At Growing Hope we love celebrating our beautiful local food scene and connecting with our friends and supporters. This summer there’s going to be lots of great opportunities to eat amazing food, have fun, and be a part of our work in the community! From wine tastings to grub crawls, to sumptuous farm-to-table dinners – if you love good food there’s something for you. Read on, save the dates and start salivating!

First up is our ever-popular Summer Solstice Wine Tasting with our friends at Everyday Wines in Ann Arbor’s beautiful Kerrytown Market & Shops courtyard. Mark your calendars for an afternoon of gorgeous wines, tasty small bites, and live music in the sunshine on Saturday, June 24th from 6:30-8pm. Tickets on sale soon, so stay tuned!

Then get ready to meet, greet, and eat your way around Ypsilanti with our third annual YpsiTasty Local Food Grub Crawl on Tuesday July 25th, 5-9pm. In partnership with the A2Y Chamber, we’ll bring you an evening of the best locally-sourced food in town. You’ll enjoy mouth-watering samples featuring Michigan-sourced ingredients from Ypsi’s diverse selection of great restaurants and unique small food businesses, including samples at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market! This fun event sells out every time, so be sure to get your tickets early.

As we head into Michigan’s abundant late summer months, it’s time for our Chefs in the Garden dinner series. Guests will enjoy a gourmet dinner on our lush urban farm, including drinks and strolling appetizers as they take in the beauty of our working farm and educational garden spaces. Save the dates for Sunday August 20th 5-8pm, Sunday September 17th 5-8pm, and Sunday October 15th 4-7pm for these can’t miss dinner events.

Past chefs have been Brandon Johns of Grange Kitchen & Bar (along with mind-blowing desserts from Sweet Heather Anne, and assistance from his 13 year old protegee, the amazing Chopped Jr. winner Nicholas Bruzzano!), The Washtenaw Food Hub All Stars featuring Chef Dan Vernia, who created a spectacular heritage meal using historical recipes and amazing local food from Tantre Farm, the Washtenaw Food Hub, The Brinery, Locavorious, and Starr Valley Farm, as well as an absolutely gorgeous meal from Chef James Wilhelm of Black Pearl Ann Arbor, and fun fare from the brilliant Eve Aronoff of  Frita Batidos. We can’t wait to announce who this year’s chefs will be!
See you soon, and consider following us on Facebook to stay up-to-date with all our upcoming fun.