Alice Waters, Alon Shaya Headline Slow Food Nations

Slow Food, an international non-profit, is making Denver the center of its world for three days as it brings Slow Food Nations to the LoDo area from July 14 to July 16. A riff on Slow Food International's biennial Terra Madre gathering in Turin, Italy, Slow Food Nations is about celebrating food through a street food festival and an academic conference bringing dialogue and education to attendees.

Prominent leaders of the Slow Food movement, one that has started in the 1980s, will combine their knowledge and love for all things food in lectures, classes, events and more. Headliners include Alice Waters of the iconic Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Alon Shaya of Shaya in New Orleans, and Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta.

Festivities will take place most at the Taste Marketplace at Larimer Square, a free culinary tasting event bringing together some 100 vendors. There will be classes, some paid and some free. There will also be farm tours, taste workshops, block parties, and more. Some of these events went on sale on Monday while more are being added in the coming weeks.

A complete run-down is available on the Slow Food Nations page.