Eight days of events to celebrate healthy, affordable, sustainable food;

“Where’s Sam?” contest sends Shape Up Sam mascot dressed in Red-Man suit running about Somerville to Food Week events: Spot Sam and be entered to win great prizes

Thursday, Oct. 24, is national Food Day, a celebration of healthy, affordable and sustainable food. And because one day just isn’t enough, the City of Somerville’s Shape Up Somerville program is leading a citywide Food Week from Oct. 17 to 24. Eight days of Shape Up Somerville partner and community events will highlight Somerville’s diverse and exciting food culture, while the “Where’s Sam?” contest invites residents to learn about healthy dining and living by watching for Shape Up Sam mascot sightings about town.

“Ensuring that everyone in our community has access to healthy, affordable, sustainable food is a serious issue that Shape Up Somerville and our partners work to address daily, but this week we thought we’d have a little fun with it,” said Shape Up Somerville Coordinator Rachael Plitch. “Whether it’s the South Street Farm Volunteer Day or Harvest Fest, Food Week is designed to make learning about good food options enjoyable for the whole family.”

Events range from a film screening and garden tours to affordable and healthy recipe tastings, cooking demos and classes, garlic planting, a wellness fair and a citywide SomerPotluck. See the full calendar at http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/health/sus. On the dining side, each day of the week a different Shape Up Approved – Eat Well healthy dining restaurant will be offering a Shape Up Approved Special such as Szechuan spicy mala shrimp or whole wheat waffles with fresh fruit. Participating restaurants include East End Grille, Cantina la Mexicana, Lotus Xpress, Red Bones, Mama Gina’s, Ball Square Café, Sally O’Brien’s, and The Neighborhood Restaurant.

“Shape Up Approved dining is available year-round at roughly 50 Somerville restaurants where our nutritionist has studied the menu, met with chefs, and identified healthy and still very tasty dining options,” said Shape Up Somerville Director David Hudson. “The idea is to make it easy for diners to eat out and still eat well. Just ask for the Shape Up Approved menu or check the menus out online in our Facebook page photo gallery.”

Meanwhile, the city’s spandex-clad, all-red Healthy Eating Ambassador, Shape Up Sam will be popping up at Food Week events, visiting Shape Up Approved restaurants and exercising around town. Spot Sam or solve a clue about Sam’s whereabouts and share the news on Twitter, Facebook or by email to be entered to win the Food Week Prize Package, which includes tickets to Somerville food events, a one night stay at the Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel, gift certificates to Shape Up Approved restaurants, and more. Enter on Twitter by tagging @ShapeUpSam with #SomerFood, or post to fb.com/shapeupapprovedsomerville, or email shapeupsam@somervillema.gov. Or, if needed, call 311. For clues, follow Shape Up Sam at the Twitter and Facebook feeds listed above or the City at @SomervilleCity or fb.com/SomervilleCity.

Residents are also invited to take part in the citywide SomerPotluck on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Using #SomerFood on Facebook or Twitter or Shape Up Sam’s email shapeupsam@somervillema.gov, residents can submit recipes all week (healthy and affordable recipes are especially encouraged). Recipes received by 12 p.m. on Oct. 23 will qualify the cook to be entered to win a visit from Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone at his or her potluck that evening (and, yes, he’ll bring a dish too).

“Food access and security is critical to any healthy community, so one food day or food week isn’t enough,” said Mayor Curtatone. “As a community, we need to keep sustainable, healthy, affordable food at the forefront of our efforts whether through programs like free breakfasts in the schools, the subsidized Mobile Farmers Market, or awareness raising events like Food Week. That said, I’m really looking forward to the citywide SomerPotluck. The idea of home after home filled with neighbors and families gathered over dinners of healthy, affordable, sustainable foods is the kind of community-building positive effort that Somerville is all about.”

Somerville Food Week couldn’t happen without the city and Shape Up’s numerous partners and sponsors including: Whole Foods Somerville, Fairmont Battery Wharf, the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, Hubway, Groundwork Somerville, Somerville Local First, East Somerville Main Streets, the Somerville Arts Council, the Welcome Project, Boston Burger Company, Red Bones, East End Grille, Cantina la Mexicana, Lotus Xpress, Mama Gina’s, Ball Square Café, Sally O’Brien’s, and the Neighborhood Restaurant.

Finally, for this press release, city staff managed to reach the elusive Shape Up Sam directly. “I’ll be everywhere and anywhere that’s healthy,” Sam said. “Spot me if you can.”

Somerville Food Week Events:

10/17

• “Saving the Seed” Film screening & Seed Lending Library Planning Discussion (7 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Somerville Community Access Television, 90 Union Square)

10/18

• Glen Community Garden Tour (3-5 p.m., Glen St. & Oliver St.)
• Relish Center for Urban Agriculture Open House (5-8 p.m., 66-70 Union Square, Suite 105)

10/19

• Union Square Farmers’ Market (9 a.m.-1 p.m., Union Square Plaza)
• Somerville Local First’s 5^th Annual Harvest Fest (2-5 p.m. & 6-9 p.m., Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave.)

10/20

• South Street Farm Volunteer Day (9 a.m.-12 p.m., 100 South St.)
• SomerStreets – Monster Mashed-Up Festival (12 p.m.-4 p.m., Somerville Ave. from Washington St. to Wilson Sq.)

10/21

• Whole Foods Somerville Meatless Monday Food Demo (4-6 p.m., 45 Beacon St.)

10/22

• East Somerville Community School Garden-Garlic Planting (10 a.m.-2 p.m., 50 Cross St.)
• Cambridge Health Alliance Rethink Your Drink Demo: Reducing the Sugar in Your Beverages (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Somerville Hospital Cafeteria, 230 Highland Ave.)
• Whole Foods Somerville Healthy & Affordable Recipe Tasting (45 Beacon St.)

10/23

• Davis Square Farmers Market (12-6 p.m., Day St & Herbert St., Davis Square)
• Citywide SomerPotluck, at your home and other homes across the city

10/24

• Somerville City Employee Potluck (Municipal worksites)
• Somerville Council on Aging Annual Health & Wellness Fair (Holland St. Center, 167 Holland St.)
• Day of the Dead Cooking Class (Tu y Yo, 858 Broadway)