By Elizabeth Keyser

Bill Taibe has taken to the sea. Known for trekking to local farms to get sustainable, seasonal produce, the chef-owner of the heralded restaurant Le Farm is about to open The Whelk. The new restaurant in Westport will feature sustainable seafood from local and regional sources.

Taibe and The Whelk’s chef de cuisine Dan Kardos recently boarded Norm Bloom’s oyster boat and sailed out into Long Island Sound.  Bloom is a third-generation oysterman in Norwalk who has branded local blue point oysters as “Copps Island oysters” after one of the Norwalk Islands near where he seeds, farms and harvests oysters. As Taibe and Kardos watched Bloom’s crew haul in the harvest, the importance of replenishing the beds was underscored.

For Taibe, sustainability is also about relationships, getting to know the people whose hard, physical labor brings food to his kitchen. “Norm is one of the most humble men,” he says, “I was so impressed with his approach and intelligence.”

Sourcing seafood is not as straight-forward as getting produce from a farm. “Knowing who is raising [the seafood] is hard,” Taibe says. But with Copps Island oysters the source will be “boat-to-table.” “Norm wants us to take them right off his boat,” Taibe says. A direct source for Connecticut lobsters will be Justin Cummings at Nice Tail Distribution (www.nicetaildistribution.com).  Cummings is a “an ex-cook of mine,” who showed Taibe that Connecticut lobsters are nothing to sniff at – they make good eating. “I was impressed with the taste of the Connecticut lobsters. They were super-sweet,” he says. Taibe will supplement with Maine lobsters as needed.

Scallops will come from Stonington, Conn. Taibe will venture farther up the coast to Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury, Mass for their bivalves. Browne Trading Co., a company based in Portland, Maine (www.brownetrading.com), will provide a wider range of responsibly sourced seafood, including “great smoked fish,” Taibe says.

Sunburst Trout Farms (www.sunbursttrout.com) in the mountains of Western North Carolina will provide hot- and cold-smoked trout, which they raise without antibiotics or hormones in pristine mountain water that runs 20 feet per minute – double the industry standard for farmed fish. Sunburst tests the fish to insure that they are free of PBCs, mercury and pesticides.

Right now Taibe’s working on The Whelk’s menu, which he sees as something that will keep evolving.  The food will be the opposite of Le Farm’s rich, meaty sensibility. The raw bar will bring clean, clear flavors. The hot dishes, which Taibe describes as “medium-sized plates,” will bring “different and fun takes” on classics like oysters Rockefeller. Look for variations on Le Farm’s addictive clam butter. At The Whelk it might be poured over fried pork belly.  Many dishes will be cooked on the  plancha – a flattop grill – and seasoned with “spicy flavors, mayo, lemon.” Looking forward, Taibe says “I’d like to get to the point of doing fish charcuterie.” No matter what, The Whelk will evolve. “What it will be three weeks from now will be different from what it will be three months from now,” he says. Meat specials, for instance, could be based on what Ryan Fibiger, at Saugatuck Craft Butchery, just across the plaza, has available.

Produce served at The Whelk will come from the group of local farms with whom he has trusting relationships – Sport Hill, Millstone, Holbrook and Urban Oaks.

Sustainability is a theme in the interior design of The Whelk as well. The Whelk’s window-lined room, which gets sunshine throughout the day, seats 54 and has a spare, industrial-chic design. The view of the Saugatuck River and I-95 spanning it high overhead bring together the sensibility of nature and industry. Inside the restaurant (there will be outdoor dining in summer), a row of high-topped tables down the center of the room are topped with reclaimed white and red oak. They are supported by sturdy metal bases painted dark green. Taibe says they are from an old printing press. Metal stools were sourced through John Weiss of Lillian August, who had them fabricated in Philadelphia.  Custom wood benches were crafted by a carpenter in Rowayton to Taibe’s request for a“English park bench” look. A long white marble bar and a wall of white subway tiles add to The Whelk’s clean look. The dominant work of art is a graphic black-and-white design that turns out to be framed sections of an antique pirate’s flag.

The wine list is overseen by co-owner and general manager Massimo Tullio, formerly of Fat Cat Pie (where he remains a co-owner). “He knows more about wine than anyone,” Taibe says, “And he has a fun, young approach to wine that’s not stuffy.”

Tulio is one of the few new staff members. Taibe finds “like minded people” who follow him from restaurant to restaurant. Kardos worked for Taibe at Relish. Since then Kardos has cheffed at Harvest Supper in New Canaan and at Bar Rosso in Stamford.  Taibe is proud of The Whelk’s “monstrous” gleaming kitchen, a welcome change from Le Farm’s tiny kitchen. And The Whelk’s kitchen has windows. Even the “stunning” dishwashing station has windows.

It’s hard not to imagine that the place will be a hit. How many of his customers will choose The Whelk because the seafood is sustainably raised or harvested? Taibe feels that sustainability is a concern with a core group of his customers. Then, “There’s a percentage who could care less,” he admits, “but there is a percentage of people who are teetering and I have conversations with them. The numbers are multiplying,” he says.

The Whelk will solidify Saugatuck as Westport’s new dining destination. “Fairfield County needs a fun, mature place to go out and be communal,” Taibe says.

“This is a slow approach,” he says, of the new restaurant, “a humble approach. I don’t have all the answers.” One thing can be expected, however. “We’ll try to achieve greatness every day.”

The Whelk

575 Riverside Avenue

Westport, CT 06880

Opening date TBA. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday for dinner. Sundays and lunch will be added as the restaurant hits its stride. No reservations accepted.

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

You can’t seem to make it to the farmers’ market, you got closed out of a CSA, and you don’t know where else to conveniently shop to find fresh, local produce, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, baked goods and artisan crafted foods. You might not be able to easily squeeze in a trip to your destination organic grocer one week or you’d just rather buy locally. Maybe you’re a restaurant or caterer who finds that sourcing local food is sometimes challenging despite an evolving farm to chef distribution system. What to do?

Well, I guess Deb Marsden knew that quite a few green food consumers would fall into these categories, so she started CT Farm Fresh Express, a business that sells, packs and delivers local farm goods directly to consumers’ doorsteps. You order what you want when you want it. No kidding. Deb has made this so consumer friendly that there’s no minimum order necessary, no membership fee, no ongoing purchase commitment required, and convenient payment methods are available. It’s the no excuses way to eat locally.

Apparently the media is impressed with Deb’s business; she’s been featured on NBC News, The Faith Middleton Show on NPR, and The New York Times. I found ordering from CT Farm Fresh Express to be very straightforward – visit the site to shop (some options change weekly) and place an online order between Saturday and Wednesday morning and get it delivered for a $15 fee to your doorstep on Friday afternoon. If you won’t be home, leave a cooler with some ice packs and David, who is responsible for distribution to Fairfield County, will place your order in it. Deb sends email reminders each week with a list of what’s new. The asparagus is being harvested and oyster mushrooms are now available!

The whole family enjoyed our initial order of Beltane farms aged goat cheese, local scallops, 100% grassfed hangar steak, organic tofu salad, whole wheat bread, organic Asian braising greens, organic butterhead lettuce and Maitake mushrooms. Those were the freshest scallops I’ve had since I bought them off the boat in Stonington last summer and I haven’t seen that mix of Asian greens anywhere. I felt pretty smug after realizing I had worked an extra two hours instead of going to the grocery store, hadn’t burned any gas and hadn’t bought extra stuff I really didn’t need. David was off that week so Deb delivered my order in person! Isn’t the tangerine Element cute?

Deb Marsden launched CT Farm Fresh Express in February 2008 but just opened up distribution to Fairfield County. As the number of consumers and restaurants she supplies has grown, the initial four farms she worked with expanded to 28 and they now supply everything from organic greens to Maitake mushrooms to jarred sauces and syrups. Some of the products she carries are currently exclusively available to Fairfield County consumers through CT Farm Fresh Express.

Calling Deb a local food advocate doesn’t quite do her work justice. It’s truly a labor of love. She’s parlayed her dedication to buying locally and sustainably into a business that’s a win-win for Connecticut consumers and farms while also supporting a local food economy. I find it interesting that one of the biggest hurdles Deb had to overcome in launching her business was convincing local farmers to work with her. Slowly she convinced them that her business model not only would work, but would also be  sustainable. Now participating farms enjoy proactively communicating each week’s inventory directly to consumers they would not normally have access to. And consumers in turn can place custom-tailored orders online and receive the freshest, most delicious, locally grown foods available for a small delivery fee.  Call it farm to fork, farm to table, farm to consumer, or farm to doorstep, just be sure to call it fresh and convenient.