National Campaign Urges Consumers to Go on the Lamb

This year, the American Lamb Board is encouraging greater U.S. lamb consumption with its first “Shepherd to Chef” campaign and a nationwide Lamb Jam sampling tour. Spotlighting local lamb producers and famous chefs in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, the initiative offers recipes, videos and dedicated profiles of each “lambassador” on www.AmericanLamb.com. In addition, shepherds and chefs will host Lamb Jam events in their local markets, where consumers can try out some of the dishes before tackling them on their own.

Shepherd to Chef aims to make shoppers aware of the diversity of domestic lamb production and help them understand the journey from pasture to kitchen. “Our national Shepherd to Chef campaign is about celebrating the versatility of lamb across the country by highlighting just a handful of the remarkable people that are dedicated to raising, supporting and serving flavorful American Lamb,” said Megan Wortman, executive director of the Denver-based American Lamb Board.

Five Lamb Jam tasting events will take place in the above-mentioned cities, with the first national competition among the chefs with the tastiest dishes to be held in New York City in September. In each market, Lamb Jam will showcase 20 chefs vying for top honors as they bring recipes to life and pair them with local wine and beer. In New York, the winners from each market will compete for the title of Lamb Jam Master.

Fresh American lamb is raised in every state, and local lamb is available year-round at grocery stores across the United States.