The Growing Grove: Next Community Event May 2nd
This month brought the first “Gala in the Grove” at the Grimal property, in big Pine Key. An evening of music, chocolate tasting, organic wine, and multiple courses of raw, vegan dishes, catered by Help Yourself Café, in Key West. This event was made possible not only by the collaborative effort of Help Yourself and Growing Hope, but by the secret ingredient that brings a unique power to everything in the Keys: Our community.
I began to realize that this event was going to be one for the books when we opened the ticket sales. There was no need for a radio segment, or newspaper ad, within a week of the Gala, we were sold out.
Support for the project was inevitable, but this type of evening brought supporters who wanted to see the grove flourish for many reasons. “There is something special about coming back to our roots, here in the Florida Keys. This kind of thing is what brought us all here in the first place” said Denise Di Salvo, a founding member of the grove.
In mid March, with spring break among us, scooters buzzing about and drunks using Duval as a Disney Land, it can be hard at times to recall what the silence of the Keys can be like. Grimal Grove can be an oasis.
The locals that were part of this “Gala” share that notion, that this project is a good idea. Something about this piece of land will not only help the locals enjoy the native nature again, but showcase how exotic and amazing the Keys can be, to all who stop in.
The evening ran as smoothly as possible thanks to a few helping hands. Our AmeriCorps team is a machine to be reckoned with, and paired with the Help Yourself staff, which volunteered for the day; you would have thought this group had worked together for years.
Help Yourself chefs cranked out eight courses of raw, vegan and mostly locally grown dishes with ease, and brought along a desert chef , Beth Mata, who wowed the crowd with a trio of gluten free, vegan, and raw deserts! In addition, our visiting chocolatier, Eric Gilbert, introduced the crowd to a chocolate company out of Ecuador, which is run completely by the farmers that grow the cocoa.
With sixty guests leaving stuffed and inspired, we will look to host many more events in the grove. Our next scheduled community event will be May 2, with live music, local beer and eats! Stop by Help Yourself in Key West, or Good Food conspiracy in Big Pine for you ticket. $10 for adults, free for children under 12.
Follow the Grove and the Growing Hope Foundation on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Growing-Hope-Initiative/147034905423361
Or Instagram: @grimalgrove