Sometimes being Slow is a very good thing.
This week, seven restaurants — from Geyserville to Valley Ford — received the Slow Food Sonoma County Snail of Approval for offering sustainable and ethically-raised food.
Click through the gallery above to find out which Sonoma County restaurants were awarded the Snail of Approval.
The collaboration between the Slow Food Russian River and Slow Food Sonoma County North chapters of the international Slow Food movement judged the restaurants on criteria including seasonal ingredients and menus; sustainable ingredients sourced from local producers; humane treatment of people and animals; investment in fair labor practices; and green business practices like composting and recycling.
This was no cakewalk, however. According to organizers, each restaurant went through an approval process that included a detailed questionnaire, rigorous interview and on-site review conducted by a team of three Slow Food volunteers. Each evaluator independently rated the restaurant, before arriving at a collective score.
Biteclub is a huge fan of all the restaurants because of their very public support of local farmers and the community.