20 May 2015

QC Food Hub Market store is the best place in the Quads to buy local and regional items

By Quad Cities Food Hub
Come in for a personal store tour

Perhaps you've been meaning to stop in but haven't been here in a while. Stop in and one of our friendly staff members will give you a personal tour of the store and if there's something in particular you're looking for, we'll help you find it.

Coming the end of May: Milton cheeses, a new shipment of Arnold's meats, and more asparagus.

Call us with any questions! (563) 265-2455

We ? our volunteers

They help us make things happen

We couldn't do what we do without them. If you have a passion for all things local and would like to help us in achieving our mission, please contact Bambi today.

20 May 2015

Pack a picnic basket class

By Quad Cities Food Hub
With Chef Chad Cushman "The Crepe Guy" and guest Chef Joshua Gray

Tuesday, May 26 at 6 pm
Quad Cities Food Hub
421 W. River Dr.
Davenport

Chef Chad Cushman "The Crepe Guy" and guest Chef Joshua Gray will demonstrate how to pack a picnic for a family outing. They will be using whole food ingredients to show how to create beautiful and nutritious portable dishes for a fun and memorable lunch outing.  Guests will sample the prepared items. This event will take place in the upper banquet room at the Freight House. This space offers beautiful views of the river and the city while you enjoy the culinary adventure. $20 Register online by May 23rd.

Menu:
Cold soup
Dip
Salad
Sandwich featuring Baked by Jake's bread
Fresh seasonal dessert
Soda Stream ginger ale

Join us for summer events and classes! Eat, Learn, Shop and Grow with us in June

6/6/15 Why use a Rain Barrel with River Action 10-11
6/6/15 Natural Pest Management with Carla Jacquet 11-12
6/6/15 Kids Activity Table in Partnership with Davenport Parks and Recreation 10-noon
6/13/15 Radish Healthy Living Fair
Nick Babeu will teach "How to cultivate mushrooms"
Edgerton's Center for Health and WIC will have an informational table about "Your body, your health"
Natalie Hessell will present "Nature's abundance, using and growing the common herbs all around us"
Lindsay Moore from Little Creek Alpacas will demonstrate yarn spinning with alpaca fiber
6/16/15 Strawberry Jam class $15
6/20/15 10-12  Water Based Medicine with Natalie Hessell
Natalie Hessell is a Community Herbalist,International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and La Leache League Leader who has been serving breastfeeding families for over 13 years. She recently completed Gail Faith Edward's Community Herbalist Program and is delighted to begin assisting Gail with her students. She brings her personal experience and education in breastfeeding, combined with a love of herbalism to her speaking engagements.
6/23/15 Farm to Table dinner Details will be announced in June
6/27/15 How to make Natural Beauty Products with Mary Paoli of Whoa Nelly!
Saturday, June 27
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Cost $14
This hands-on workshop is all about nutrition for your skin. Learn how to prepare natural skin care products using fresh ingredients and natural alternatives to the synthetic chemicals commonly found in commercial products. We'll begin with a floral facial steam followed by a mask, sugar lip scrub and natural moisturizer. You will leave the class with a small bottle of custom facial oil and a hand-out with additional ideas and recipes. Please bring a hair tie and be prepared to get a little messy. Mary Paoli owns and operates Whoa Nelli which creates all-natural home and skin care products in Rock Island, IL.
6/27/15  Alpaca petting zoo with Little Creek Alpaca
DEMOS: Come and learn where yarn comes from!  Raw alpaca fiber will be carded and spun into a finished product to show the different stages from raw to finish. This event is free. Participants will be able to purchase fiber from the QC Food Hub.

Food Box program is underway...The Veggie Mobile is bringing fresh produce to the workplace

The Veggie Mobile is launching its pilot program to bring produce and related items to employees at Genesis Health Center. Employees can sign up for a subscription and receive a weekly box of food delivered to the pick up point at work. We're excited to partner with Genesis and applaud their efforts to make it easier for their employees and their families to eat healthier. We are working on expanding our program so watch for further updates later this summer.

24 Apr 2015

May Events at the Quad Cities Food Hub

By Quad Cities Food Hub

We'll see you at the Food Hub!

May 2 Jumpy Monkey Coffee will host a tasting from 10-12. Jumpy Monkey® Coffee is a coffee with a cause. The company was founded with the sole intention of providing meaningful and purposeful employment to individuals with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities are involved in every aspect of the coffee creation process from roasting to packaging, marketing, sales, and delivery. The QCFH will also sell baked goods with Jumpy Monkey® Coffee beans incorporated into them.

May 2 will begin our second partnership for the summer with the Davenport Parks and Recreation Department. We will host a children's activity table out front during Market Store hours.
May 3 - 5pm GROW! film screening and farmer panel discussion
"There's a growing movement of educated young people who are leaving the cities to take up an agrarian life. Armed with college degrees, some are unable to find jobs in the current economic slump. Fed up with corporate America and its influence on a broken food system, they aim to solve some of the current system's inequities by growing clean, fair food. GROW! takes a look at this new generation of sustainable farming through the eyes, hearts and minds of 20 idealistic, passionate and fiercely independent young growers. In the film they speak of both the joys and the challenges involved in tending the land." Free admission. Popcorn and beverages will be available for sale. Donations accepted.
May 9 - 10am Deaf Day at the Freight House
The Freight House Market Place business are welcoming the Deaf Community to come and learn about what we offer. Licensed and Certified Interpreters from The ASL Source will be on hand to interpret.  This event is family friendly.
May 12 - 6pm-7:30pm Children's Garden Gang
Bring your children to learn how to grow their own food and prepare it after harvest! 
We'll plant a garden at our Spring Celebration and harvest at our Summer Shindig! In addition, we'll prepare and sample season produce, and learn about how plants grow and reproduce. To be part of the fun register by 5pm May 7th! 

May 12 - Spring Celebration 
August 14 - Summer Shindig 
Ages 5-12 
Cost $5
Register by calling 563-328 PARK (7275) 
The Garden Gang is a partnership between the Quad Cities Food Hub and Davenport Parks and Recreation
May 16 - 10am Mindful Eating class
Natural Health Consultant, Laura Van Barg, will discuss the concept of mindfulness as it relates to eating. She will explore influences behind our thoughts and attitudes about food. Students will practice using mindful eating techniques while sampling small bites of various foods.

May 16 - Partnership event with The Freight House Farmers Market - Making Memorial Day cards for soldiers (we will use their patio weather permitting)
May 16 - Fejervary Park Family Fun Day, 12-5  Bounce House, Petting Zoo, Family Activities
May 26  Pack a Picnic basket class with Chad Cushman - Learn how to properly pack a picnic basket just in time for picnic season! Make sure you don't forget that one essential ingredient to complete your meal! $25 PRE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Limited to 30 students
24 Apr 2015

GROW! documentary screening and local farmer panel discussion

By Quad Cities Food Hub

An award-winning film

The Quad Cities Food Hub will host a screening of the documentary GROW! On Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 5:00 pm. Admission is free but donations are welcome and further the Quad Cities Food Hub's mission. Popcorn and beverages will be available for purchase in the Quad Cities Food Hub Market Store. The film will be followed by a discussion panel with local farmers.

There's a growing movement of educated young people who are leaving the cities to take up an agrarian life. Armed with college degrees, some are unable to find jobs in the current economic slump. Fed up with corporate America and its influence on a broken food system, they aim to solve some of the current system's inequities by growing clean, fair food. Mostly landless, they borrow, rent or manage farmland in order to fulfill their dreams of doing something meaningful with their lives.

Filmed on 12 farms throughout the state of Georgia during an entire growing season, GROW! provides an honest and inspiring look at this next generation of farmers. Anybody who appreciates the value of good wholesome food grown close to home, who cares about our food supply and the future of farming will want to see GROW!

GROW! takes a look at this new generation of sustainable farming through the eyes, hearts and minds of 20 idealistic, passionate and fiercely independent young growers. In the film they speak of both the joys and the challenges involved in tending the land.

2011 WINNER BEST AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY
- Rome International Film Festival
2011 WINNER FOCUS AWARD
- Montana CINE International Film Festival
2011 WINNER BEST OF CATEGORY
- Montana CINE International Film Festival
2011 WINNER AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
- Docufest Atlanta
2011 WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
- Asheville Cinema Film Festival
2012 WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY, Runner Up
- Macon Film Festival
2012 WINNER BEST FEATURE FILM
- Colorado Environmental Film Festival
2013 WINNER EARTH AWARD
- Cinema Verde Environmental Film Festival

Official Selection 2011 
- Slow Motion Food Film Fest - Nova Scotia
Official Selection 2011 
- Savannah Film Festival
Official Selection 2012 
- Wild and Scenic Film Festival
Official Selection/Jury Nomination 2012 
- Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, New Zealand

01 Apr 2015

April Events at the Quad Cities Food Hub

By Quad Cities Food Hub

Things are hoppin' at the Hub

April 11, 9-11 am Beginner Drop Spindle Spinning with Gail McPike  Students will learn how to operate a drop spindle and create yarn from fiber roving. Class fee is $25 this includes a drop spindle and fiber for students to keep. Gail won Best of Show in Knitting at the 2013 Iowa State Fair with her handcombed, handspun, Cormo Estonian Lace Shawl. In September 2013 her work was judged Best of Show at Wisconsin Sheep and Wool; this time for a handcombed, home spun lace weight Cormo skein. She has won the blue ribbons for best homespun garment and best skein for the last two years at the Bishop Hill Spin In. Combing wool and spinning fine singles for lace are her passion and teaching these skills to other spinners is a real joy. Reserve your spot by calling(563) 265-2455 or send an email to Bambi.
April 11, 10-12 am  Seeds to Flowers with Cindy Heilman of Heilman Hawkeye Acres (IN ATRIUM BY ELEVATOR) Starting flowers from seeds will save money since seed packets are a fraction of the cost of the same amount of started flowers. Also, garden centers may not have the best products available. Most annuals are easy to grow from seed and it is stressful on plants to transplant them when they are flowering. Seed packets often contain minimal instructions that can be confusing. In this class, you will learn when and where you should plant various types of seeds. Cindy Heilmann has a farm in Goose Lake, Iowa. She sells most of her produce at the Freight House Farmers Market, the Quad Cities Food Hub and the Food Hub's Veggie Mobile. Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions are available with deliveries from June 1 until October 31. For more information visit Heilmann's Hawkeye Acres.
April 14, 5-7 pm Herbs: What You May or May Not Know Upper level.  Master Gardeners Colleen Adrian and Rhonda Cooper. This presentation will provide information on selecting, growing and using herbs. Many commonly used herbs will be discussed. Colleen and Rhonda are Master Gardeners with Iowa State University Scott County Extension and Outreach.
April 18, 8 am -1 pm Helping Hands Day Come and lend a hand for Helping Hands Day. We will be cleaning up the gardens in preparation for planting. Face Painting for kids. Bean Seed hand outs for kids. We welcome individuals, corporate groups, families, and students!
April 18, 10 am Hi Fit Juice in store sampling Hi Fit Juice is a non GMO  Hibiscus health drink. The creator, Amadou grew up in West Africa. As a staple of his diet, he learned first hand the benefits of the Hibiscus plant. Amadou was encouraged to share his knowledge of this amazing plant. He began his juice line focusing on Hibiscus as the base for these delicious drinks.
01 Apr 2015

Community Kitchen is taking applications

By Quad Cities Food Hub

We're cooking up good things!

Quad Cities Food Hub's commercially licensed, fully equipped, shared use kitchen available for rent by the hour. Hourly rates mean clients pay only for what they use, eliminating the overhead cost of long term leases for young businesses. You can start with us, grow your business, and when you're ready move from our kitchen into your own. Community kitchen is taking applications.  Space is limited. For information contact  Kim We also offer event catering and meeting catering along with event space.
QCFH Community Kitchen is made possible by grants from the Riverboat Development Authority and the United States Department of Agriculture.
11 Mar 2015

Southern Style Farm to Table Dinner featuring Smokin Butt BBQ

By Quad Cities Food Hub
Chef Chad Cushman, "The Crepe Guy" and Mrs. D of the Quad Cities Food Hub Community Kitchen will present a Farm to Table Dinner featuring Smokin' Butt BBQ on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 6pm. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Quad Cities Food Hub. Dinner tickets are $40 each, are only sold in advance, and are available at the Quad Cities Food Hub, 421 W. River Drive Davenport. For more information, call 563-265-2455. 

The menu:

Southern Small Bites
  • Cheddar Waffle, with chow-chow relish and bourbon syrup
  • House-made pimento cheese, grilled bread and fresh herbs
  • Assorted deviled eggs
Main Course
  • Smokin Butt's pulled pork and BBQ sauce
  • Homestyle truckle mack and cheese with bay leaf panko crumb
  • Collard greens with lemon, contija cheese and brown butter
  • Hoppin' John
  • Sweet corn pudding
  • Rosemary smashed potatoes
  • Cucumber and onions with dill and buttermilk
  • Carolina root vegetable slaw
  • Red and yellow beet salad with balsamic and goat cheese
  • Corn bread and biscuits with local jams and jellies
Dessert
  • Sweet potato bread pudding with butter rum sauce
  • Amaretto peaches with sabayon and spiced cake crumb
  • Hummingbird cake with pineapple bananas pecans and cream cheese frosting
Please join us for an amazing evening of culinary adventure featuring some of the best locally-sourced food. We hope to see all of you there!
24 Feb 2015

What do bacon-wrapped potatoes, garlic & rosemary encrusted sawyer beef, and apple cobbler with Chantilly cream have in common?

By Quad Cities Food Hub

Farm to Table Dinner

Chef Chad Cushman, "The Crepe Guy" and the Quad Cities Food Hub Community Kitchen present our first Farm to Table Dinner on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 6pm. This fundraiser will benefit the Quad Cities Food Hub. Dinner tickets are $35 each and are available at the Quad Cities Food Hub, 421 W. River Drive, Davenport. For more information, call 563-265-2455.

The menu:

Lemon, Pomegranate, and Chickpea Dip with Crispy Pita Chips 
Bacon Wrapped Potatoes with Apple - Cinnamon BBQ Sauce 
Garlic Rosemary Encrusted Sawyer Beef with Horseradish Cream Sauce & Red Pepper Relish
Roasted Root Vegetable & Winter Squash with Chili Honey Sauce 
Assorted Local Sausages & Local Cheeses with Mustards and House-Made Condiments
Fresh Greens with Dried Fruits. Pecans, White Cheddar, and Bourbon-Vanilla Vinaigrette
Apple Cobbler with Berries and Chantilly Cream 

Please join us for an amazing evening of culinary adventure featuring some of the best locally-sourced food. We hope to see all of you there!

About Chef Chad Cushman

Chef Chad Cushman began his long and diverse career in the kitchen at the young age of 15. For the past 25 years, he has worked as a senior executive chef at a variety of notable locations, spent time in restaurant management and hospitality, helped develop menus, and served as a consultant for a variety of restaurant concepts from fast casual to fine dining. In 2010, the seasoned chef developed his hugely popular pop-up restaurant under the guise of The Crepe Guy and has since been serving sweet and savory crepes to delighted diners at various locations throughout Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, as well as catering private events both large and small.

Always one to experiment, Chef Cushman approaches cooking as a creative act and passionately utilizes his unique ideas and instincts to come up with memorable flavors. Though he appreciates the appeal of classic cooking, he enjoys encouraging young chefs to embrace outside-of-the-box ideas. Chef Cushman serves on the board of the Freight House Farmers' Market and on the Quad Cities Food Hub's kitchen committee where he has been an integral advocate working towards the development of a community shared-use kitchen. He lives in Davenport and enjoys traveling near and far to experience great restaurants and gather inspiration. Learn more about Chef Cushman at www.thecrepeguy.com.
09 Oct 2014

Local Harvest Celebration

By Quad Cities Food Hub

with the Quad Cities Food Hub

Thursday, October 9, 2014

5:30-8 PM

Quad Cities Food Hub
Freight House
421 W. River Dr., Davenport, Iowa

Get your tickets now

QCFH's annual celebration, featuring tasty treats from the harvest of our Buy Fresh Buy Local Quad Cities members.
  • Heilmann Hawkeye Acres                         
  • Crandall Farms Honey
  • Pasturland Eggs
  • Triple Creek Dairy
  • Wild Hare Farmers
  • Happy Hollow U-pick
  • Winter Bison
  • Geest Farms
  • Arnold's Farm
  • Sawyer Beef
  • Ross' Restaurant
  • Ardon Creek Winery
  • Harry Bee's Honey
  • Beagle Creek Farm
  • Hope Farm Produce
  • Rosemary's Garden
Local food, Front Street Brewery beer, live music, silent auction raffle, prizes, and much more.
Join us and taste the flavors of the season!
$15 in advance / $20 at the door
Tickets available at QCFH Local Market Store
or online at www.qcfoodhub.com

Proceeds assist our mission to support healthy lifestyles by promoting local food production, connecting producers and consumers, and cultivating education and training programs.

If you can't make it to the event, consider a donation (click on donate button) to support our mission.

Quad Cities Food Hub is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
02 Sep 2014

Quad Cities Food Hub

By Quad Cities Food Hub

Quad Cities Food Hub at the Freight House in Davenport Iowa supports DOZENS of farmers from both Illinois and Iowa. Visit us for all of your fresh, LOCAL produce and much, much more!

LOCAL melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, onions, beets, carrots, turnips, chard, kale, potatoes, green beans, squash, sweet corn, grains, eggs, honey, cheese, jam, bread, salsa, tortilla chips, beef, pork, chicken, fish, and much, MUCH MORE!

Take a break from the heat this weekend and stop in to the QCFH's Local Market for your grocery needs. Buy fresh, buy local Quad Cities and support your local farmers and small businesses.

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