Barr Mansion Goes Green, To Celebrate With Organic Fest July 20th

The Barr Mansion and Artisan Ballroom have announced their certification as the nation's first events facility serving all organic cuisine. To celebrate, they'll host Austin’s first Organic Fest on Friday, July 20 at 7pm, complete with a feast of local organic offerings, a "Green Ribbon Cutting," seasonal food, organic growers and vendors, live entertainment, and organic leaders and advocates. The event is free and open to the community.

“Having Whole Foods and an abundance of wonderful local farms like Boggy Creek has made it possible to source organic ingredients while impressing our clients with world-class conscious cuisine," said owner Melanie McAfee.

They earned their organic status from organic certification honchos at Oregon Tilth after working diligently for several years, carefully sourcing all foods served at their events from organic sources, highlighting regional growers and distributors.

"I believe people in the food business have a responsibility to learn about the process of getting our food to our tables and to educate others on the best practices," said McAfee. "We are the ones who are constantly planning and shopping for food - it is up to us to lead the way."

The Barr Mansion's green approach extends beyond the food they serve. The venue also features earth-friendly furniture, tablecloths, paper, organic flowers and soy candles. Their Artisan Ballroom is a green building blending old methods with new - it's a recycled 1700’s Dutch timber frame barn moved from New York to Texas which sports a twelve-inch thick thatched water reed roof, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and is open to the Barr Mansion's incredible gardens via walls of glass showcasing the ancient timbers. Fancy!

The Barr Mansion and Artisan Ballroom
10463 Sprinkle Road

photos courtesy The Barr Mansion