BF&T’s two ChefX events in April were a hit and we’re excited to do it again!

The Hudson event at The Crimson Sparrow was well received and we sold as many tickets as possible given the last-minute demand for the dinner. The Berkshire-based event at Allium in Great Barrington was great and interest for guest seats was sky high. The phone was ringing off the hook day of and we could not accommodate the many guests who wanted a seat at the table. (A good problem to have!)

Both ChefX experiences were lively and fun, the food was interesting and delicious, chefs had a great time and we’ve heard from many participating restaurants that they are seeing new guests visit as a result of ChefX. The plan is working…

We had terrific coverage in regional media outlets. Here are a few articles and radio segments which resulted from the events:

• Heritage Radio Network – 4/24/13
• Border Crossing – Hudson Made (4/5/13)
• Hudson Valley Chefs Cook Up Berkshire Banquet – The Berkshire Eagle (5/1/13)
• A Culinary Exchange Between the Berkshires & Hudson Valley – Rural Intelligence (4/1/13)
• Berkshire Hudson Chefs Swap Places in April – The Rogovoy Report (3/24/13)
• Chefs Across the Border – Gossips of Rivertown (3/24/13)
• Look for an article about ChefX in the June issue of Berkshire Magazine!

We are taking a break from ChefX events for the summer but will get busy planning in September for late fall 2013 and winter 2014. If you have any thoughts about what you’d like to see in the next ChefX rendition, send an email to Berkshire Farm & Table at <berkshirefarmtable@gmail.com>. We’d love to hear from you!

Photos courtesy of Angela Cardinali

Five chefs from the Hudson Valley will be throwing down some great food on Monday, April 29th at Allium in Great Barrington, MA. Details available on our official ChefX page. Tickets must be purchased on Eventbrite by April 25th.

Dinner menu for the chef swap pop-up is included below. Hope you can join us!

A quick note to fans of Rural Intelligence… Today’s RI newsletter announced foraging walks that will NOT be taking place! Berkshire Farm & Table’s Where the Wild Things Are foraging walks series was listed as happening in April/May. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, we will not be offering walks. Look to Spring of 2014 when we hope to be back on the map!

Thanks for your interest!

On Sunday, April 7^th, The Crimson Sparrow in Hudson will host the first-ever ChefX event when five chefs from the Berkshires cross the border in a one-night-only chef exchange to present a five-course dinner. We do it all again, this time in reverse, on Monday, April 29 when Allium Restaurant + Bar in Great Barrington will host five esteemed chefs from the Hudson Valley. See info below and visit the website link for more info. To purchase tickets to the April 7 event in Hudson, visit Eventbrite. Tickets for the April 29 event in Great Barrington are also available on Eventbrite. Tickets are going fast so get them soon!!

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, March 20!
 Visit the Outstanding in the Field website to register and join their mailing list.

Photo credit: Jeremy Fenske

On Sunday, September 8, the Outstanding in the Field bus will be arriving in the Berkshires at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield. Chef Brian Alberg and his crew from The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge will be manning the field kitchen and presenting a five-course meal to 150 guests.

Just added this week! A second stop in the Berkshires at Lila’s Farm in Great Barrington with Dan Smith of John Andrews : A Farmhouse Restaurant in South Egremont cooking up the five-course meal. This event happens on Saturday, September 7.

This nationally recognized event presents an opportunity for the Berkshires to make known its historical roots in agriculture and to promote the food culture of the region, especially the strong ties between farmers and chefs and the collaborative practice of farm-to-table values in the region.

Photo courtesy of Outstanding in the Field

Photo credit: Jeremy Fenske

Outstanding in the Field
Outstanding in the Field (OITF) is a roving culinary adventure – literally a restaurant without walls. Since 1999, OITF has traveled around the country setting their long table in fields, gardens and vineyards, and on beaches and mountaintops. Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table. Their mission is to promote local food and agriculture, reconnect diners to the land and the origins of their food and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. The organization donates to a number of farm- and food-related groups whose missions align with those of OITF.

Event Details and Ticket Information
Both dinners on Saturday and Sunday, September 7 and 8 will begin at 3 p.m. with passed hors d’oeuvres at the initial greeting area followed by opening remarks and a farm tour around 4 p.m. Seating for the four-course, family-style dinner (including dessert) will begin at 4:45 p.m. The price for the dinner is $220 per person. Tickets go on sale on March 20, the first day of spring. For more information about the event, visit the OITF website.

To view the full North American tour, visit the OITF website. To receive information leading up to the event, join the OITF mailing list.

Photo courtesy of Cricket Creek Farm, Williamstown, MA

Beginning on Monday, March 4, special menu items from the prestigious dinner will be featured by chefs Brian Alberg of The Red Lion Inn (Stockbridge), Stephen Browning from Bell & Anchor (Great Barrington); Jamie Paxton of The Meat Market (Great Barrington); Daire Rooney from Allium (Great Barrington); and, Dan Smith, of John Andrews Restaurant (South Egremont).

Check out what Alberg has to say about the event:

According to Alberg, “Celebrating ‘Beard in the Berkshires Week’ provides an opportunity for our local community to experience the James Beard dinner in a number of ways. The ‘Berkshire Cure-All’ is a creative presentation of dry-, wet-, salt- and smoke-cured courses which preserve the bounty of the Berkshires and Hudson Valley,” he said. “The work of Berkshire chefs is truly a culinary collaboration and we are excited to present elements of the dinner in our restaurants so our guests can take part in it,” he said.

The chefs sourced menu ingredients from the Berkshires and Hudson Valley including Bacon on the Side Farm, Barrington Coffee Roasting Company, Berkshire Blue Cheese, Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, BerkShore, Lila’s Mountain Lamb (Lila Berle), The Berry Patch, Black Queen Angus Farm, Chestnut Hill Farm, East Mountain Farm, Equinox Farm, Farm Girl Farm, Foggy River Farms, High Lawn Farm, Hilltop Orchards, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Kinderhook Farm, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, Shire City Herbals, Sol Flower Farm and Zehr & Sons Mushroom Farm.

During Beard in the Berkshires Week, restaurants will feature the following:

Allium will highlight small plates versions of the James Beard Dinner hors d’oeuvres course.

Bell & Anchor will feature Charcuterie of Chestnut Hill Farm Pork.

The Meat Market will offer Kinderhook Farm Pasture-raised Mutton & Parsnips and Cured Black Queen Angus Farm Grass-fed Beef with Celeriac as specials for the week.

John Andrews Restaurant will present Lila Berle’s House-cured ‘Lambcetta’ with Pickled Zehr Farm’s Mushrooms, Pickled Foggy River Farm Vegetables & Equinox Farm Microgreens.

For a savory dessert special, The Red Lion Inn will feature Old Chatham Blue Cheese Cake with Candied Walnut Crust, Serrano-style Ham Crisp and Berkshire Mountain Distillers Rum and Hilltop Orchard Cider Aspic. The Inn will also offer a Fire Cider Hot Toddy featuring Shire City Herbals’ traditional New England cure-all of apple cider vinegar and honey.

March 1 Dinner Details

For more info on “The Berkshire Cure-All” including full menu, chef bios, photos/video and more, visit the website.

This will be Alberg’s tenth visit to the James Beard House and the fourth time he has invited a group of like-minded Berkshire chefs to collaborate and present the multifaceted culinary artisanship of the region. “The Berkshire Cure-All” reception and dinner will include Stephen Browning, chef at Bell & Anchor (Great Barrington); Terry Moore, chef-owner of The Old Mill (South Egremont); Jamie Paxton, chef at The Meat Market (Great Barrington); Daire Rooney, chef at Allium Restaurant + Bar (Great Barrington); Dan Smith, chef-owner of John Andrews: A Farmhouse Restaurant (South Egremont); and Zee Vassos, chef at Firefly (Lenox). Red Lion Inn Sommelier Dan Thomas will craft elixir-themed cocktail recipes and select cure-all wines to accompany the dinner’s reception and six courses.

Here’s a short video taking you inside the James Beard House:

Link to YouTube for additional videos from last year’s event.

The evening will begin at 7 p.m. with a reception in the Beard House’s charming Greenhouse Gallery as guests enjoy an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. A seated tasting menu will begin around 8 p.m. The price is $130 per person for James Beard Foundation members and $170 per person for the general public. The James Beard House is located at 167 West 12th Street. For reservations, please call 212.627.2308

Beginning at noon on Friday, March 1, a team from The Red Lion Inn and Berkshire Farm & Table will be streaming live behind-the-scenes coverage of Berkshire chefs in the James Beard kitchen. The live coverage offers fans a backstage pass to this prestigious event. This year, media coverage will include blog posts, Facebook and Twitter updates for up-to-the-minute storytelling as it takes place on-site in New York.

The menu for the evening is as follows:

Berkshire Farm & Table’s Where the Wild Things Are foraging walks were a great success! We sold out seven of the eight walks and had more than 150 participants take part in the series. Approximately 100 community members came from the Berkshire region with more than 50 folks from six states including VT, CT, NY, FL, MI and IL.

Where the Wild Things Are were presented in partnership with Berkshire Grown’s Farmed + Foraged culinary event, celebrating a weekend of spring flavors with more than two dozen restaurants offering spring dining specials and prix fixe menus THIS WEEKEND — Friday, May 25 through Monday, May, 28. Check out some of the amazing offerings and delicious prix fixe Farmed + Foraged menus online!

This month-long exploration of wild spring edibles was presented thanks to the generous support of the Williams College Sustainable Food & Agriculture Program, a major sponsor of Where the Wild Things Are. Additional partners include The Briarcliff Motel, Mezze Restaurant Group, The Red Lion Inn and Storey Publishing. A big ‘thank you’ to our sponsors for making this event series possible!

Thank YOU for your support of Where the Wild Things Are!