Thank you for joining Seattle Weekly for a night of culinary recognition featuring over 50 select restaurants samplings, a local chef showdown, tastings from local mixologists, live music, and the Fifth Annual presentation of Seattle Weekly's Food Awards to this year's winners of the Sustainability, Innovation, and Pellegrini Awards.

2011 Voracious Tasting Beneficiary:
The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c) 3 organization dedicated to preserving local farmland, helping family farms thrive and grow, and educating consumers about the importance of supporting local agriculture. The NFMA's seven Seattle neighborhood farmers markets enable local farmers to earn the full value of their labors, and give city dwellers the ability to buy fresh, local farm products directly from the folks who produce them. The NFMA limits vendors in its seven markets to local farmers and food vendors only. The NFMA also does an enormous amount of "behind-the-scenes" work to ensure the viability of diverse, sustainable family farms, including working with city, county and state legislators to secure the future of farmers markets in our region.

The NFMA also has a direct emergency relief fund called the "Good Farmer Fund" which helps market farmers impacted by flooding or other disastrous events. Since its inception, the Good Farmer Fund has donated over $27,000 to local farmers in need of emergency assistance. 100% of all donations to the fund go directly toward emergency relief for local farmers. Every dollar spent at the farmers markets helps to preserve our local agriculture, our local food security, and our local economy.