Tickets have gone on sale for the Dinners At The Farm 2016 season!
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If you’re missing in person cooking classes or simply want to spice up your usual repertoire, Connecticut caterers, chefs, restaurants, shops, and bartenders have the perfect solution: virtual classes! Want to bake a cake? Mix up a cocktail? Cook a savory meal? Get private instruction? Do it as a group? There are opportunities for all of it! Here is a guide to virtual experiences in Connecticut.
Episode #2 of our new Chefs At Home series is here…and It’s a good one. Chef Anthony Rinaldi, formerly Exec Chef at Kawa Ni in Westport, currently the Chef for Greenwich Country Day School, has been having some fun in his kitchen with this recipe for the Ultimate Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie. This guy knows his way around a kitchen. Those kids at Greenwich Country Day are darn lucky….Enjoy!
In addition to blazing trails with restaurants (Thali, INDIA, Indian Kitchen) Chef Prasad has begun to make his fans swoon on a more intimate level with a regular cooking school series. What a special treat. I recently went to one of his Sunday classes and came away with a whole new passion for Indian cuisine. And believe me, I’ve already been a giant fan for years. (Jackson Diner, Queens anyone? I lived in Jackson Heights for ten years).
Join the culinary professionals that lead the kitchens of Westport restaurants Terrain Cafe and Amis at Stamford Museum & Nature Center as they show you the joys of sourcing and cooking with the best in seasonal and sustainable ingredients. From salads and appetizers to entrees, pastas and desserts, this six-part series (January 27 through March 9.) takes you through the methodology of creating show-stopping dishes as you also learn how to source the best ingredients right in your own backyard.
Can I just tell you how great it is to go to bed at the end of a fall night with the smell of a bonfire in my hair? Both end-of-season Hadley & Occum Farm Dinners hosted by DORO were truly sort of magical. Not in the knight in shining armor kind of magical, but in the can we hold onto to this beautiful moment of community and let these flavors and aromas linger just a little while longer kind of magical. It was community, it was the beautiful Sub Edge Farm, it was tremendous food, and it was a recognition of what Bourdain always talked about: the power of sharing a meal around a table, no matter who is dining with you.
Nominated as one of five for 2019 Caterer of the Year by the Connecticut Restaurant Association, we know DORO Catering and Restaurant Group is a master at their craft. With the connection of four restaurants, Zohara Kitchen, Avert, Treva, and Artisanal Burger Company, the catering group has a culinary treasure trove of flavors and experience from which to pull for any event they cater.
For the next two weeks CTbites will be featuring a series of Thanksgiving recipes from local CT chefs. Some of these recipes will be family favorites, or dishes the chefs cook in their own homes. Others will grace the holiday menus found at your local restaurant. One thing is certain. They will all be delicious and worthy of a seat at YOUR table. Our second in this series comes from Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State. Enjoy her recipe for Candied Kabocha Squash.
Birdman Juke Joint has kicked off their “Biscuit Brunch”. Yes, it's those nationally acclaimed Brown Sugar Buttermilk Biscuits that took the nation by storm when Chef Chris Scott made them on Top Chef. Brunch hours are Saturday and Sunday only from 10:30am to 2pm.
Happy Birthday, Julia Child! On Wednesday August 21, celebrate her birthday at Millwrights with a 5 plus prix fixe meal. It costs $95 per person (plus tax and tip) and also includes wine pairings.
Artisanal Burger Company in Manchester, CT invites you to a Pig Roast on the Patio. Join them on Monday August 19 for a pig roast with plenty of BBQ sauces, picnic-style sides, drinks, and delicious summer desserts.
The Hey Stamford! Food Festival is finally here! On August 24 and 25, food trucks, live entertainment, local vendors, and more will converge on Mill River Park. Donut Crazy, Dinosaur BBQ, Cousins Maine Lobster, and Kona Ice are just a few of the eats that will be there for the weekend! Choose from regular admission or a VIP experience.
When was the last time you thought about where each element of your dinner came from? The plates, the table, the meat, the cups; each item seems to come from an arbitrary supermarket, creating a culture where the process of making and eating food is incredibly solidarity. That, in a nutshell, is why Dan Sabia left the restaurant industry. And now, he’s using his work with wood, fire, and food to change that norm in a world where very few are trying. Chef Dan Sabia is changing the way we think about private catering with his innovative new business, Wood Fire Food.
You’ve arranged to keep the kids busy all summer long with camps and lessons, sleepovers and maybe a bit of volunteer work here and there, but what about some fun for YOU? Those kids shouldn’t get all the fun. And because we are, eh-hem, adults, learning a few new things alongside that good time is always a welcome bonus. Cooking classes are a unique way to have a memorable evening. You can go solo, with a friend or a group. Choose the flavors or the skills you are interesting in knowing more about. Then walk away with a full belly, new information and probably a few laughs under your chef’s apron. What the heck are you waiting for? Remember too, these are great gift ideas as well. Friend with a birthday during the summer? Treat them! It’s like dinner out but so much better. Pencil in some time for yourself this summer and treat yourself..like a kid.
Here is our Guide To Adult Cooking Classes in Connecticut.
Max Chef to Farm, an award-winning group of events that celebrate the amazing food grown in our backyard, is heading into their 12th year. Guests are transported directly to the farm to experience seasonal and local food. Their dinners are multi-course feasts showcasing the delicious bounty of Connecticut-grown produce and other locally-sourced ingredients prepared on site by Chef Steve Michalewicz of Max Catering & Events, Chef Hunter Morton, Culinary Director of the Max Restaurant Group, and the entire Max Chef to Farm team.
Max Chef to Farm dinners are adventurous events that celebrate and support CT-grown products. Their host farm for most events this season is the 160-acre Rosedale Farms, located in Simsbury, CT. They have many things in common with the Max Restaurant Group including a commitment to using sustainable farming and business practices. Speaking of support...
Chef Billy Grant and his Chefs Corey Cannon of Bricco Trattoria, and Jon Gyles of Bricco West Hartford invite you to join them for their Summer 2019 Farm Dinner series at Rose’s Berry Farm, in South Glastonbury. Every Farm dinner features a creative menu with ingredients sourced from a multitude of CT farms, and includes passed and stationed hors d’ oeuvres, multi-course dinner, dessert, creative cocktails, craft beers, and vino!
Price per person is $89 plus 18% tax and gratuity (all alcohol is included). Reservations recommended and can be purchased online at www.billygrant.com or by emailing catering director Michelle McMahon at michelle@billygrant.com.
Hot summer days and you don’t feel like cooking. The stove, oven, even the grill…it’s all so hot. But hold on a minute there, maybe *you* don’t have to! With a little foresight (read: now), your kids can learn to cook this summer, get inspired and whoa-oh, looks who’s not in the kitchen anymore?! Beyond your parental joy, though, kids will enjoy learning cooking skills, whipping up some pretty cool menus from around the globe and even having a cooking competition or two just to test their mettle. Just be sure to sign up your aspiring chefs soon, these classes and camps fill up quicker than hot grease will jump out of a pan!
If you follow Fortina Pizza or chef/owner Christian Petroni on Instagram, chances are you thought about hitting that “skip a shipment” in your Blue Apron settings for something a little more local and a lot more restaurant quality.
Petroni’s wood-fired restaurants known for their Neapolitan pizza, pasta dishes, and tasty Bronx Italian grub just got in the meal kit game in the middle of February when they launched Fortina At Home.
On Thursday, June 14th, Chef Geoff Lazlo of Geoff Lazlo Food, in Greenwich, CT will be cooking at the prestigious James Beard House in NYC. The evening's menu will feature Connecticut farms, and is aptly titled "Connecticut Farm Feast." Check out the menu below. and reserve your seat here.
Connecticut Magazine’s Best Chef of 2018 Geoff Lazlo earned his fine dining chops with stints at Gramercy Tavern, Chez Panisse, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the Mill Street Restaurant Group before venturing out to create his own company. Sample the cream of Connecticut’s farm-to-table crop with a sumptuous, organic spring harvest, fresh picked from his lovingly tended plots at Greenwich Community Gardens.
Chef Tim LaBant and The Schoolhouse At Cannondale have released the schedule for the 2018 season’s Farm to Fork dinners. Tickets go on sale May 1st...and they go fast! Check out the schedule below.
Four locally sourced courses served family style under the stars (weather permitting). Beginning at 6 pm, Cocktail hour (drinks included), Farm Tour and Dinner (BYOB) by Wilton's own, Chef Tim LaBant of The Schoolhouse at Cannondale. Location: Millstone Farm, Wilton, CT.
Dinner is BYOB starting at around 7 pm and is four courses, family style.
On Saturday, September 16th, Enjoy an organic farm to table feast alongside the sounds of acclaimed jazz musicians from The Mike Casey Trio at Waldingfield Farm in Washington CT.
Visit a beautiful organic farm hidden in the Litchfield Hills for a fine seasonal dinner all sourced locally. Guests will enjoy an Autumn sunset and a fine dinner in celebration organic farming in Connecticut!
4 PM Refreshments & Farm Tour
5 PM Cocktails & 1st Course
6 PM The Mike Casey Trio Followed by Dinner & Dessert
Terrain Garden Cafe in Westport hosted a vegetarian dinner this week to celebrate the summer bounty of the Westport Farmers' Market. Terrain's Chef Jes Bengsten, alongside Chef Jeff Michaud from The Vetri Group, created a stunning 10 course dinner to honor the Westport Farmers' Market, highlighting fresh, seasonal ingredients from local growers. Cocktails and wine pairings complemented the menu that featured the diversity of plant-based cuisine. Terrain Garden Cafe in Westport hosted a vegetarian dinner this week to celebrate the summer bounty of the Westport Farmers' Market. Terrain's Chef Jes Bengsten, alongside Chef Jeff Michaud from The Vetri Group, created a stunning 10 course dinner highlighting fresh, seasonal ingredients from local growers. Cocktails and wine pairings complemented the menu that featured the diversity of plant-based cuisine.
Mark your calendars. On Monday, March 20th, the first day of spring, tickets will go on sale for the 2017 season of Outstanding In The Field.
The 2017 CT locations will be held at Waldingfield Farm on September 12th and The Hickories on September 13th. The guest chefs for Waldingfield will be Jason Sobocinski & Alex Lishchynsky of Caseus in New Haven. The Hickories will feature James Beard nominee Tyler Anderson of Millwright's in Simsbury. Additional details on chefs and farms can be found below.
Tickets have gone on sale for the Dinners At The Farm 2016 season!
At Dinners At The Farm, each evening begins at 6:00pm, dinner served at 7:00pm. Tickets are per person and are $125 (Wednesdays, Thursdays & Sundays), $150 (Fridays and Saturdays). Upon arrival, guests are greeted with an orchard fruit cocktail and passed hors d’oeuvre and then proceed onto a lively tour of the farm with our warm and engaging farm hosts. Following the tour, guests are seated beneath a tent at long candle-lit tables with white porcelain settings where they will savor course after course of freshly cooked food with ingredients just picked from the fields outside the tent. Guests will break bread and raise a glass with the farmers, fishermen, and others who make up Connecticut’s vibrant agricultural community.
Our 2016 season marks 10 years of hosting our celebrated open-air dinners in the fields of Connecticut farms for delightful and delicious evenings of locally grown food, wine, and conviviality. Dates and additional information here.