delivered to their accommodation on Saturday night (a quintessentially American dorm room experience), the players were treated to a slightly healthier but no less delicious option on Sunday. That came courtesy of the UC Davis Health medical centre’s chefs, who have taken that farm-to-fork ethos and applied it in innovative ways that benefit both patients and, now, Homeless World Cup players and volunteers.
The first of two regionally inspired dinners the team provided was made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. With the exception of a halal chicken, the food was vegan and gluten-free, something that was extremely well-received. “The food that we prepared here, was served, we sourced it within 100 miles* of where we’re standing,” head chef Santana Diaz explains. “And it’s at the peak of its ripeness season. So the peaches taste like peaches—we didn’t do anything to them.”
He contrasts that with imported ingredients that are often out of season and that require interventions such as ripening gases applied en route and then additives because the food is more bland. Diaz prefers to keep it simple, which you can be when the base ingredients are great. “I can pronounce every ingredient that we use,” he explains. “My favourite preservative is vinegar. So it doesn’t have to be complicated.”
UC Davis’ healthy, local-led approach has been recognised for its sustainability by various US audits and measures. This includes through Practice Greenhealth’s Healthcare Without Harm program, which evaluates healthcare institutions across the nation. (Diaz spoke to the Homeless World Cup team amid people kicking footballs and throwing frisbees at the tree-lined outdoor quadrangle where the meal was served—an appropriately healthy backdrop against which to set the dinner and this conversation.)
There are also community benefits: “There’s been a lot of interest even on a national scale of our program, because of the regional benefits that it’s providing. Not just the fact that the food’s tasting better and looking better, but actually it’s so it’s not just patient benefits, but it’s a community benefit. And all the jobs in between that we’re sourcing, or that we’re supporting through the sourcing the food.”
Speaking of those jobs in between, not only did US Davis Health donate the food, but Diaz and fellow UC Davis chefs James Ablett and Adam Schultze came down in person to serve up their bespoke seasonal dinner to the Homeless World Cup participants. Five other team members prepared the food—an additional 600 meals on top of the 6500 the organisation delivers to its hospital patients daily.
That’s no mean feat, both in terms of volume and because they have a policy of never repeating a menu, upping the level of planning and execution complexity. But the players and volunteers definitely recognised it and were sure to convey their thanks. “The appreciation of the team of everybody is amazing,” Diaz agrees. “Amazing, right?”
*Approximately 150 kilometres for those of us who operate on the metric system.
Words: Fiona Crawford
