By Jamie Malernee | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
April 2, 2008

In a section of northwest Palm Beach County called Loxahatchee Groves, there's a neighborhood where roads are still dirt, livestock outnumber neighbors, and Darrin and Jodi Swank are trying to make a living as a new breed of farmer.

Rather than grow plants the traditional way, Darrin Swank has created a hydroponic garden filled with baby vegetables, edible flowers, specialty herbs and leafy greens that are grown without pesticides or fungicides.

The prices may be higher than at the supermarket, but the Swanks are hoping that increasingly food-conscious South Floridians will recognize the difference in a salad mix with soft notes of pepper, lemon, mint and sweet onion.

They have good reason to hope.

After years of being behind the curve in the world of ecologically conscious food and wine, a few dozen locals have come together to form a group of "slow food" enthusiasts dedicated to the seemingly simple pursuit of a fine meal, locally produced and freshly prepared.

More than mere foodies, the group seeks out farmers like the Swanks, who sell their produce to high-end restaurants like The Four Rivers in Fort Lauderdale and Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach, as well as to the public at South Florida farmers' markets.

The new slow food group recently held its first Broward dinner at Christine's restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. The meal included not only the Swanks' produce, but also freshly caught swordfish from Fort Lauderdale, and grass-fed, pasture-raised chicken from a farm in Fellsmere, northwest of Vero Beach.

"People are realizing, with their health, that it's so much better to pay a little more and eat better quality than eat huge portions of cheap food," said organizer Diane Campion of Wellington. "People should slow down and get together, especially in a place like South Florida, where all of us came from different places and have moved here and don't know anybody."

Candlelight and dinner conversation mingled above the swirling of wine glasses. Strangers became friends as they sampled fried squash blossoms oozing with warm artisanal cheeses. An ordinary Wednesday night transformed into a four-hour gastronomic affair, the last guests lingering over dessert and biscotti until they closed down the restaurant.

"You can taste the difference," said Linda Hart, who provided the grass-fed poultry from her Crazy Hart Ranch. She said she is visited by customers from as far south as the Florida Keys and as far north as Gainesville. "Grass is what makes their meat lower in fat, lower in cholesterol, filled with folic acid."

The cast of characters at the dinner was as varied as the cuisine. They wore everything from shorts, sandals and Hawaiian shirts, to suits, little black dresses and diamonds. They included not only the chicken farmer, but also a Weston couple celebrating their 37th wedding anniversary, a forensic psychologist whose husband has food allergies that prevent him from eating anything with preservatives, a former state representative, a concierge from the Plantation Whole Foods store, the Swanks and a liquor retailer from England.

All were unified in their love for high-quality food and drink.

"We must not mistake the frenzy of modern life for efficiency," declared Robi Brian, the liquor retailer, paraphrasing the group's manifesto after sampling several of the evening's wines. "The only antidote is slow, sensual pleasures."

The slow food movement began, not surprisingly, in Europe, where taking a two-hour lunch won't raise too many eyebrows and a three-hour dinner isn't reserved for special holidays. But in a funny way, Americans can share the credit for spurring the concept. In 1986, McDonald's was going to open a franchise in Rome, near the famous Spanish Steps. Italians were horrified at what they saw as the degradation of not only the pace of eating, but the quality of ingredients in fast food.

The Quarter Pounders ultimately prevailed, but not before a group of gourmet advocates were born. Within three years, farmers and food connoisseurs from 15 countries had joined the organization dubbed the International Slow Food Association. It now has chapters worldwide, with more than 80,000 members. They don't just sit around and eat; the group has taken on projects teaching city children about nutrition and gardening, and preserving biodiversity in developing countries.

Miami has had its own group for several years. But Broward and Palm Beach counties were slow to jump on the bandwagon, Campion said, because development has virtually erased local farms. Fewer farms means a greater challenge finding local, high-quality foods.

"I can't find one organic farmer in Broward County," Campion said. "That's a shame."

A shame, because most people who have access to local, fresh food appreciate the difference.

Case in point: The Swanks' biggest fan, their 3-year-old daughter, Sophia. She frequently runs through the shade house, plucking raw green beans and tiny tomatoes from their stems and popping them into her mouth.

"I want spinach!" the little girl cried one such morning, having no idea that most parents would pay good money to hear those words just once.

And that is exactly what slow food is about, her dad said with pride: teaching ourselves, and future generations, to appreciate fresh food and where it comes from.

"They just learn by watching us," Darrin said of his three children. "They see it grow, and with that comes fascination."