SAN FRANCISCO -- "Come to the table," a daily invitation familiar to families all over the world, was the slogan of Slow Food Nation, a four-day festival celebrating food that is "good, clean and fair" over Labor Day weekend. It also was a tenth birthday party for Slow Food U.S.A.

Billed as the largest celebration of food in American history, Slow Food Nation exceeded organizers' expectations. Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, Calif., and a member of Slow Food, was the godmother of the event, and what Alice wants, Alice gets. She masterminded Slow Food Nation, a nonprofit subsidiary of Slow Food USA and part of the international movement, and it is now intended to be an annual event. Some 60,000 people, about 20 percent of them out-of-towners, attended.

More than 250 Slow Food chapter delegates, including Slow Food Pittsburgh co-leaders Virginia Phillips and me, attended panels, workshops and educational sessions designed to forward the overarching goal of the event: To build a food system in America that is sustainable, just and delicious.

It was preaching to the choir, I admit. When we finished our homework, we joined in the fun, too.

• Fifteen taste pavilions erected at Fort Mason showcased "slow" foods such as cheese, wine, beer, bread, olive oil, chocolate and charcuterie. A $65 ticket bought three hours of sampling the incredibly delicious, locally sourced and, for the most part, artisanally made food. Tickets quickly sold out. Favorite: the charcuterie, specifically culatello, the heart of the prosciutto, from Seattle's Salumi made by Armandino Batali, You-Know-Who's dad, and the Fra'Mani mortadella made by Paul Bertolli, formerly of Oliveto restaurant.

• Crowds in the pavilions' Green Kitchen were standing room only as bold-face-name chefs took turns in cooking demonstrations. Deborah Madison, Charlie Trotter, Joan Nathan and Rick Bayless, along with 20 or so others, transformed simple fresh food into dishes for the everyday dinner table.

• The Marketplace jammed local farmers and producers into 62 booths. California's finest came to show and sell. Favorite: Frog Hollow Farm of Brentwood sold its chin-dripping peaches, a variety grown only on that property.

• Fast food made the slow way was sold at Slow-on-the-Go booths serving artisanally made, grown or produced foods. My favorite was also the crowd's top food pick: Berkshire pork from Heritage Foods USA piled onto feather-light Georgia biscuits dripping with warm sweet butter and raspberry preserves.

• A Victory Garden planted in front of City Hall was the centerpiece of Slow Food Nation. Usually a manicured lawn, the quarter acre, fenced in by straw bales, had been dug up and planted as an organic garden in circular raised rings. Large and small, the rings were separated by meandering sandy paths. The garden will remain for the autumn, and its produce, some 100 pounds a week, is being donated to local food banks.

Before a private dinner in the Victory Garden on Thursday, delegates gathered under the rotunda of City Hall to hear the reading of the Declaration of Healthy Food and Agriculture, a petition calling for a new vision for a 21st century food, farm and agriculture policy. We were invited to sign the declaration before it begins its cross-country trip, eventually having a final signing by the spring of 2009 in Washington, D.C.

Alice Waters reminded us that the signing on that Thursday was the 37th anniversary of opening night at Chez Panisse, as well as the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

At dusk under a clear sky on a warm evening with the dome of City Hall in the background, some 550 Slow Food organizers, chapter leaders, farmers, producers and their guests sat at two block-long tables on either side of the garden feasting of wine and food that was, yes, fresh, local and sustainably produced.

But enough about us.

How about you? Many of you try to eat foods that are locally grown, are in favor of giving farmers and producers a fair shake and are appalled at escalating food prices and food-borne illnesses. But what impact can one person have?

Check out the tips in the accompanying sidebar. There's a lot you can do.

As Vandana Shiva, an Indian physicist and food activist, said at the end of the conference, "Let's not wait for some 'leader' to come along to show the way. Each one of us has to be a Rosa Parks of food."

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder (4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk with 2-percent butterfat content (or 1 cup buttermilk with 1-percent butterfat content)
• Soft butter for spreading
• Slices of prosciutto
• Strawberry or other sweet/tart preserves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut butter into small bits and blend into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two sharp knives. Add buttermilk and mix.

On a floured surface, flatten dough to about 1-inch thick, then fold in half. Do this three times quickly, but no more. Flatten dough to 3/4-inch thick.

Cut into rounds with a sharp, clean, floured biscuit cutter. Press down straight and quickly; do not twist. Pull up and place biscuit on a cookie sheet. Clean dough from the cutter, press into a pile of flour and cut more biscuits. Continue until all dough is used.

Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Split hot biscuits, slather on soft butter, add a piece of folded prosciutto and replace the lid. Spoon jam on the side.

Makes about 12 biscuits.

-- "Come To The Table: The Slow Food Way of Living" edited by Katrina Heron

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Mas Masumoto's farm near Fresno, Calif., is famous for delicate, juicy peaches -- Sun Crest and June Crest. Mr. Masumoto suggests this recipe for any fully ripe peaches. Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast. Or just put them in a dish and pass ice cream or whipped cream.

-- Marlene Parrish

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 large, ripe, yellow-flesh peaches, sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon brandy or other favorite liqueur (optional)

In a large skillet, melt the butter, then add the sliced pea ches. Saute over medium, heat until peaches are heated through but not overcooked. Natural juices will form as you cook. Add the lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and brandy, if using, lightly tossing until the flavorings are well blended.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

-- "Come To The Table: The Slow Food Way of Living," edited by Katrina Heron (Rodale, $29.95)

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When you see slim, fresh beans in the market, make this easy recipe, so good with roast chicken or as part of a vegetable platter.

• 1 pound washed and trimmed whole, stringless green beans (remove the stem end only; the tail end is very tender)
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and blanch the green beans for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp yet tender. Remove immediately from the heat and strain. Quickly place the beans in ice water to prevent further cooking. Once they've cooled, strain the beans and set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, add the sugar and soy sauce, and heat just until the sugar has dissolved. Add the oil and sesame seeds and remove from the heat.

Coat the bottom of a frying pan or wok with vegetable oil. When the oil becomes hot, quickly add the green beans, along with the sauce mixture. Toss the beans in the sauce until nicely coated and heated through.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "Come To The Table: The Slow Food Way of Living " edited by Katrina Heron