Contact: Anna Strand
Development Director, REAP Food Group
306 E. Wilson Street #2W Madison, WI 53073
annas@reapfoodgroup.org
608-310-7834
MADISON, WI – Access to local food is especially important to young professionals, who will work and grow in cities
that offer a robust food and beverage scene. REAP Food Group, a local food nonprofit, and CONNECT Madison, a
young professionals organization, are excited to present the second annual Connect Socially, Eat Locally, an
evening bringing together Madison’s delicious local food and drink with its driven young professionals on Friday,
April 29, 2016, 6:00-9:00 PM, at the Madison Children’s Museum.
Connect Socially, Eat Locally is the one of the largest events for YPWeek, a week-long, statewide platform for
discovery and meaningful conversations about the issues that matter among young professionals in Wisconsin.
During its first year as a statewide effort, YPWeek 2015 hosted 100+ events with over 10,000 attendees and had
incredible reach across traditional and social media channels. YPWeek 2016 will run April 23-30 and Madison will
host 30+ events showcasing our community’s commitment to engaging, developing, and retaining young, local
talent. The schedule is available at http://www.ypweek.com/communities/madison.
REAP and CONNECT are partnering with The Madison Children’s Museum and The Roman Candle on the second
annual Connect Socially, Eat Locally. The Madison Children’s Museum is the first LEED certified museum in the
state of Wisconsin and their in-house caterer, The Roman Candle is a partner in REAP’s Buy Fresh, Buy Local
Program, demonstrating their commitment to purchasing and highlighting local food. “Increasingly, our downtown
neighbors are young professionals. And many of them care about the same things we care about, like sustainability,
locally sourced, healthy food – and a creative, vibrant downtown,” says Jonathan Zarov, director of marketing at
Madison Children’s Museum. “We’re proud to support and host this event showing off the museum and some of the
fine food this city has to offer.”
“Young professionals are the lifeblood of our city’s vibrant food scene,” states Brewer Stouffer, Roman Candle
owner and founder. “Quite simply, you would not see the commitment to local sourcing, unique cuisine, and sheer
variety of eateries without so many YP’ers voting for these qualities everyday with their discretionary dollars. When
diners head over to Madison restaurants, they’re choosing to make our community vibrant and exciting, one craft tap
and one pizza at a time. For that we are grateful. At The Roman Candle, we’ve listened to the requests of this
evolving, knowledgeable customer base. We’ve recently added new cage-free, all-natural chicken wings with
house-made sauces and more tap lines of craft beers to our stores. Together, we’re all making Madison a regional
and national culinary destination.” Beyond their shared commitment to sustainability and support for Southern
Wisconsin’s local food system, the Madison Children’s Museum and The Roman Candle’s sponsorship make this
delicious, fun evening possible.
Connect Socially, Eat Locally will highlight the food, drink, fun, and community that make Madison such unique
place to grow a career or business. For more on the event, visit http://www.ypweek.com/events/connect-socially-eatlocally.
