The turkeys are gone and the radio stations have started playing seasonal tunes... The holidays are officially here! If you're looking to gift friends and family with awesome foodie presents and local treats, we've compiled some of our favorites for your perusal. We also enlisted the help of a prominent local chef, Mario LaPosta of Tarry Lodge in Westport, CT who offered his picks.
For that one foodie in your life that seems to already have everything – consider shopping at newly opened New Canaan Olive Oil. Their wide assortment of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Vinegar flavors will entice even the most spoiled cooks, specifically their Cranberry Walnut Olive Oil. Great for salads or sautéing veggies, this seasonal flavor will add a toasty and tangy taste to any dish. And for our beloved bacon lovers, try their Bacon Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil – an easy way to add bacon flavor to almost anything!
This year, Thanksgiving is coming late, Hanukkah is arriving early and the Christmas holiday almost seems shortened before it has even begun. Have no fear, though, your holiday shopping will not bear the brunt of this crazy calendar...not with some of our suggestions. From unique food products, photographs, jewels and books, there is just about something for all the folks on what seems to be your never-ending list. How could so many people have been so good this year? Buy them some of these goodies and they’ll know...oh, they’ll know....
With a name that is creatively based on the French for "knowledge of food," Savoir Fare offers an evolving collection of cookware, bakeware, stemware, cooking tools and fine French linens.
With an impeccably curated assortment from these fine brands, you are assured that only the highest quality items are in this collection:
Parallel Post in Trumbull is launching a dining series inspired by the season, Farm-to-Trumbull. Farm-to-Trumbull has been designed by Parallel Post to provide an intimate experience for 40 guests led by James Beard-nominated chef Dean James Max.
For $75 per person (tax and 18 percent gratuity not included), guests can warm the palate with a welcome cocktail and sampling of small bites, followed by a family-style meal ripe with the season’s finest local ingredients, wine pairings presented by our mixologist and an all-you-can-indulge dessert bar. The dinner will take place at the beautiful, Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens in Easton.
The menu for the event - much like Parallel Post’s weekly-changing restaurant menu – focuses on localism, following the philosophy that natural and sustainable products, and responsible farming, are the key components in ingredient selection.
The abundance of ramps across Connecticut menus this past week not only signals spring, but also the imminent seasonal collaborations between local farms and the chefs who love them. For Connecticut's farm-loving dining scene, this can only mean one thing—farm dinners are just around the corner.
Why do we at CTbites look forward to these farm dinners so much? It allows us to celebrate and support both the chef as well as the farmer while appreciating the bounty of the Connecticut landscape that we call home (many, but not all of these dinners are fundraisers). With the promise of a new destination and communal seating, diners can enjoy the company of like-minded food lovers. And of course there is the simple and pleasurable act of dining en plein air with grass beneath your feet.
As it is still early in the season, this list of a dozen or so events is in formation, so if you'd like to recommend a dinner or an event we may have missed, please include it in the comments and we will update our list. Whether you look forward to farm dinners as much as we do, or have yet to embrace this seasonal ritual, we encourage you to give one or many a try this year!
As is always the case, one holiday ends and another is launched into our consciousness almost instantly. Those crumbs from the pumpkin pies are just being swept away, but The Holiday Season is officially here and Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa shopping has begun. What to get? Where to get it? It’s the annual quest. We’d like to make things a wee bit easier for you, as we’ve found some great items for the food lovers on your list. Buy one, buy several! Either way, you will seen as one of those “good gift givers”!
Save the Date! Wakeman Town Farm is thrilled to announce our first Farm-to-Table dinner with chefs serving their finest fare on Saturday, September 15. "Grassroots" will be a decadent extravaganza, using the fresh seasonal vegetables, made possible by the generous contributions of local farmers.
Presenting the star chefs for this special evening:
Jason Sobocinski of Caseus, New Haven John Naughright of LeFarm, Westport Frederic Kieffer of Artisan, Southport John Barricelli, Sono Bakery, Norwalk & Westport
Holbrook Farm and Chef Michael Bick of Some Things Fishy Catering are hosting their second BYOB farm-to-table dinner of the season on Sunday, July 22, 2012, 4 p.m. at Holbrook Farm in Bethel, CT. The event is $55 per person. To make reservations, email or call 914.572.5648 to make reservations.
Their first event of the season was captured by Alicia Ghio of Local Food Rocks. Check out her recap and photos, here.
The 3rd annual "Farm 2 Fork" dinner series will officially begin on Wenesday, June 20th at Millstone Farm, 180 Millstone Rd., Wilton, CT. Those of you who have enjoyed these wonderful communal dining experiences in the past, are likely already drafting that email for reservations. For newbies, here's what to expect. A tour of the beautiful 75 acre Millstone Farm will begin at 6:00PM followed by a pristinely farm fresh, family style dinner beginning at 7:00PM. The cost is $100. per person with a featured wine. BYOB is welcome. Tax & gratuity is excluded.
Holbrook Farm and Chef Michael Bick of Some Things Fishy Catering are hosting a BYOB farm-to-table dinner on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at Holbrook Farm in Bethel, CT. The event is $55 per person. To make reservations, email or call 914.572.5648 to make reservations.
"John, Lynn, and I have been good friends for over 5 years coming to my events and often speaking about the importance of local and sustainable food sources. It just seemed like a natural thing to have dinner right on the farm where I get my produce," said Michael Bick.
Holbrook Farm is a family farm run by John and Lynn Holbrook. They have lived on the 13-acre property for 34 years. "Holbrook Farm has been clean of pesticides and herbicides for at least the last 30 years that we have owned the land. We don't spray with pesticides, we try to use beneficial insects and companion plants," John Holbrook says, "and we don't use herbicides. Weeds have a place in the ecological mix as long as they are controlled."
For those of you new to the "farm dinner" concept, Dinners at the Farm is a series of benefit dinners that recreate a sense of connection to farming, cooking and eating. Plus you get to reconnect under the stars in a beautiful candlelit tent while eating a spectacular multi course meal.
Special Offer: Diners at the Farm is again offering $100 Thursdays and Sundays beginning now through mid-night March 30, 2012. Hurry the clock is ticking.
Chef John Holzwarth of The Boathouse at Saugatuckis coming to Millstone Farm in Wilton CT on October 4th and October 11th.
These “Farm to Fork” on-site events feature Chef Holzwarth’s seasonal creations showcasing Millstone Farm’s well-recognized sustainable produce. Both dinner events will feature two sumptuous five course dinners including wine pairings with each course. Arrive at 6:30 for a tour of this pristinely beautiful farm, with Annie Farrell as your guide.
It’s a great opportunity to meet chef Holzwarth and farmer Annie Farrell in action! Tickets are $85 per person and must be purchased at the Boathouse in advance by calling 203-227-3399.
Dauntingly overcast skies would not deter the guest list of 50 or so people who only 24 hours before the recent Souterrain event were summoned to Sport Hill Farm in Easton CT for a Sunday brunch. Bill Taibe's latest culinary adventure would be unique in both the mid day time slot (leFarm does not serve brunch, and according to Chef Taibe...never will), as well as the presence of a film crew shooting a TV pilot during the meal. But the stars of the show were the menu, the shared experience, and the magnificent backdrop of Patti Popp's sustainable Sport Hill Farm. Check out the photo gallery here.
