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Video from WTNH’s Good Morning CT segment with Annie Rourke on Saturday, September 1.

Bountiful late summer and early fall harvests of vegetables and fruits from CT farms will be transformed by chefs across the state at more than 80 restaurants, schools and caterers into special menus during the first ever Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week.

Running from September 26 through October 2 this celebration of fresh and healthy, locally grown food and wine is a new event conceived and organized by the CT Dept. of Agriculture and falls on the 375^th birthday of our state. We still have working family farms that were established in the 1600s!

Vegans, vegetarians, and meat lovers all have wonderful choices for a relaxed sit down meal or a casual lunch or dinner to go. The diversity of options, from burgers and pizza to heirloom tomato soup and grass-fed filet of beef, makes it easy for diners to find something that suits them.

There is a fantastic diversity of high-quality food grown and made here in CT. In addition to vegetables and fruit, our farms provide us with beef, lamb, pork , poultry, fish, cheese, eggs, yogurt, honey, maple syrup, and wine. Some participating restaurants have announced mouth watering yet affordable, multi-course prix fixe dinner menus for Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week. Please make your reservations early. Click here for a complete list of participants, menus and special events.

Many participating schools and restaurants are members of the CT Department of Agriculture’s Farm-to-Chef Program, a program that since 2006 has helped connect farmers with chefs dedicated to regularly sourcing CT Grown foods.

Lunch and Dinner at the Farm!

• Sport Hill Farm in Easton is hosting mobile, wood-fired brick oven caterer Skinny Pines for a pizza lunch on Oct. 1 featuring toppings fresh from the field. Click here for more information.  Reservations should be emailed to farmer Patti Popp at farmgal596@yahoo.com.
• Chefs a l’Orange Caterers is holding a farm to table dinner at Treat Farm in Orange on Oct. 2. The seasonal menu will showcase Treat Farm’s vegetables and other locally sourced foods.   For more information, or to purchase tickets, please contact Heather Bucknam at 860-658-4253.

Visit www.CTGrown.gov and www.CTFarmToChefNetwork.typepad.com for more information including a list of participants, menus and special events.

LiveGreenCT! is a fun-filled, family festival that celebrates eco-friendly living, caring for the environment and protecting our natural resources. This two day event is being held at Taylor Farm Park in Norwalk on Sept. 18-19 with over 125 exhibitors in all areas of sustainable living and features many free events and activities.

This free event runs from 10-4 on Saturday and 11-4 on Sunday and the $5 parking fee benefits SoundWaters & Norwalk Seaport Association. Come for a delicious lunch or snack  made with local and sustainably grown foods and bring your reusable shopping bags to shop the Westport farmers’ market. You will find these Westport farmers’ market vendors at LiveGreenCT!:

• Sugar & Olives (lunch vendor)
• Bake Local (fresh baked goods featuring local ingredients)
• Skinny Pines (lunch vendor)
• Boxed Goodes
• Moorefield Herb Farm (organic her plants)
• El’s Kitchen
• Arogya
• Izzi B Cupcakes (allergen-free cupcakes)
• Raus Coffee
• The Little Chocolate Company
• Ladies of Levita (fresh cheese and yogurt)
• Boxcar Cantina (lunch vendor)
• Sport Hill Farm (organic vegetables)
• Nothing But (premium, handmade granola bars)

One of the easiest ways to live green is to choose local and sustainably grown food because they require fewer food miles (less fossil fuels), less packaging, less storage, and are fresher and more delicious and nutritious. The following special guest speakers will wow you with their knowledge and inspire you to eat green.

• 

  Special guest speakers Michel Nischan and Marina Marchese will also be signing their wonderful books for guests at LiveGreenCT!

  Michel Nischan, James Beard award-winning chef and author, local food advocate, and founder & CEO of Wholesome Wave will be a guest speaker on Sat. at 1:00. Michel was just named Best Locavore Chef 2010 by CT Magazine and his new cookbook, “Sustainably Delicious”, will be available for sale and signing. Wholesome Wave is an organization committed to bringing fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to residents of inner cities, including Bridgeport CT, through its innovative Double Value Coupon program;

• Marina Marchese, founder of Red Bee Honey, will be leading a honeybee and honey discussion immediately following the 1:00 screening of the documentary film Vanishing of the Bees. Brush up on your honeybee and honey facts because 20 lucky audience members who correctly answer Marina’s trivia questions each will win a bottle of her honey courtesy of Whole Foods Market Westport. Marina will also be selling her single-source honeys and holding a book sale and signing of her book “Honeybee: Lessons from An Accidental Beekeeper”, which made the Washington Post’s 2009 Books We Love list.

Free Screening of Vanishing of the Bees at 1:00 on Sunday

About Vanishing of the Bees:

Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon has brought beekeepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and a hundred other fruits and vegetables. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables.Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The film explores the struggles they face as the two friends plead their case on Capitol Hill and travel across the Pacific Ocean in the quest to protect their honeybees.

Filming across the US, in Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and mother earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers indicate alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting options abound and after years of research, a definitive answer has not been found to this harrowing mystery.

For more information about LiveGreenCT!, please visit the event web site.

Note: If you are looking for the Farm-to-Chef Program available through Sport Hill Farm in Easton in partnership with Green Gourmet to Go, you can find a complete description here. The program is formally known as Farm to Chef Connect. Farm-to-Chef is a separate program run by the CT Dept. of Agriculture that links up farm and artisan producers and chefs.

If you like fresh, local food, you’re in for a treat as over 80 restaurants in CT prepare to please your palate during the first ever CT Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week. Designed to spotlight the wonderful quality and diversity of CT farm-fresh food and wine,  this event is the perfect opportunity to enjoy seasonal foods prepared by chefs at restaurants, caterers and schools in every county during the week of  September 26-October 2, 2010.

Fairfield County Participants:

Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant

Boxcar Cantina

Brownson Country Club

Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe

Chartwells Wilton High School

Fairfield University Dining Services/Sodexo Campus Services

Green Gourmet to Go

leFarm

Skinny Pines, LLC

Something Fishy Catering LTD

Stamford Yacht Club

Sugar & Olives

The Unquowa School

White Silo Farm & Winery

Please make your reservations early (when indicated below) to avoid disappointment as this is sure to be a popular event.

Fairfield County participants and their menus (when available) are listed below. For a complete list of all the participants in the state including menus and special events click here.

All information below was provided by the participants to the CT Dept. of Agriculture, which is organizing the event. Please call individual participants with any specific questions regarding their hours, menus, pricing, etc.

Fairfield County

Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant

85 Ferris Street

Bridgeport, CT  00605

203-576-9168

www.bloodroot.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

6pm to 9pm on TUES, WED, THURS – 6pm to 10pm on FRI & SAT

Reservations

Reservations requested for parties of five or more.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Bloodroot will offer a pre-fixe dinner for $22.00

• Appetizer/ A three cheese taster.*  (goat) Beltane Farm of Lebanon, (cow) Cato Corner Farm of Colchester and (sheep) Beaver Brook Farm of Old Lyme
• Soup / Portugese-Kale and Potato.  Urban Oaks Organic Farm of New Britain, Riverbank Farm of Roxbury and Fort Hill Farms of Thompson
• Dinner /  Moussaka.  Urban Oaks Organic Farm, Riverbank Farm and Fort Hill Farms
• Dessert / Apple Pie.   Rose’s Berry Farm of South Glastonbury, Woodland Farm of South Glastonbury and High Hill Farm of Woodstock

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

• Hooligan Cheese from Cato Corner, Cheese from Beltane and Cheese from Beaver Brook Farm
• Kale and Potatoes from Urban Oaks Organic Farm, Riverbank Farm and/or Fort Hill Farm
• Eggplant from Urban Oaks Organic Farm
• Apples from Rose’s Berry Farm, Woodland Farm and/or High Hill Farm

Menu Pricing

$22.00

Connecticut Wines Offered

Optional Black Rock Cabernet Sauvignon

Boxcar Cantina

Greenwich

Brownson Country Club

15 Soundview Avenue

Shelton, Connecticut  06484

1-203-929-0555

WWW.Brownsoncc.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Open 6 days a week  Lunch Tuesday thru  Sunday  11:30 – 3:00

Dinner Tues, Wed, Friday  5:30 – 9:00  Saturday once a month 6 – 9pm

Reservations

Reservations are REQUESTED

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Appetizers

+ Connecticut Blue Point Oysters warmed with torch,served with a lobster,shallot Pinot Gris butter and Eggplant Caviar $10.50

+ Whole Clam Chowder,corn ,crispy pork belly,potatoes  $  8.50

+ Four Mile River Farm Kielbasa,warm potato salad,tomato jam and mustard jus $  8.00

+ Cato Corner Farm “Bridgid’s Abbey” Fried with Gribiche, lemon,                       $  8.50

baby artichokes and green beans

Salads:

+ Tomatoes sliced with organic greens,micro herbs, farmers cheese, sea salt,basil oil, and dusted with dill pollen                                $ 7.50

+ Grilled Romaine,Roasted Beets,Garlic, olive oil,and  lemon, crumbled goat cheese                              $ 8.50

+ Chopped  salad of all Native Produce Green Goddess Dressing and Applewood smoked bacon                                                       $ 8.00

Entrees:

+ Crispy Skin Wild Striped Bass with Cauliflower Mash and Oregano butter                                                                    $21.00

+ Picked Lobster, creamed corn polenta, lobster essence, asparagus tips(or seasonal beans)                              $28.00

+ Breast of Chicken Roasted with Pancetta, capers, preserved  lemons, potato and seasonal beans                       $19.00

+ Hanger steak (grass fed),with fried stuffed potato slices and warm vegetable slaw            $18.50

+ Lamb Shank- Dumpling Casserole                                                                 $18.50

Desserts: $6.50

+ Bucks Spumoni, Blueberry Compote, Butter Fried Pound Cake

+ Chloes Carrot Cake with White Chocolate

+ Chocolate Polenta Cake with Raspberry

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

• Four Mile River Farm (Old Lyme), Robert Treat Farm (Milford)
• Stone Gardens Farm (Shelton), Cato Corner Farm (Colchester),
• Two Guys from Woodbridge (Hamden), Ned Island Oysters(Norwalk)
• Paganos Seafood(Norwalk), Jones Farm (Shelton), Sankow’s Beaverbrook Farm (Lyme)
• Kate and Mike Naturally Grown

I am expecting to use 90% CT Grown

Menu Pricing

See above

Connecticut Wines Offered

Sunset Meadow Vineyard-  St Croix

Jones Winery

• Pinot Gris
• Black Currant Bouquet

Jonathan Edwards Winery-  Chardonnay

Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe

39 Unquowa Rd

Fairfield Ct 06824

203 292 8190

www.catchahealthyhabit.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

mon-tue 8am-3pm Wed & Fri 8am-7pm Thur 8am-6:30pm Sat 9am-7pm Sun 11am-6pm

Reservations

Reservations are not required or recommended.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

1. Drink: Smoothie “Grateful Green” Kale, Pear, Date, Banana

2. Salad: “Boston Lettuce Salad” Boston Lettuce, Beets, Cashew “cheese”

candied pecans, honey mustard dressing

3. Soup: “Creme of Broccoli Soup” Broccoli Walnut Himalayan salt Italian spices, Cucumber Olive Oil

4. Dessert: Apple Pie Ice Creme: Cashew, Coconut Oil, Maple Syrup, Apple, Cinnamon

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

1. Kale (Riverbank) & Pear (High Hill Orchard)

2. Beets (Fort Hill Farm) , Maple Syrup, Honey (Red Bee Honey)

3. Broccoli (Fort Hill) , Cucumber (Riverbank)

4. Apple (High Hill Orchard), Maple Syrup*

* searching for a CT source for Maple Syrup

Menu Pricing

1. Large $7 Small $5.25

2. $8.50

3. $4.50

4. $3.50

* Regular Price $21.75 w/ small smoothie, $23.50 w/large smoothie

Special prices will be announced for a meal that includes all four!

Chartwells Wilton Public School High School

395 Danbury Rd

Wilton, CT 06897

Phone: 203 834 4990

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Monday – Friday

Reservations

Reservations required –  Wilton students only

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Day One: Cavatelli Sausage & Broccoli* with side salad mixed greens* and cherry tomatoes*

Day Two: Flatbreads – Options = Basil Pesto*, Chicken, Feta Tomato*, Fresh Mozzarella Tomato*

Day Three: Breakfast  Omelets (regionally grown eggs) – build your own, tomatoes*, zucchini*, broccoli*, peppers*, fingerling potatoes*

Day Four: Chef Ron’s Pasta Putenesca – whole wheat pasta, plum tomatoes*, basil*, berry medley cup*

Day Five: Western Pizza – eggs (regionally grown), red & green peppers* side order apple crisp*

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Blue Hills Farm, Baggott Farm, Beckett Farm, Cecarelli Farm, Futtner Farm, Long Plain Farm (all sourced through Fresh Point)

Menu Pricing

$3.00 – $4.50

Fairfield University Dining Services/Sodexo Campus Services

Barone Campus Center

1073 North Benson Road

Fairfield, CT 06824

203-254-4055

www.fairfielddiningservices.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

9/26/10 & 10/2/10 – 11:00am-7:30pm

9/27/10 through 910/1/10 7:30am-7:30pm

Reservations

Reservations required. If you are interested in joining during our Farm to Chef Lunch on Wednesday, September 29th, from 11:00am-2:00pm, Please contact us at 203-254-4055 opt. 2.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

9/26/10: Butternut Squash Soup, Pasta Primavera, Whole Green Beans, Tomato Bruschetta Flatbread

9/27/10: Home Fried Potatoes, Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches, Cucumber, Tomato & Onion Salad, Roasted Acorn Squash with Honey and Maple Sugar, Tomato Bruschetta Flatbread

9/28/10: Potato Leek Soup, Apple Cobbler, Roasted Root Vegetables, Caprese Biggie Sandwich

9/29/10: Listed Below under Special Events

9/30/10: Gyro, Squash & Carrot Medley, Roasted Vegetarian Lasagna, Potato Salad

10/1/10: Baby Carrots, Farfalle with Wild Mushroom Sauce, Tomato Bruschetta Flatbread, Creamed Corn, Mashed Potatoes, 3 Cabbage Slaw

10/2/10: Roasted Apple Coffee Cake, Pork Cutlet with Roasted Peach and Honey Glaze, Onion Jam, Swiss Chard, Roasted Root Vegetable

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Butternut Squash- Baggott Farms, East Windsor, CT

Pasta- Carla’s Pasta South Windsor, CT

Squash-Baggott Farms, South Windsor, CT

Green Beans-Fair Weather Acres Farms, Rocky Hill, CT

Tomatoes- Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Potatoes- Fuller Farms, Windsor, CT

Honey- Lamothe’s Sugar House, Burlington, CT

Eggs- Southern New England Eggs Franklin, CT

Cucmbers-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Acorn Squash-Defrancesco & Sons, Northford, CT

Maple Sugar-Lamothe’s Sugar House, Burlington, CT

Apples-Lyman Orchards, Middlefield, CT- Blue Hills Orchard, Wallingford, CT

Pears- Lyman Orchards, Middlefield, CT

Turnips-Ferrari Farms, South Glastonbury, CT

Basil- Beckett Farm, Glastonbury, CT

Syrup-Lamothe’s Sugar House, Burlington, CT

Zucchini-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Eggplant- Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Spaghetti Squash-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Yogurt-Beltane, Lebanon, CT

Sour Cream-Guida, New Britain, CT

Savoy Cabbage- Windsor Farm Windsor, CT

Bi-Colored Corn-Baggott Farms, South Windsor, CT

Peaches- Blue Hills Orchard, Wallingford, CT

Swiss Chard-Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Suntan, Cherry & Banana Peppers-Defrancesco & Sons, Northford, CT

Romaine, Red Leaf & Green Leaf- Cecarelli, Northford, CT

Other products from local companies:

All of Milk is From Guida’s in New Britain, CT

Hen Turkeys- CT Meat Company LLC Manchester, CT

Pasta- Carla’s Pasta South Windsor, CT

Menu Pricing

Dining Hall door prices by meal are- breakfast $6.00, lunch/brunch $8.00, dinner $10.50

Connecticut Wines Offered

We do not serve wine but will be serving Currant Juice from CT Currant in Preston every day.

Special Events

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Special Lunch to Promote Farm to Chef Program

Station Specials:

Entree Line Lunch:

Hen Turkeys, Corn on the Cob and Zucchini with Heirloom Tomatoes

Grill:

Grilled Portabella Sandwich

Deli:

Roasted Vegetable Baguette

Exhibition Station:

Egg & Cheese Sandwiches, Belgian Waffles-Fresh Whipped Cream, Fruit Comptes and Local Maple Syrup

Rotisserie:

Vegetarian Kabobs and Fingerling Roasted Potatoes

Vegetarian:

Eggplant Parmesan and Spaghetti Squash

Dessert:

Peach Cobbler

Green Gourmet to Go

2984 Fairfield Avenue

Bridgeport, CT  06605

203-873-0057

www.greengourmettogo.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Tues 11-5:30, Wed 11-5:30, Thur 11-6:30, Fri 11-5:30, Sat 10-2.

Reservations

Reservations are not required or recommended.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Apple Curry Soup
Celeriac, Leek and Potato Soup
Roasted Beet Crostini
Butternut & Tempeh Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms w/Braised Sesame-Garlic Kale
Corn-Crusted Tofu Pot Pie
Multi-Grain Pumpkin Risotto
Acorn Squash Almond Cookies
Autumn Spiced Carrot Cake

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Apples, beets, butternut squash, carrots, celeriac, broccoli, potatoes, kale, leeks, acorn squash (Sport Hill Farm, Easton, CT & Urban Oaks Organic Farm, New Britton, CT)

Goat cheese (Beltane Farms, Lebanon, CT)

Menu Pricing

GreenGourmetToGo food is for take out.  Prices for savory items range from $4 – $8, baked good range from $1.50 – $3.50

leFarm

Westport

Skinny Pines, LLC

220 Maple Road

Easton, CT  06612

203.727.8177

www.skinnypines.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Friday October 1

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Seasonal green salad with seasonal produce and Beltane Goat cheese

Stuffed potenta with seasonal greens and Sankow Ricotta cheese

Pizza with seasonal items from SHF

Dessert:  Apple pie with apples from Lakeview Orchard served with fresh whipped cream from a local farm….

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

We will use Beltane cheese (Lebanon), Eaglewood Farm (Barkhamsted) pepperoni, Sankow’s Bever Brook Farm (Lyme) Ricotta, Sport Hill Farm (Easton) ingredients, Apples from Lakeview Orchard (Easton)

Menu Pricing

30 + Tax

Special Events

Skinny Pines, LLC will be co-hosting a dinner at Sport Hill Farm in Easton CT.  We will use fresh local ingredients from the farm for our pizza.  Minimum of 30 people and a maximum on 50.

Something Fishy Catering LTD

14 Depot Place

Bethel, CT 06801

(203) 722 2444 or (914) 572 5648

http://somethings.server313.com/

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Friday October 1st, 2010 starting at 6pm

We are a catering company so will be hosting a Friday price fixed menu showcasing CT farm products and our catering style. October  1^st 2010  6pm, Location : TBD

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Smoked Shiitakes, Holbrook Farm Braised Leeks, Ground Hazelnuts

Baby Endive Spoon

Holbrook Farm Salad

Holbrook Farm Baby Kale, Green and Red Leaf Lettuce, Purslane

Toasted Marcona Almonds, Caramelized Fennel, Maple Poached Dates, Orange Blossom Vinaigrette

Pan- Seared Tilden Seafood Diver Scallops

Grapefruit Zest, Burnham Farm Sweet Corn and White Truffle Risotto, Harrissa

Crispy Holbrook Farms Collard Frizz

Cinnamon-Cumin Rubbed Duck Breast

French Green Lentils, Blistered Plums, Larson  Farm Roasted Pumpkin, Caramelized Celery Root

Grilled Nectarine-Zinfandel Reduction

Grilled Greyledge Farm Grass- Fed Filet of Beef

Holbrook Farms Blue Potato Puree, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe, Holbrook Farm Chioggia Beet Chip, Horseradish Mousse

Cupcake Trio-Made from Holbrook Farm Eggs and Arethusa Farm Fresh Milk

“Tropical Fever” Banana Cupcake with Black Sesame Buttercream

“Castara” Coconut-Carrot Cupcake with Tamarind Buttercream

“Yucatan” Chocolate Chipotle with Orange Buttercream

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Holbrook Farms, Bethel CT providing Leeks, Baby Kale, Lettuce, Purslane, Collard Greens, Blue Potato, Chioggia Beets, Chicken Eggs

Tilden Seafood, Litchfield CT providing Diver Scallops

Larson Farm, New Milford, CT providing Pumpkin

Greyledge Farm, Roxbury CT providing Beef Tenderloin

Burnham Farm, South Windsor CT providing Sweet Corn

Arethusa Farm providing Cream and Milk

DiGrazia Vineyards Brookfield CT- Wines

Menu Pricing

Price fixed menu $75 Dollars per person

Connecticut Wines Offered

DiGrazia Vineyards Wine provided by Spirits N Such Owner Rocky Patel

Stamford Yacht Club

Stamford

Sugar & Olives

21 1/2 Lois Street

Norwalk CT 06880

203.454.3663

www.sugarandolives.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Tuesday through Saturday 8am to 3pm, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 6pm supper,

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

“lobster on the farm”

lobster and sweet potato soup, vegan!

warm lobster chop salad, apples and calvados, mâché, minted ratatouille

“veggies in heaven”

leek and vermouth soup

three piles of love:

quinoa, kale and parlsey

amaranth and eggplant

heirloom grain medley and mushrooms

“honest pork belly”

eats, shoots, and leaves salad, pomegranate molasses vinaigrette

grass-fed, home-schooled, church-going pork, braised with pears and semi – sweet riesling wine

sweet turnip mash

“Caesar loves lime seared chicken”

lemon risotto and our favorite sauteed greens

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Gazy Brothers Farm, Oxford, CT

Urban Oaks Farm, New Britain, CT

Two Guys From Woodbridge, Hamden,  CT

Fort Hill Farm, New Milford, CT

Laurel Ridge Farm, Litchfield, CT

Menu Pricing

All suppers are $30 including one glass of wine, and a cookie treat.

Connecticut Wines Offered

Haight  Brown Vineyard, Honey Nut Apple white wine and Semi-Sweet Riesling

Sharpe Hill Vineyard, Pomfret, CT, Reserve Chardonnay

The Unquowa School

981 Stratfield Road

Fairfield, CT 06825

302.336.3801

http://unquowa.org/

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

M – F

Reservations

Reservations required

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Stuart Family Farm Hamburgers

Chilled Berry Soup, Unquowa Pickles, Local corn, Watermelon

Empanadas

Corn Chowder, Brown Rice, Black Beans, Broccoli, Brownie

Apples & Honey

Baby Heirloom Tomato Soup, Steel Cut Oat Bread

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Ground Beef, Beef from Stuart Family Farm, Bridgewater, CT

Empanadas, Vegetables from Sport Hill Farm, Easton, CT

Honey & Apples, High Hill Orchard, Meriden CT & Red Bee Honey, Weston, CT

Baby Heirloom Tomato Soup, Assorted School Gardens in Fairfield County.

Menu Pricing

No Price

Connecticut Wines Offered

N/A

Special Events

Doing first demonstration at New Beginnings Family Academy with Chefs Move To Schools.

White Silo Farm & Winery

32 Route 37 East

Sherman, CT 06784

860 355 0271

www.whitesilowinery.com

Hours of Operation during Week of September 26, 2010

Sunday 9/26 from  11 to 6. Friday 10/1 from 5 to 8 PM, Saturday 10/2 from 11 to 6.

Reservations

Reservations are not required or recommended.

Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Menu

Honey Roasted Rhubarb Salad

Turkey Sandwich with White Silo Farm Black Currant Mustard

Blackberry Panna-Cotta

Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce

Local Farms and CT Grown Ingredients Featured

Raspberries, Blackberries, Rhubarb grown on our farm

Black Currant Mustard produced in our farm kitchen

Menu Pricing

$6 per item

Connecticut Wines Offered

Our own wines – Rhubarb, Blackberry, Raspberry and Black Currant

Special Events

Pick your own Raspberries and winery tours

2010 FARM-TO-CHEF HARVEST CELEBRATION WEEK

September 26, 2010 – October 2, 2010

PARTICIPANTS

Fairfield COUNTY

Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant Bridgeport

Boxcar Cantina Greenwich

Brownson Country Club Shelton

Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe Fairfield

Chartwells Wilton High School          Wilton

Green Gourmet to Go Bridgeport

leFarm Westport

Skinny Pines, LLC Easton

Stamford Yacht Club Stamford

Sugar & Olives Norwalk

The Unquowa School Fairfield

White Silo Farm & Winery Sherman

Hartford COUNTY

The Angry Olive Italian Bistro Rocky Hill

Bricco Trattoria Glastonbury

Ferme Farm-to-Table Restaurant Avon

Firebox Restaurant Hartford

Grant’s Restaurant and Bar West Hartford

J. Foster Ice Cream Avon

J. Foster Ice Cream Simsbury

The Kitchen @ Billings Forge Hartford

Lincoln Culinary Institute Hartford

Matthews Unionville

Max Amore Ristorante Glastonbury

Max Burger West Hartford

Max Downtown Hartford

Max Fish Glastonbury

Max-a-Mia Restaurant Avon

Max’s Oyster Bar West Hartford

Mulberry Street Manchester

OPorto Restarurant Hartford

Peppercorn’s Grill Hartford

Restaurant Bricco West Hartford

Trumbull Kitchen Hartford

Litchfield COUNTY

Bantam Bread         Bantam

Miranda Vineyard Goshen

New Milford Hospital Cafe New Milford

The Pantry  Washington Depot

Provender of New Morning Natural and Organic Woodbury

The White Hart Washington Depot

Middlesex COUNTY

Alforno Trattoria Old Saybrook

The Dining Room at The Copper Beech and Brasserie Pip Ivoryton

It’s Only Natural Restaurant Middletown

On The Rocks at Fox Hopyard Golf Club East Haddam

Perk on Main Durham

Saybrook Point Inn & Spa ,Terra Mar Grille   Old Saybrook

Tschudin Chocolates & Confections Middletown

Wesleyan University Middletown

New Haven COUNTY

3B Ranch d/b/a Northford Naturally Grown    Northford

Bespoke New Haven

Chefs a l’Orange Caterers / Treat Farm         Orange

Chestnut Fine Foods New Haven

Christopher Martins Restaurant New Haven

Claire’s Corner Copia East Haven

Commons – Yale Dining New Haven

Consiglio’s Restaurant New Haven

Friends & Company Madison

Heirloom / the Study at Yale New Haven

Host America Corporate Dining North Haven

The Kitchen Table New Haven

Miya’s Sushi New Haven

New Haven School Food New Haven

Nini’s Bistro New Haven

Scoozzi Trattoria and Wine Bar New Haven

Well on Wheels Hamden

Yale New Haven Hospital New Haven

Zinc Restaurant New Haven

New London COUNTY

Kensington at the Norwich Inn Norwich

La Belle Aurore Niantic

Mrs. B’s Convenient Cuisine Norwich

Tolland COUNTY

Bush Meadow Farm, LLC Union

Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market Coventry

UConn Dining Services Storrs

Zest Tolland

Contact:

Linda Piotrowicz

CT Department of Agriculture

165 Capitol Avenue, Room 129

Hartford, CT  06106

860-713-2558

860-713-2516 (fax)

Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov

www.CTGrown.gov

If you are a restaurant or food service company in CT, please take this opportunity to create a week of special menus featuring CT grown ingredients and CT wines.  The 2010 Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week event being planned for September 26 through October 2 currently has over 35 restaurants  signed up, but we know there are many more candidates out there. Click here to pre-apply online by April 30.

CT Department of Agriculture Announces 2010 Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week

Contact: Linda Piotrowicz, 860-713-2558, Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov

April 8, 2010   Hartford, CT- Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week, a new promotion initiated by the CT Department of Agriculture’s Farm-to-Chef Program, will run Sunday, September 26, 2010, through Saturday, October 2, 2010. Open to all restaurants and foodservice businesses in the state, it invites participants to create and offer a separate Farm-to-Chef menu showcasing CT Grown ingredients and CT wines.

“While many Farm-to-Chef members source locally on a regular basis, we hope this special event will entice new restaurants and businesses to give CT Grown ingredients a try. Because it is only a one-week commitment, it is an easy way for chefs to try local farm products without feeling overwhelmed,” said Linda Piotrowicz, Farm-to-Chef Program Manager.

“Of course, once they get a taste of CT Grown ingredients, we are confident they will not want to go back,” she added with a smile.
Guidelines are fairly simple:

1. Each participant shall offer a separate Farm-to-Chef menu of at least four items, each showcasing one or more CT Grown ingredients, from 9/26/10 through 10/2/10.

2. Businesses that serve alcohol also must include at least one CT Wine on the menu during Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week.

3. Pricing will be left to the discretion of each venue in order to encourage participation by many different styles and types of restaurants and foodservice businesses.
The following also are encouraged:

1. Use of a wide variety of CT Grown ingredients, including proteins, cheese, milk, honey, maple syrup, fruits, and vegetables.

2. Pricing of the Farm-to-Chef menu that falls within the normal range for that business.

3. Incorporation of related events during Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week, such as farmer appearances, talks, CT wine tastings, chef demonstrations, tours, recipe hand-outs, etc.

According to Piotrowicz, the public is becoming increasingly aware of what they are eating and where it comes from. Interest in local food is soaring, evidenced by an all-time record number of farmers’ markets in the state last year, 125. Consumers are seeking fresh, locally grown foods for use in their own kitchens, and they have begun looking for them when dining out as well.

“We have been sourcing from nearby farms for years,” explained Scott Miller, Executive Chef at Max’s Oyster Bar and longtime Farm-to-Chef member. “This past year we were able to serve CT Grown salad greens every day, even throughout the winter, thanks to an increase in season-extension production methods employed by area farmers.”

“The quality of local food does not compare to that of ingredients shipped in from across the country,” Chef Miller continued. “It does take some extra effort to work with many small farms instead of buying from one or two huge suppliers, but it is time and energy well spent. Our customers definitely notice the difference. After all, food that spends the least amount of time out of the soil, and the least amount of time on a big rig, just simply tastes better.”

The CT Department of Agriculture will promote and publicize Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week and will post information about each participating businesses on the agency’s website. The Department also will provide businesses with resources to help promote their involvement in Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration week and to help locate sources of CT Grown ingredients.

Interested businesses must complete an online pre-application no later than Friday, April 30, 2010. Information provided will be used in the promotion of Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week. Information required in the pre-application includes

• Company contact info
• Proposed Farm-to-Chef menu (minimum of four items)
• CT Grown ingredient(s) to be showcased in each item
• Proposed source of each CT Grown ingredient
• CT Wine(s) to be offered (minimum of one for any business that serves alcohol)
• Pricing for the menu

Pre-applications must be completed online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QG2YVWT.

All participants must also submit a final application with confirmed menu and a list of featured farms and their ingredients. Final application information will be sent out to all participants in July and must be completed no later than August 13, 2010. This information will be used in Farm-to-Chef Harvest Celebration Week promotional materials.

For more information, please contact Linda Piotrowicz at Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov or 860-713-2558.

The CT Farm-to-Chef Program helps connect Connecticut chefs and food service professionals with growers, producers, and distributors of CT Grown products. It also helps the public locate restaurants, institutions, and other dining facilities that serve foods prepared with CT Grown ingredients. Please visit www.CTGrown.gov and click on “Programs and Services” for more information.

CONNECTICUT GROWN – The Local Flavor
www.CTGrown.gov
www.ct.gov/doag

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