SAN FRANCISCO – (July 2, 2008) There are very few cities whose residents are as food-obsessed as San Francisco -- with its countless world class eateries, easy access to fresh and local food products, abundance of farmer’s markets, as well as entire marketplaces devoted to food. Therefore, it is no surprise that the SF Bay Area is also a hotbed of food activism, with passionate advocates speaking out in support of a national and global food system that is kinder to our bodies and the planet than our current industrialized food system. And with today’s headlines being dominated by news of shortages in the global food supply, stories of people getting sick from eating traditionally nutritionally healthy foods, such as spinach and tomatoes , to the obesity crisis, diabetes epidemic, and poor nutrition in school lunches, The Commonwealth Club is proud to present its third program of special lectures with its “How We Eat” series this August, 2008. This year’s programs will address the gamut of serious food trends and health concerns, from the impact of global warming on our world food supply, to the growth of restaurants serving menus of local and organic dishes.

Chair of the Bay Gourmet Forum Cathy Curtis, who spearheaded the series, commented, “There is a great change in our awareness of what is the right way to eat. Eating is becoming a way to express our values as much as it is a means of sustenance or pleasure. More people want to know where the food they eat comes from and how it was produced and are spending their food dollars accordingly. This series will not only provide pleasurable experiences but will provide food for thought on how we eat and what it means to us and to the health of our planet.”

Dr. Gloria Duffy, President and CEO of The Commonwealth Club, observed “This event is not just for foodies, but for anyone looking for a wonderful way to feed his/her mind and stomach this summer. We are excited to be hosting an event that will be more than just icing on the cake and truly examine almost every aspect of food and diet, the foundations of every culture.”

The How We Eat Series will be launched by keynote speaker Alice Waters in conversation with Eric Schlosser, who wrote the best-selling book Fast Food Nation. Other well-known food personalities who will be featured include Joyce Goldstein, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Miriam Nestle, along with a host of experts in health, nutrition, diet, farming, cooking, food politics and food production.

On Wednesday, August 20, red hot from their from Bravo Television Network’s most recent season of “America’s Top Chef,” Zoi, Jen, and Ryan will dish it out on surviving cutthroat cooking and what’s next for San Francisco’s culinary community. The INFORUM event includes a panel discussion with star chefs and a complimentary cocktail reception by Skyy Spirits. Limited tickets are available for a private prix-fix dinner with Ryan Scott at his new restaurant, Mission Beach Café.

The series, comprised of 30 programs, including talks, panel discussions, cooking demos, hands-on cooking classes, farm tours, food and wine tastings, dining experiences and several field trips, will be open to the public. Most programs will be held at The Club offices located at 595 Market Street, 2nd Floor in San Francisco, unless otherwise noted. Please find a detailed list of scheduled events below.

Generous grants from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation have made it possible for The Commonwealth Club to offer many on-site talks and panels FREE FOR MEMBERS and at a reduced cost for non-members.

Founded in 1903, The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation’s premier non-profit public affairs forum, with more than 18,000 members. Based in San Francisco, The Club hosts speeches, debates and discussions on issues of regional, national and international significance. At least half a million people hear The Commonwealth Club’s weekly radio broadcasts on more than 150 public and commercial radio stations across the country. The Club also broadcasts on XM Satellite Radio, and recently began pod casting its programs. A selection of The Club’s programs is now also televised on Comcast Premium Digital Cable. For the past century, The Club has fostered free speech and civic dialogue on wide-ranging topics, addressing key issues in society, culture, politics, the economy and more. For more information, visit www.commonwealthclub.org.

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July 31, Thurs., 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program (Fairmont Hotel) Speakers: Alice Waters, Owner and Executive Chef of Chez Panisse, Author, Sustainable Food Advocate; Eric Schlosser, Investigative Reporter, Writer, Author of Fast Food Nation Title: The Joys and Pleasure of Eating Well.
Cost: $15 members, $30 non-members; Premium $55 members, $75 non-members

Aug. 4, Mon., 5:30 p.m. program (Boardroom) Book Discussion: Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto Title: Navigating Nutritional Minefields.
Monthly book discussion, author not present
Cost: FREE

Aug. 4, Mon., 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing (Cubberley Community Center Theatre) Speaker: Jesse Ziff Cool, Restaurateur, Author of Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonable, and Local Ingredients Title: Simply Organic
Cost: $12 members, $18 non-members

Aug. 5, Tues., 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speaker: Ranjan Dey, Proprietor, New Delhi Restaurant Title: Spice of India: Preserving Indian Cooking Traditions
Cost: $14 members, $21 non-members

Aug. 6, Wed., 11:45 a.m. check-in, Noon - 3 p.m. program (Ferry Building - outdoor kitchen - north of clock tower) Speakers: Stephen Gibbs, Executive Chef, Hands on Gourmet; Julie Cummins, Director of Education, Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) Title: Locavore Lunch: Hands-on Cooking (and Eating)
Cost: $85 members, $100 non-members

Aug. 6, Wed., 5:30 p.m. wine and cheese reception, 6 p.m. program (Blue Room) Speakers: Kevin Lunny, Owner, Drakes Bay Oyster Company: Jessica Prentice, Author, Full Moon Feast, Co-owner, Three Stone Hearth Community Supported Kitchen; Helene York, Director, Bon Appetit Management Company Foundation; Naomi Starkman, Communications Director, Slow Food Nation – Moderator Title: Eating The Right Way
Cost: $12 Club Slow Food Nation members, $18 non-members

Aug. 7, Thurs., 11:45 a.m. check-in, Noon - 3 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speakers: Peter Menzel, Photographer; Co-author, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats; Faith D’Alusisio, Writer, Co-author, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats Title: What the World Eats
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members

Aug. 9, Sat., 9:15 a.m. check-in, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. program (Corner of Clement and 11th Ave.) Speaker: Naomi Friedman, Culinary Educator Title: The “Other” Chinatown
Cost: $45 members, $55 non-members

Aug. 11, Mon., 4:45 p.m. reception, 5:15 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speaker: Deirdre Moriarty, Clinical Psychologist Title: When Did Eating Become the Enemy?
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members

Aug. 11, Wed., 6 p.m. check-in, 6:15-8 p.m. program (Teatro ZinZanni, Pier 27/29) Speakers: Carrie C.Oliver, Founder & CEO, The Oliver Ranch Company & Artisan Beef Institute; Armand de Maigret, General Manager, Atalon, Napa Valley; Mac Magruder, Grass-Finished Beef and Pastured Pork Producer, Potter Valley; Marsha McBride, Executive Chef and Owner, Cafe Rouge Title: The Provenance of Beef (The Great Steak-Wine Adventure)
Cost: $65 members, $80 non-members

Aug. 12, Tues., 11:30 a.m. check-in, Noon lunch (Cafe Rouge, 1782 4th St., Berkeley) Speakers: Marsha McBride, Executive Chef and Owner, Cafe Rouge; Rick DeBeaord, Chef, Cafe Rouge Title: Lunch at Café Rouge
Cost: $38 members, $52 non-members

Aug. 12, Tues., 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing (Blue Room) Speaker: Dr. Dean Ornish, President and Director, Preventive Medicine Research Institute Title: Perfecting a Healthy Lifestyle
Cost: $12 members, $18 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Aug. 13, All Day Nutrition Symposium beginning 11:30 a.m. (Blue Room)
Cost: $8 members, $15 non-members (cost covers all Nutrition Symposium programs on this day)

• The Benefits of Snacking Speaker: Patty Facendini, Certified Natural Chef; Founder, The Patty James Cooking School and Nutrition Center
  Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program



• Salute to Salads Speaker: Laurie Zerga, Culinary Educator; Owner, Chef-K
  Time: 1:30 p.m. check-in, 2:30 p.m. program



• Our Health and Heavy Metals Speaker: Michael J. Lipelt, D.D.S., N.D., L.Ac., Acupuncture and Biological Dentistry Specialist
  Time: 2:30 p.m. check-in, 3 p.m. program



• Pollution Protection Speaker: Ed Bauman, Executive Director, Bauman College
  Time: 4 p.m. check-in, 4:30 p.m. program



• Can What You Eat Cause or Prevent Cancer? Speaker: Larry H. Kushi, Sc.D., Associate Director for Etiology and Prevention Research, DOR, Kaiser Permanente
  Time: 5:15 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program

Aug. 13, Wed., 6 p.m. program (City Club) Speakers: Syndi Seid, Founder and Director, Advanced Etiquette; Vinita Chopra Jacinto, Culinary Chef Instructor, California Culinary Academy
Title: Dining Etiquette Around the World: Hands, Chopsticks, Forks, Knives and Spoons
Cost: $75 Club/City Club members, $85 non-members

Aug. 14, Thurs., 5:30 p.m. wine and cheese reception, 6 p.m. program (Blue Room) Speakers: Naomi Starkman, Communications Director, Slow Food Nation (Moderator); Don Shaffer, President and CEO, Rudolph Steiner Foundation; Paul Frankel, Acosa Capital; Greg Steltenphol, Founder, Odwalla, Inc., CEO, Adina Beverages
Title: The Centralization of Our Food System
Cost: $12 members and Slow Food members, $18 non-members

Aug. 14, Thurs., 5:45 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speakers: Ondina N. Hatvany, MA, MFT; Cecilia Joyce, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Title: Emotionally Eating Our Way to a Perfect Body?
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members

Aug. 15, Fri., 10 a.m. meet at BART station, 12:30 p.m. tour ends (Fruitvale BARTstation) Speakers: Pamela Magnuson-Peddle, Author, Fruitvale on Foot: Three Historic Walking Tours of Oakland's Fruitvale Neighborhood; Betty Marvin, City of Oakland Planning Department
Title: Sabores de Fruitvale
Cost: FREE

Aug. 16, Sat., 9 a.m. meet bus at Club, 4 p.m. return to Club (Devil’s Gulch Ranch) Farm Tour: Devil's Gulch Ranch Title: Farm Tour: Devil’s Gulch Ranch
Cost: $95 members, $110 non-members

Aug. 18, Mon., 5:30 p.m. wine and cheese reception, 6 p.m. program (Blue Room) Speakers: Joyce Goldstein, Chef, Author, Culinary Consultant; Preston Maring, M.D., Physician, Oakland Medical Center, Founder, Kaiser Friday Fresh Farmers Markets; Nora Norback, M.P.H., R.D., C.D.E., Nutrition and Care Management, Kaiser Permanente
Title: Aging Well, Eating Well
Cost: FREE members, $18 non-members

Aug. 19, Tues., 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speakers: Karen Earle, M.D., Chief of Endocrinology and Director of the Center for Diabetes Services, California Pacific Medical Center
Title: America’s Epidemic of Obesity and Diabetes
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members

Aug. 20, Wed., 5:15 p.m. reception and wine tasting, 6 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speakers: Paul Dolan, Co-owner, Mendocino Wine Company; Philip Larocca, Owner, LaRocca Vineyards; Jonathan or Paul Frey, Owner, Frey Biodynamic Wines; Kerry Curtis, Chair, Environment & Natural Resources Member-Led Forum (Moderator)
Title: Wine: Sustainable, Organic, Biodynamic – What Does It All Mean?
Cost: $8 members, $15 non-members
Aug. 20, Wed., 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. Skyy cocktail reception, 8 p.m., Intimate five-course Prix Fix dinner with chef Ryan Scott at Mission Beach Café
Speakers: Zoi Antonitsas, Chef, Zazu; Jennifer Bietsy, Chef, Former Chef, CoCo 500; Ryan Scott, Executive Chef, Mission Bay Café, Former Chef, Myth; Marcia Gagliardi, Founder, Tabblehopper.com (Moderator)
Title: Top Chefs Tell All
Cost: $15 members, $25 non-members

Aug. 21, Thurs., 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program (Blue Room) Speakers: Steve Sullivan, Owner, Acme Bread; Sam Mogannam, Managing Partner, BiRite Market; Anya Fernald, Director, Slow Food Nation; Naomi Starkman, Communications Director, Slow Food Nation (Moderator)
Title: Building a Slow Food Nation
Cost: $12 Club/Slow Food members, $18 non-members

Aug 21, Thurs., 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speaker: Rebecca Ets-Hokin, Culinary Professional, Teacher, Writer
Title: Israeli Cuisine at 60
Cost: $8 members, $15 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Aug. 25, Mon., 4:45 p.m. reception, 5:15 p.m. program (Gold Room) Speaker: Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Editor, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
Title: Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members

Aug. 25, Mon., 6:15 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. dinner (231 Ellsworth Restaurant, San Mateo)
Title: An Evening of Food and Wine with Hendry Wines and 231 Ellsworth Restaurant
Cost: $100 members, $100 non-members (includes dinner, wine, gratuity, a copy of San Francisco Cuisine magazine)

Aug. 26, Tues., 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program (Gold Room)
Speakers: Phyllis Faber, Co-founder, The Marin Agricultural Land Trust and The Environmental Forum of Marin; Sam Dolcini, Rancher; Bob Berner, Executive Director, MALT
Title: Our Disappearing Farmland
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members

Aug. 26, Tues., 5:30 p.m. wine and cheese reception, 6 p.m. program (Blue Room)
Speakers: Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, New York University; Author, What to Eat
Title: Closing the Gaps in Food Safety
Cost: $12 members, $18 non-members

Aug. 27, Wed., 4:45 p.m. reception, 5:15 p.m. program (Gold Room)
Speakers: Robert B. Baron, M.D., MS, Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean, UCSF; John M. Rabkin, M.D.
Title: The “Real Skinny” on Obesity
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members

Aug. 27, Wed., 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. reception/book signing (Blue Room)
Speaker: Raj Patel, Activist, Academic, Author, Stuffed and Starved
Title: Stuffed
Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Aug. 28, Thurs., 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program (Gold Room)
Speaker: Albert Straus, Owner, Straus Family Creamery
Title: Dairies and Feedlots: What’s the Good News?
Cost: FREE members, $8 non-members