A Downtown Woodland tradition will return next month, celebrating Dia de los Muertos and benefiting a local school garden program. For the fifth time, Christy Hayes of Mojo’s Lounge and Kitchen428 will partner with local nonprofit Yolo Farm to Fork to host “Swirl & Slice”, a Food, Wine, and Beer Walk. The event is scheduled for Thursday, November 7, 2019 from 5:30 PM-8:30 PM.
Event guests will check in at Heritage Plaza (2nd & Main Streets, Woodland) between 5:30 PM-6:30 PM. At registration, guests will receive a wine glass and a Downtown Dining Passport. The passport will serve as a guide to designated eateries and breweries where they can enjoy appetizers plus wine or beer.
A full list of participating locations will be announced soon. Currently confirmed Swirl & Slice stops include: Mojo’s Lounge, Woodland’s Edible Learning Garden, Las Brasas, Scribbler’s Coffeehouse, Father Paddy’s, Doggero’s, Local Inspirations, and Blue Note Brewing.
Swirl & Slice will benefit Yolo Farm to Fork’s Growing Lunch Program at Woodland’s Beamer Elementary. The program will enable Beamer students to grow and harvest fruits and vegetables in their school garden to be served in the cafeteria.
Promoting “farm-to-fork” values comes naturally to event organizer Christy Hayes. Her restaurant, Kitchen428, crafts meals around “seasonal, locally sourced” ingredients. In 2012, Hayes organized the first Swirl & Slice event in partnership with the Historic Woodland Downtown Business Association to promote its burgeoning food scene. Since then, the popular Swirl & Slice concept has been repeated multiple times with rotating themes.
This year’s theme of Dia de los Muertos honors the Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1-2. Based on ancient Aztec traditions, Day of the Dead is a time for remembering loved ones who have passed away. Traditional elements of the holiday will be woven into the event, including sugar skull artwork provided by Beamer Elementary students.
Event sponsors include Syngenta, Mojo’s Lounge, and Woodland’s Dinner on Main Street. Woodland’s Dinner on Main Executive Director Linda Henigan calls Yolo Farm to Fork “one of their favorite organizations.” She says both organizations are committed to “educating young people about where their food comes from and the importance of filling bellies with nutritious food. A garden in every school is the perfect mission.”
Pre-sale tickets are available now for $25 (or $30 day of the event). Tickets may be purchased at Mojo’s Lounge (428 1st St, Woodland, cash or check) or online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4408421