Slow Food DC

Join Slow Food DC and Mess Hall for an evening of great conversation, drinks, and community!

Connect with the small business owners, makers, chefs, and food enthusiasts who help shape DC’s vibrant culinary scene. Whether you're passionate about local food, curious about the people behind it, or simply looking to meet fellow foodies, we’d love to see you at City-State Public House, a brewery recognized with a distinguished Snail of Approval Award from Slow Food DC.

RSVP: https://events.humanitix.com/slow-food-dc-x-mess-hall-a-foodie-happy-hour

As we gear up for tomorrow’s Snail of Approval Party, meet poplar, one of five winners this year . Poplar in Brightwood Park is a “hyper-seasonal” restaurant that features foraged ingredients from spring through autumn and purchases other items directly from local farms and esteemed purveyors. Chef Iulian seeks out the most astounding ingredients and offers small- and medium-sized plates that showcase them.

“Poplar is striving to be a central part of the community. We are focused on being fully transparent on ingredient sourcing, with an emphasis on local and foraged ingredients. We want to make good and interesting food accessible to everyone in our community.” -Chef Iulian

Last call for tickets 🎟️ Tap the link in bio to join us tomorrow for good food, drinks and awesome auction items from local DMV businesses!

Say hello to 2026 Snail of Approval winner ! 👋 Founded in 1996 with the goal of making exquisite loose leaf tea accessible to all, Teaism invites its guests to be enrolled in their choice to drink tea and have a relationship to the leaf. To accompany the teas, and to highlight the cuisines of countries where teas are grown, Teaism serves curries, bento boxes, and other healthy Asian-inspired meals.

We’re official 1️⃣ week away from our Snail of Approval party, where you can celebrate Teaism and our 4 other 2026 winners. There are still a few tickets left — tap the link in bio to grab yours.

Our next 2026 Snail of Approval Award winner is…!🍫 River-Sea Chocolates’ story starts where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic sea, building a bridge between their community in Northern Virginia and their family and friends growing cacao in the tropics. By getting their cacao beans directly from the farmers, they ensure the highest sustainability and ethical standards at every step of the process, letting the environment and people thrive while crafting the most delicious chocolate. Come celebrate them and our four other new Snails on April 27. There will be good food, drinks, and auction items from amazing local businesses from across the DMV. Get tickets at the link in bio. 🎟️

Meet , one of our new Snail of Approval winners! The Farm at Our House is a certified organic vegetable farm in Brookeville, Maryland, supporting the community through locally grown and accessible produce. Their mission is to create a model of certified organic farm that nourishes the community and the land. The team believes true sustainability means caring for the soil, their employees, and the community with equal measure. Celebrate them and our other 2026 Snails this month at our award dinner. Link in bio for tickets.

Meet our 🆕 Snail of Approval Award winners! Each of this year’s five winners really embodied Slow Food values, supporting local economies, protecting the environment, and serving food with integrity. Swipe ➡️ to see who they are, then join us in celebrating them at the Snail of Approval party on April 27! 🎉 tap the link in bio for tickets.

Meet one of our 2026 Snail of Approval winners: .bar! Ama is a mission-driven, all-day dining destination dedicated to the nourishment of its guests, its community and its planet. Led by wife-and-husband duo Johanna Hellrigl & Micah Wilder, Ama, which translates to “love” in Italian, takes its name from an Italian poem about leading life with love and intention — two elements felt across every touchpoint of the dining experience. An indoor-outdoor caffè and Genovese-style focacceria by day, Ama becomes an energetic aperitivo bar over the course of the afternoon and convivial ristorante by night. The result is a warm and transportive community anchor celebrating the joyful simplicities of Italian culture meant for every mood and moment.

“Winning a Slow Food Snail of Approval recognizes our commitment to ingredient integrity, responsible sourcing, and creating food that nourishes both people and the planet. This award validates the care that goes into every decision we make, from supporting regenerative organic farmers to choosing quality over convenience. It also belongs to our team, our producers, and our guests who believe that food should be thoughtful, honest, and rooted in community. Most of all, it encourages us to keep doing things with intention and heart.” –

Tap the link in bio to attend our Snail of Approval party on April 27 to celebrate this year’s winners.

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2026 Chinese New Year is coming up, and we’re teaming up with Snail of Approval winner for a Char Siu Bao Bun Workshop at on Feb. 28.

During the workshop, Susan Qin will guide you in creating Cantonese Char Siu Bao Buns filled with classic pork belly or vegetarian mushroom fillings. The char siu bao bun is one of the “Big Four” in the Cantonese Dim Sum world – which includes crystal shrimp dumplings, dry steamed shumai, cha siu bao buns, and egg tarts. Tap the link in bio for more details & tickets.

Happy New Year! Join us next week for our first event of 2026 to help repackage bulk vegetable and flower seeds so they can be donated to the D.C. community!

On Jan. 14 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, we’ll gather to separate bulk seeds into smaller seed packs to distribute to DMV Free Seed Libraries and community events as the part of . While we pack seeds, we’ll be showing SEED: The Untold Story.

Tap the link in bio to register.

Slow Food DC was thrilled to partner with Chef Johanna Hellrigl of .bar for a celebratory holiday feast. Ama created a special menu that showcased local farmers, artisanal Italian producers, and the Slow Food values of good, clean, and fair food for all.

Since Ama opened last year, Chef Hellrigl and her husband and co-owner Micah Wilder have put the Slow Food philosophy at the core of their operations, aiming to create a new era of restaurants where “indulgence coexists seamlessly with nourishment, community, and connection.” The attendees at the holiday dinner certainly felt this in the warm conversation shared over family-style plates of sustainable, organic, and delicious northern Italian fare ranging from lingua con salsa verde (beef tongue) to beautiful handmade borage-infused pasta ribbons in ramp butter and South Tyrolean rye half-moon ravioli filled with spinach and cheese.

Slow Food members left with a sweet taste of Ama to remember the evening – cantucci (almond biscotti) that made the perfect accompaniment for a cup of coffee the next morning. Thank you to Ama for the hospitality and partnership, and to all of the guests who dined together in community and in celebration of the local food system and Slow Food values.