Archives for March 2012

A Foraged Feast 2012

 

Wine Institute of New England


Presents

A Foraged Feast

forest-to-table cooking demonstration with wine pairing

 

Demonstrated by
 Chef Daniel Chong-Jiménez

Hosted by 
Sunset Meadow Vineyards 
Goshen, CT

With special guest forager “Wildman” Steve Brill

 

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

 

Experience an event like no other you have experienced before. 

Learn how to forage for wild edibles with the East Coast's most famous forager, Wildman Steve Brill, followed by a wine reception and tour of Sunset Meadow Vineyards with winemaker, George Motel. Chef Daniel Chong-Jiménez will then demonstrate how to incorporate foraged finds into a gourmet dinner prepared from locally sourced ingredients. Each course will be expertly paired with one of Sunset Meadow Vineyards' award-winning wines.

 

Foray ~ 3:30 p.m.


Wine Reception & Tour ~ 5:00 p.m.


Cooking Demonstration ~ 6:00 p.m.

Dinner with Wine Pairing ~ 7:00 p.m.

 

Cost of event: $125 per person

This event will be limited to 50 people.

For reservations or information, please call 860-591-WINE

or register online here:

 

The Evening’s Menu

featuring seasonal, locally grown foods enhanced with foraged delicacies:

Appetizer

Cato Corner Cheese with Field Garlic Chutney

Salad

Salad of Burdock Root and Japanese Knotweed with Violet Vinaigrette

Entree

Grilled Tenderloin of Beef with Sweet and Sour Garlic Mustard Root

Dessert

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Sassafras Syrup

 

In order to bring you the freshest local ingredients possible, the menu is subject to change based on seasonal availability.

 

Meet the ForagedFeasts™ Team:

Renée B. Allen, CSW ~ Renée Allen is the Founder and Director of the Wine Institute of New England, a wine education and epicurean entertainment business. She is a Certified Specialist of Wine and a member of the Society of Wine Educators. As part of providing wine education, Renee has the opportunity to work closely with many local chefs and is especially excited about the events she does involving local wines and local, sustainable foods. She is an authority on Connecticut wine and specializes in organic, biodynamic and sustainably farmed wines from around the world. The idea for ForagedFeasts came to her one day while nibbling on a wineberry in the middle of the forest. www.wineinstituteofnewengland.com

 

Chef Daniel Chong-Jiménez ~ Chef Daniel continues to focus on local and delicious foods since switching from agricultural sciences to a career in the culinary arts in the late 90s. He has many years of experience working as executive chef at destination resorts for discerning clientele. Chef Daniel is currently the Culinary Director of ChefDesigned, providing nutritious and delicious food on-the-go. A long-time resident of Connecticut and a seasoned culinary educator, Chef Daniel is well known for his entertaining and informative hands-on cooking classes. www.chefdanielonline.com

 

George Motel III, Winemaker, Sunset Meadow Vineyards ~ George Motel crafts award-winning and highly palatable wines at the Motel family’s scenic winery overlooking the Litchfield Hills in Goshen, Connecticut. SMV won Best Family Winery in 2010, awarded by Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England, and recently won first prize in 4 of 7 categories in the CT Specialty Food Association’s Products Award Competition. www.sunsetmeadowvineyards.com

 

“Wildman” Steve Brill, Forager ~ "Wildman" Steve Brill is America's go-to guy for foraging and a self-taught naturalist, environmental educator, author and artist. He's led thousands of foraging tours since 1982, working with the public, school classes, day camps, museums, parks departments, nature centers, libraries, garden clubs, organic farms, scouts and more, and also leads birthday party tours.

He designed and maintains his website, Foraging with the "Wildman," http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com, and has written Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Places, (Harper-Collins Publisher, 1994), The Wild Vegan Cookbook (Harvard-Common Press, 2001), and Shoots and Greens of Early Spring in Northeastern North America (self-published, 2008). He created WildEdibles, a master foraging app for iOS and Android devices. He stars in the DVD, "Wild Edible Basics," and his next book, Foraging with Kids, will be available in 2012.

He's appeared countless times in major electronic and print media, but he's still best known for having been arrested and handcuffed by undercover park rangers for eating a dandelion in Central Park in 1986. The media ate it up and embarrassed officials negotiated with the naturalist, dropped the charges, and hired him to lead the same foraging tours for which they arrested him. He worked for the city for 4 years before resuming freelance work.

 

2012 CT Specialty Food Association Product Awards Competition

The CT Specialty Food Association (CSFA) held it’s eleventh Product Awards Competition on Thursday, March 8, 2012, at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. 203 specialty food items from Connecticut-based manufacturers were entered into 36 categories, with hopes of receiving the prestigious honor of CSFA Product Award Winner 2012.

A panel of 21 judges consisting of local media personalities, food writers, chefs from the CT Department of Agriculture’s Farm-to-Chef Program, and wine specialists scored products on overall taste/flavor, consistency/texture, appeal, and color. Each judge was assigned to specific categories, responsible for evaluating an average of approximately 35 different products.

Categories included breads, cheese, confections, CT Grown, gluten-free, organic, pasta sauces, salad dressings, savory condiments, snack foods, and many others.The wide array of food products featured fresh breads, cheeses, many varieties of sauce, jams, relishes, flavored seeds, oils and vinegars, syrups and much, much more.

“It is always amazing to see the diversity and high quality of the foods and beverages made by producers right here in Connecticut,” said Tricia Levesque, CSFA Director. “This competition showcases the best of the best in the state. Each year we seem to find additional entrepreneurs looking to showcase the outstanding products they produce. Not only are these products perfect for everyday meals and parties, they also make wonderful gifts. There is always something for every member of the family.”

“Purchasing products from Connecticut companies helps to fuel our local economy and create jobs here in our state, which is so important in today’s economy,” Ms. Levesque continued. “It really is a win-win for everyone – consumers get the best quality foods available and Connecticut companies stay strong.”

Consumers looking for CT specialty food products can visit www.ctspecialtyfood.org and ask for them at local markets and grocers.

Last year Connecticut wines were included in the competition for the first time. A variety of wines produced here in Connecticut were entered again this year. All wines were required to contain 100% CT grown fruit. New also this year were three of the four wine judges. Returning judge Renee Allen, Director of the Wine Institute of New England, helped CSFA put together an experienced team of wine tasters that included Brian Mitchell, Director of Wine & Beverages for Max Restaurant Group, Daniel Chong-Jimenez, Director of Culinary for ChefDesigned, LLC and Nicholas Paris, Public Relations Manager for E. & J. Gallo. Although the wine judges may not have seen eye to eye on every wine tasted, all of the judges agreed that Connecticut wines have shown remarkable positive growth over the last several years. Sunset Meadow Vineyards from Goshen, CT had a particularly strong showing, taking first place in four of the seven categories. The list of wine winners appears below. For a complete list of all winners from the competition, please visit www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com.

From left to right: Nicholas Paris, Brian Mitchell, Renee Allen, Daniel Chong-Jimenez

Wine – Blush

1st Place

Sunset Meadow Vineyards, Goshen, CT Sunset Blush 2010

Wine – Dessert

1st Place

Sunset Meadow Vineyards, Goshen, CT Midnight Ice

2nd Place

Sunset Meadow Vineyards, Goshen, CT Pyrrha’s Passion 2008

3rd Place

Gouveia Vineyards, Wallingford, CT Epiphany Reserve

Wine – Dry Red

1st Place

Sunset Meadow Vineyards, Goshen, CT St. Croix 2008

2nd Place

Hopkins Vineyard, New Preston, CT Cabernet Franc 2008

3rd Place

Jones Winery, Shelton, CT Cabernet Franc Vintner’s Selection 2010

Wine – Dry White

1st Place

Jones Winery, Shelton, CT Pinot Gris Vintner’s Selection 2010

2nd Place

Gouveia Vineyards, Wallingford, CT Seyval Blanc

3rd Place

Jones Winery, Shelton, CT Stonewall Chardonnay

Wine – Fruit

1st Place

Jones Winery, Shelton, CT Black Currant Bouquet

Wine – Other White

1st Place

Hopkins Vineyard, New Preston, CT Westwind 2010

2nd Place

Gouveia Vineyards, Wallingford, CT Cayuga White

3rd Place

Sunset Meadow Vineyards, Goshen, CT Cayuga White 2010

Wine – Rosé

1st Place

Sunset Meadow Vineyards, Goshen, CT SMV Rosé

2nd Place

Gouveia Vineyards, Wallingford, CT Whirlwind Rosé

3rd Place

Jones Winery, Shelton, CT Rosé of Cabernet Franc Vintner’s Selection 2010

CSFA is a subdivision of the CT Food Association and is a non-profit organization that represents small food businesses based in the state. To learn more, visit www.ctfoodassociation.org or email ctfood@ctfoodassociation.org.