Community Eats

At Slow Food in the Tetons, Scott Steen aims to bring Jackson Hole together over fresh and fair food.

// By Samantha Simma

It’s a Wednesday afternoon in Jackson Hole, and the Center for the Arts lawn is bustling with marketgoers. At the Slow Food in the Tetons’ weekly People’s Market, you’re likely to spot Scott Steen, executive director of the local chapter of Slow Food USA, in one of two places. “I love visiting with the farmers. Sometimes they’re too busy to have a long conversation,” he says. “But checking in and having a conversation—that’s one of my favorite parts.” Another favorite part? “Find[ing] a quiet place on the outskirts of the market and watching it fill up with people,” Steen says. “There are markets in the height of summer where there are hundreds of people sitting on the ground with the bag or basket of food they’ve purchased. People have ridden their bikes to the market, and they’re listening to music, enjoying a beautiful summer day with their community, and investing in their local food system.”

With a background in environmental education, Steen was a Slow Food in the Tetons board member for several years before stepping into the executive director role six years ago. “I was in the sustainability field, working in waste, energy, and food, and had this realization that out of all the different areas I was working in, food was a through line,” he says. “It’s not controversial to say everyone deserves healthy food.” Slow Food in the Tetons’ approach to growing a sustainable community food system in Jackson Hole includes three programmatic pillars: local and regional food commerce; education; and access to good, clean, and fair food. 

In terms of expanding food education, Slow Food in the Tetons hosts cooking classes for kids and adults as well as the Farm to Fork Festival—a three-day event held each fall that includes panel discussions, community classes, and presentations from leaders in the field from around the world. Meanwhile, the nonprofit has expanded food access via its management of local community gardens and a need-based discount program at its summer Farm Stand. The Farm Stand, People’s Market, and Online Marketplace together expand avenues through which local and regional producers may participate in food commerce. 

“I tell our staff that the most critical part of our work is maintaining relationships with local farmers,” Steen says. “Having personal relationships with those farmers is critical to everything we do. Without that, this all goes away.” Slow Food in the Tetons supports local farmers most directly through the Teton Farm Fund. “This year, we ended up giving out $50,000 in grants to nine local and regional farms. [These funds] can be used for anything from an improvement to someone’s chicken house to purchasing a refrigerated truck to a new greenhouse.” The People’s Market, meanwhile, serves as an avenue for farmers to build relationships with consumers. “A big part of building a community food system is creating relationships between the farmers and the customers,” Steen says. “For farmers, it’s really helpful for them to be able to explain their growing practices, their operations, and what they’re all about. It builds community by creating relationships.”

Since Steen has been involved with Slow Food in the Tetons, he’s seen the People’s Market grow to its current size—where 50 to 60 vendors gather on The Center’s lawn every Wednesday throughout the summer season. “It’s a gathering place to celebrate our food system and to be together as a community,” he says. “[Food from local farms], you can taste the difference. By giving everyone that choice, it has an effect of uniting our community.” JH