Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Oh this is going to be fun!

Life has been crazy busy lately and I seem to be writing everywhere but here.  But.  I'm getting so excited about Sunday's benefit for the Baltimore Woods Nature Center!  Now, I'm no Alton Brown (Iron Chef America) or Ted Allen (Chopped) but what an honor to be invited to emcee this night of foodie heaven.  We're talking all the great stars of the local food scene--the chefs, the cheeses, produce and meats, the beer and wine, the coffee, desserts and on and on.  There will be some of our favorite locavores to judge the food and if you come--you get to vote too.  This

I believe there are still tickets available so call the Center to reserve your spot and check out the Baltimore Woods website to learn more about this local gem if you don't already.

Thank you Gary, Steve, Josephine and the Syracuse Community!

The Grace Church Spanish Soiree was an incredible success.  It is hard to find adequate words to express my gratitude to Gary Decker of Vinomania wine shop, Steve Kern of the Everson Museum, and his wife Josephine Nieuwenhuis for their above and beyond giving of time and resources to make sure we had some of the best wine and tapas to found anywhere.  It took nearly cast of hundreds to pull these off and so many other community members gave of their time, talent, and resources to help us including donors to the silent auction--Thank You.  Special thanks to the Fish Cove, Green Hills Market, the beautiful music of LuBossa, and all who attended or bought tickets.  Your generosity helps us to continue our work of feeding the hungry, helping the needy, and working for justice. 

Here are some photos--we'll do it again next year!

Gary Decker of Vinomania

Ah...the cheeses...

 

The amazing Josephine takes a break from the kitchen.

 

Luba Lesser of LuBossa goes through a sound check with Pete Clouser.

The tortillas are a Steve Kern specialty

It was a good place to bring your appetite--just delicious!

Spanish Wines and Tapas this Saturday--A picture is worth...

...not enough to tell you how amazing this spread is.  No really--you have to taste this food!  We did a trial run yesterday for a piece that will run in Wednesday's Post-Standard food section.  But you can taste all this deliciousness on Saturday from 6-8:30 pm.  Tickets are still available--$30 per person and a discounted rate for students 21 and over.

 

And if these photos aren't enough to entice you--consider the prizes at the silent auction:  There are the usual fun things like gift certificates to area spas, membership to the YMCA, etc.  But how about Steve Kern, director of the Everson museum, cooking tapas for you and five friends?  Or food pro Nancy Radke throwing you a barbeque?  And a basket of baked goods made by yours truly (did I someone say bacon cookies? Yes I did!)

This will be a fun night and the proceeds help Grace Church continue the work of feeding our community through our food pantry, Wednesday night community supper, and a simple cafe we expect to open later this year.  Join us!

Grace Church is located at the corner of Madison Street and University Avenue.  This event will be in the Parish House at 819 Madison Street just off University.

(All photos in this post by Nancy Radke)

Spanish Wines and Tapas--Si Si! March 26 at Grace Church

You trust me, right?  Then mark your calendars--you don't want to miss the 2nd annual wine and cheese event at Grace Episcopal Church in Syracuse--Saturday, March 26 from 6:00- 8:30 pm. 

Gary Decker of Vinomania Wines has once again generously offered to pour wines for your tasting pleasure at this fundraiser to support the ongoing restoration of our historic structures and the many food programs that serve our community. 

With Gary Decker's discerning palate you can be assured of some wonderful and interesting wines.  But the food!  Oh my--check this out:

• Jamon Serrano and Chorizo

• Manchego, Valdeon blue cheese, Mahon and Miti Cana de Oveja served with Marcona Almonds, Membrillo and olives

• Thin slices of chorizo in puff pastry

• Banderilla – skewers of Cornichon pickles, olives, pimento, cocktail onions and baby shrimp

• Chorizo and potato tortilla bites

• Vegetarian tortilla bites

• Pork empanadas with golden raisins and olives

• White bean spread on Belgian endive

• Thick Spanish hot chocolate with mountains of donut holes for dunking.

And that isn't the entire menu!  Some of Syracuse's most talented food professionals will be making the food happen--and I'll be cooking too!

Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased at Vinomania, 313 East Willow Street, Syracuse, or by emailing Kerri Aitken ([email protected]) or Kate Auwaerter ([email protected]).  You can also email me here at the blog and I will get tickets to you. 

Eric Schlosser to Speak at SU on Tuesday at 4pm

With Eric Schlosser's vistit to Syracuse next Tuesday we have now played host to some of the most influential people in the world of food politics and sustainable agriculture.  Speaking on investigative journalism as part of the University Lecture Series, Schlosser will be a Hendricks Chapel at 4pm on Tuesday, March 1.  The event is free and open to the public.

Schlosser has written about important topics other than food but his book, Fast Food Nation, put him on the literary map and literally changed my life.  I remember reading Fast Food Nation in the spring of 2002 as I prepared to move to Berkeley, CA.  There was an "aha moment" on nearly every page and I'm pretty sure that I was stopping people on the street to tell them about how messed up our food system had become.  I remember urging all my friends to read the book immediately.  And within the space of a week I overhauled my diet from top to bottom.

Sure, I'd read Pollan's Botany of Desire the year before, but Schlosser is the one I credit with me learning to ask hard questions about where my food came from and what was in it.  I used to go to McDonald's quite often but had given up chicken mcnuggets in the late 80s upon learning about the horrific working conditions of those who worked the line to turn birds into nuggets.  Reading FFN was the death knell to what was a love affair with fast food and I've never looked back.

By August of 2002 I had settled in Berkeley, subscribed to a farm share (oh River Dog Farm, how I miss you still!) and traded strange things in my Big Mac for "strange things" in my farm box--hello celery root and persimmons! 

Schlosser will probably speak about more than food--his topic is investigative journalism--but it is sure to be a fascinating time.  I hope to live tweet the event in case you can't be there.

Emerging...

Okay--my Cookin' in the 'Cuse baby hiatus is over.  Baby Timothy is eating well and waking just once in the night (though I don't know how he can stand to eat the same thing every 4 hours for days on end.)  But I'm getting more sleep and have even managed to cook some interesting meals--like pork dumplings in honor of the Chinese New Year.  Meanwhile, our local food scene continues to develop and grow and I'm not wanting to miss any of it.  Great things are emerging--here's what I'm tracking on:

The TEDx Manhattan conference this Saturday is on "Changing the Way We Eat".  You know about the TED conferences, right?  Getting one of the coveted spots to attend is difficult but they are generous to offer many of the TED Talks on the website at no cost.  This TEDx event (kind of like a mini TED) is all about the sustainable food movement and how to make healthy, fresh food more accessible. 

The actual event in Manhattan is just as hard to get into (though our own Marty Butts will be there).  But you can also watch this Saturday's event on a live stream by clicking here.  An invitation only event to watch the broadcast is being hosted by the South Side Innovation Center.  It is hoped that this viewing party will be another helpful step in building a sustainable, local, food coalition here in Central New York.  I'll let you know what the next steps are--but tune in as you can on Saturday!

CSA Time.  That's right--now is the time to get signed up (if you aren't already).  The options for farm subscriptions are ever-changing and some farms are on hiatus this year so don't delay.  Common Thread CSA is expanding its pick up locations (inlcuding the Downtown market and Green Planet Grcoery).  Greyrock Farm  has a year-round CSA that includes beef, chicken, and poultry in addition to vegetables and dairy.  Check out the options and reserve your share. 

Seed Ordering.  For those not going the CSA route, this is the time to order seeds for sowing indoors next month.  That's right, it will soon be time to get those seedlings going--a sign of hope for spring indeed. 

Syracuse invades NYC with great food and drink.  First the Dino, now Empire Brewery.  Now folks in Brooklyn can get some of our great microbrews--you go Empire!

Pride of New York Harvest Fest Ticket Give Away

Two tickets to the Pride of New York Harvest Fest this weekend can be yours!  Why?  Well, it's is a great opportunity to meet local foods producers from across the state who believe in bringing the best New York has to offer to your table.  It is also your best shot at getting food you actually WANT to eat at the NY State Fairgrounds.  And...I can't go.

Every month there are great events happening around our region that celebrate local and/or sustainable foods and producers.  Invitations and often, tickets, come my way and I've decided that just because I can't go shouldn't mean you don't get the chance.  So for the first time ever, I'm doing a "give away".  I don't know how often I'll do these but trust that I'll be giving it some thought as Cookin' in the 'Cuse goes forward.

So here's the deal:  I've got two tickets, valued at $25 each, for this weekend's Harvest Fest at the NYS Fairgrounds.  Tickets are valid for all day Saturday, November 6 OR Sunday, November 7.  Winners will be chosen at random using a random interger generator.  All you have to do is leave a comment here about how you plan to continue eating locally this winter and if you don't plan to, why not. 

Comments must be left by tomorrow,(Thursday) 8:00 am EST.  I will post the names of winners and notify them by email and will then need to request some additional contact information to give the Harvest Fest organizers.  Because beer and wine will be available at the event, all winners must be 21 years of age.

Good luck!

It's a harvest of activity around here

I don't know where the time goes sometimes, it's been nearly a month since my last post--how does that happen?  Well, there's canning apple sauce, apple butter, and cranberry chutney; there's lots of writing going on in other places--like work and Edible Finger Lakes; there's been travel, including lunch last week at Eataly New York, the new Italian mega-emporium in Manhattan.

But here, quick and dirty, is what you need to know about what's going on 'round these parts:

• Groupon Syracuse is live!  Haven't heard about Groupon?  It's great.  It's about coupons you can get emailed to you for local products and venues.  Today's Groupon deal is you pay $5 for a $10 coupon to the delicious cafe at Earth's Own Natural Market in Liverpool.  How cool is that?  You can choose to get deals emailed to you for as many cities as you like--great if you like to travel.  Sign up here.

• This weekend is the Pride of New York Harvest Fest Nov. 6-7 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.  There will be about 100 growers and producers there plus wine and beer tastings and local food products galore.  It could be a great way to check out local foods that don't always get to store shelves--and purchase things for the holidays:  a local foods basket is a great gift, don't you think?  Tickets are $25 but stay tuned because I'm doing my first ever give away!  For more about Harvest Fest click here.

• For the meat lovers out there, I've just received word about a Meat Fair--that's right, a LOCAL meat fair sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County.  It will take place on Saturday, November 20th, 2010, at the Central Square Middle School cafeteria, on U.S. Rte. 11 from 1 pm to 4 pm.  Many different meat vendors from the area will be on hand to speak with consumers and answer their questions.  Janet Wells, of the Farm House Kitchen Catering Company will prepare the different meat dishes for sampling; including goat, beef, pork and poultry.  Cost to attend the event is $5.00. 

• And now for some sad news...Wyllie Fox Farm is taking a hiatus from doing CSA shares for the next year or two.  Jamie and Maggie are young farmers who have made an incredible contribution to the local foods scene--my root cellar is FULL of their butternut squash--and they fully expect this to be a temporary break.  While we have been eating well thanks to the efforts of Jamie and Maggie and other small, local farmers, we must never forget how incredibly difficult it is for these farms to stay afloat IN A RECESSION.  It is indeed a complex calculation to get the financial and human resources aligned to farm productively and small farmers have it particularly hard.  It has never been more important to support our local food producers because without them--well, I'm not sure where I'd get the food that I count on to be grown sustainably and locally.  Jamie and Maggie--we'll miss you but know that we are standing with you!  Keep us informed and if there are ways this community--your community--can rise up and help in any way, let us know.

Eat on, friends and eat well.

Michael Pollan: Eat Food, Not Edible Food-like Substances

Michael Pollan with Edible Finger Lakes publisher Michael Welch, creative director Zoe Becker, and me.

By his own admission he is not a nutritionist--just an Englsh major trying to eat real food.  Tonght, to a nearly packed house at the Syracuse Civic Center, Pollan wove together the themes of his three most recent books:  Food Rules, In Defense of Food, and The Omnivore's Dilemma into an accessible primer on the ills of our food system and what we might do about it.

Even if you have read his books you'd find the reminder of some of his points startling:  20% of food is consumed in the car; the typical Western diet (filled with refined carbs, salt and sugar) is largely responsible for high rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and 1/3 of the cancers diagnosed; we've largely forsaken eating for pleasure and community building for eating for health--except we're getting less healthy; Americans spend only 9% of their income on food--less than any other industrialized nation (and if I'm not mistaken, this number has gone down in the past decade). 

He began his lecture by filling a table with some edilble food-like substances he purchased at Tops earlier in the day.  There were things I didn't know existed--I mean, frozen pancakes with sprinkles already on them?!?  I don't get it--apparently, I need to investigate what else is in the conventional grocery store--just to see it.  I tend to shop the perimeter of the supermarket and farmers at the CNY Regional Market get the lions share of our food dollars.

For those who have been reading this blog for any length of time or following the sustainable food revolution, tonight was classic Pollan--engaging, thought-provoking, and inspirational.  I left reinvigorated and excited about this harvest seaon and grateful for the folks in our community who are trying to get real, whole foods onto our plates--you know, the folks listed in the left side bar. 

Pollan says he isn't an evangelist but I'm hoping that he made a few more Michael Disciples tonight.  Each and every person makes choices each and every day that affect our foodshed and what is stocked on grocery shelves.  The power to change our food system, live with a higher degree of wellness and health, and actually enjoy the food that nourishes us is in our hands--or can be if we reach out for real food. 

Anyone else craving kale right now, or is it just me...?

Michael Pollan, the Coffee Nazi and Dessert--Yum

Michael Pollan kicks off the Friends of the Central Library lecture series tonight!  Can't make it--no worries, I'll be tweeting the highlights as he speaks.  Click to the little birdie on the right sidebar to follow me on Twitter.

Bittersweet Winebar and Desserts is open, beautiful, and busy!  Check out their menu to get a preview of what they're serving up.  I hope to get there on Friday with photos and a first impression review stay tuned!

I'm working on a story for the Winter of issue of Edible Finger Lakes magazine--it's about our local coffee scene.  I think I've got a crush on the Coffee Nazi at Kind Coffee--heaven help me!

And the Wyllie Fox Farm Foxfest is Saturday beginning at 4pm.  There's a farm tour, pumpkin carving, potluck dinner (bring a dish and a chair) and a bonfire--each activity occurs at 4, 5, 6, and 7pm respectively.  For directions to the farm check out their website.