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Center creative director Karen Brown spoke on "California Food for California Kids" at the second annual National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, California September 11–13.

The exposition, a not-for-profit event centered around the pure food movement, heirloom vegetables, and anti-GMO activism, is billed as "The World's Largest Pure Food Fair." "The Heirloom Expo is my favorite fair in the country," says Karen. "It's the agricultural fair I've been waiting for my whole life."

Expo founder Jere Gettle, his wife Emilee, and friends were inspired by articles in old seed catalogues describing gardening expositions from the late 1800s, and set out to bring back the old-fashioned agricultural fair, but on a grander scale. The inaugural Exposition in 2011 drew more than 10,000 attendees from around the world, more than 70 speakers, and 250 natural food vendors — the largest such gathering ever.

2012 speakers in addition to Karen Brown included Carlo Petrini, Andy Kimbrell, Diane Ott Wheately, Ronnie Cummins, and dozens more. Exhibits featured heritage animals, farm arts and crafts, and more than 3,000 varieties of heirloom produce.

View a Martha Stewart video of the 2011 exposition.