The International Slow Food Movement was founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, political activist, journalist, author and publisher, as a protest against the newly-opened McDonald’s near Rome’s elegant Piazza di Spagna, the first fast food restaurant in Italy.

Today the International Slow Food Movement boasts millions of members from more than 1,500 conviva (local chapters) in more than 160 countries. Its members are typically chefs, farmers, fishermen, activists, academics and producers, but anyone–including me–with a passion for food can join.