Food

Food Area Booths at Common Ground

Photo by Jean English

The food vendors at the Common Ground Country Fair are a vibrant representation of MOFGA's work to promote sustainable agriculture, preferably organic and whenever possible, Maine-based. We give considerable preference to vendors serving organic meals and require vendors to use Maine-grown organic ingredients when available. We work closely with vendors to make connections with local organic farmers and growers and we expect vendors to do their utmost to ensure the integrity and sustainability of all ingredients served at the Fair.

The standards for food vending at the Common Ground Country Fair are high but the results are a wonder. The variety is unparalleled and the food delicious. We have a finite capacity to host food vendors so vendors are encouraged to apply early to secure their space.

The initial application deadline for the 2012 Fair is December 19, 2011. Applications submitted after December 19 are welcome, but these will not be considered until all applications postmarked by the deadline have been processed.

If you are interested in applying to be a food vendor at the Fair, please review the guidelines, food policy and resources prior to completing your application. Some of the requirements for vending food at the Common Ground Country Fair include:

• Abide by the MOFGA Food Policy which directs vendors to use organic ingredients from Maine whenever possible.
• Submit a detailed list of all ingredients with your application.
• Save receipts from your food purchases for verification during the Fair.
• Use only biodegradable compostable dinner ware (plates, bowls, cups, forks, spoons, etc...)

The complete policies, guidelines and application forms are available via the links below.

Possibly the most important resource to take advantage of while preparing your application is our online, searchable database of certified organic food growers and processors. Click here. We are happy to help you find sources of Maine-grown, organic ingredients so don't hesitate to contact the office if you have questions. Melissa White Pilsbury, our Organic Marketing Coordinator, is the one to ask for.

Food Vendor Booth Application

STEP ONE: Download and read the MOFGA Food Policy, Food Vendor Guidelines and general Fair Guidelines via the link below. While you're at it, download and preview the Menu and Food Ingredient Form below too.

Guidelines and Food Policy (required)

Menu and Food Ingredient Form (required)

Affidavit Verifying Organic Growing Practices (required for non-certified organic ingredients)

Ingredients Carryover Form (for returning vendors only)

STEP TWO: Complete the Menu and Food Ingredient Form.

STEP THREE: Complete the Food Booth Application online. To complete this application you will need to upload a completed Menu and Food Ingredient Form, so take care of that piece first.

Food Booth Application - Online Application

A few notes before using the Menu and Food Ingredient Form:

The Menu and Food Ingredient Form is in Adobe's PDF format. The form is best used with the most recent version of Adobe Reader. The interactive functionality of the forms is not compatible with Apple Preview. If you are using a Mac, Preview may be your default pdf viewer. If prompted to open with Preview, choose Reader instead if you wish to complete your forms on your computer and save the completed forms. You can download and install the latest version of Adobe Reader at http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html

Attention Apple Safari Users: If you are using Apple's Safari browser we recommend that you "option-click" the link below when downloading the application file. Then, open the file with Adobe Reader. Otherwise, one of two things will happen, neither of which is particularly helpful: the files will open with a pdf viewer in Safari, rather than Reader (not so bad, but not ideal), or worse, with old versions of Safari you get a blank black screen of nothing (bad, very bad). So, remember: Option-Click with Safari.

If you have any questions about vending at the Fair please email commonground@mofga.org.