Who is this Charlie and the Tomato Stalk?

Charlie Costello will be a speaker at the Pecha Kucka style presentation at the inagural Camden Garden Club Expo, "Edible Gardens and Bountiful Tables," July 17, 9 to 1, at the Camden Rockport Middle School. Your ticket is waiting for you.

Charlie will give you the whys and wherefores in his 6 minute talk on, Why the tomato? A Little Tomato History, Its Diversity, and Building a Resilient Community. He created the Community Seed Bank at MariLark Farms to bring the discussion about food, community, and climate to the kitchen table.  You will want to meet him, hear him and go home and grow your own tomatoes.

Hi wife, Liz Cummingham told us, “Many times,” she says, “I’ve just teetered on the edge of something that could or couldn’t be possible. Charlie is always on the bright side, saying ‘you’re just cresting the hill.’ He’s an incredible coach and a great encourager of other people.”

This is the man you want when you are growing your own kitchen garden. Charlie will join three other dedicated "farm to table" advocates, Hannah Semler, the founder of Food Drop, Rory Keohane of Tenderwild Farm and Chef Melissa Kelley, the defining spirit of Primo Restaurant.

PechaKucha is a Japanese-originated format where speakers address the audience using 20 slides, each displayed for 20 seconds, resulting in a concise 6-minute and 40-second presentation, emphasizing visual storytelling and brevity.

Other events will be keynote speakers, authors and innovators and long-time Maine residents, Barbara Damrosch and Nancy Harmon Jenkins, followed by horticultural demonstrations, beautiful Tablescapes and a tour of David Kibbe’s Old Souls Farm in Camden. The farm is a small-scale, ecologically-minded growing space focusing on regenerative practices, seasonal crops, and community connection. There are 200 places available. 

The Camden Garden Club is a registered 501c(3) nonprofit and a member of the Garden Club Federation of Maine and National Garden Clubs, Inc. Our mission is to develop and preserve our environment by beautifying the community, enhancing public spaces, offering educational programs, and practicing resource conservation. For additional information and to remain informed about events through Camden Garden Club, visit the Club’s website and sign up for their newsletter at camdengardenclub.org