It was a great evening!

A good time was had by all at our first Chef's and Farmer's: Taste the Adirondacks! We hope you were there to enjoy the great food that our chef's created especially for the event. Everyone asked said the food was fabulous, and they hope it happens again next year. The Union Depot provided the perfect setting, with many people using the adjacent lawn area to eat, relax and visit.

A huge thank you from all of us at the Green Circle for your support and attendance. Biggest thanks to our Chef's and of course to our Farmer's for growing and creating the creative and tasty dishes last night.

This is what it's all about!

 

Having a good time!

Waiting in line for tokens...

Organizers Gail Brill and Susan Hahn

Charlie Levitz of Chair 6 serves walnut and gorgonzola ravioli, with summer veggies, spinach, arugula and sungold tomatoes.

Amy Quinn of Desperados

Holy and Ivy Huber

Amy Kohanski and Andy Kael

Michele Asselin of Harmony Hills Farmstead

The Breakfast Club

Selling lots of tokens

Saranac Sourdough

Blue Moon and Generations setting up.

Ready for consumption

Chef David Hunt of Generations rolls up his sleeves

Tasty chilled soup offered by Generations

 

The Big Day is Here!

We are excited about the big event tonight and hope you can make it. If you want to go green, take the wine train on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. They will be arriving at 6 PM and leaving to return to Lake Placid at 8 PM!

Be sure to say hello to Michelle Asselin of Harmony Hills Farmstead. Their meats will be used by some of the Chef's and she will be there representing the farms in our area. 

A big thanks to our sponsors, Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Casier's Furniture and North Country Public Radio. We couldn't have done it without you.

Fledgling Crow Farm is a Chef Favorite!

I spoke with Lucas Christenson, one of the owner's of Fledgling Crow Farms in Keeseville, and a mainstay at our local Farmer's Market's, recently about Fledgling Crow and their relationship with the Chef's in the Tri-Lakes area.

"The Chef's in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake have been really good to us. We began wholesaling to them in 2009. They are open to trying new things with really good results." Lucas says they are very flexible, when they are sold out of something the Chef may want, they will work with a substitution.

"The Chef's we work with are really dedicated to using local produce, and letting their customers know it's local" said Lucas. "Without the income the Chef's generate we wouldn't have made it" he said, smiling.

Fledgling Crow's produce will be feature at the Taste the Adirondacks event, come and sample it!

The Menus are in!

What’s on the menu?

Blue Moon Cafe

Owner/ Chef: Kenny Fontana

• Asian infused wild mushroom & vegetable summer rolls

• Rustic Adirondack potato flatbreads with honey herbed chicken, Chevre, fruits & herbs.

• Wild ramp, Walnut and artisan cheese baby Fougasse

Partner Farms Fledging Crow, Lively Run Goat Dairy

The Breakfast Club, etc.

Owner/ Chef: Susan Berkowitz and Heather LePere

• French Toast Fondue
• Carmelized Onion, Smoked ham and Gruyere Fritatta

Partner Farm South Meadow Farm

Cake Placid

Owner/ Chef: Jennifer Gates

• Blueberry Pancake cupcakes with Maple Syrup

• Carrot cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream

• Very Berry Muffins featuring berries from Rivermeade

Partner Farms Rivermeade Farm, South Meadow Farm, Fledging Crow and Asgaard Farm

Chair 6
Owner/ Chef: Charlie Levitz
* Walnut and gorgonzola ravioli tossed with summer veggies,
spinach, arugula, and sungold tomatoes.
Partner Farm Fledging Crow Farm

Desperados
Owners/ Chefs: Amy & Kevin Quinn
• Canteloupe Gazpacho
Partner Farm Juniper Hill Farm

Eat & Meet
Owner/ Chef: John Vargo
• On the Spot Tomato Soup
Partner Farm Campbell’s Greenhouse

Generations
Chef: David Hunt
• David will set up a saute station utilizing local vegetables,
allowing guests to create their own dishes.
Partner Farm Fledging Crow, Snowslip Farm, Kilcoyne Farm

Green Goddess Natural Foods
Owners/ Chefs: Tammy Loewy & Wynde Kate Reese
• Homemade salsa paired with a fromage blanc and rolled in a
homemade tortilla (Champlain Mills Flour).
Partner Farms Ledgetop, Fledging Crow, Clover Mead Farm, Champlain Mills 

Mirror Lake Inn
Chef: Jarrad Lang
• The Summer Pork Trio, a BBQ pulled pork, a Pork burger and a candied bacon BLT,
all on house made challah rolls.
Partner Farm Harmony Hills Farmstead

Nori's Village Market
Owners/ Chefs: Andy Keal, Amy Kohanski, Laurie Dodge Cushman
• Salad with local greens and veggies and fresh mozzarella marinated in basil pesto
• Made-on-the-spot stir-fry
Partner Farms Clover Mead, Fledging Crow & Asgaard Farm

Saranac Sourdough
Owner/ Chef: Eileen Black
2126 Saranac Avenue #1 Lake Placid

• Half-Sour Dill Pickles

•Torta Siciliana

a savory cheesecake made with fresh homemade white cheese layered with Sicilian pesto, 

heirloom tomatoes and almonds

• Crostini with toppers
• Tuscan liver spread with pickled fennel, heirloom tomato-basil salsa, eggplant caponata    
• Small Sandwiches with Caponata

• Blackberry Fools

Partner Farms Rehoboth Homestead, Tucker Farms, Fledging Crow, Asgaard Farms, 

Clover Mead Farm, Northern Orchard

Bon Apetit!!

Saranac Sourdough

Eileen Black and her husband John are the owners/ chefs of Saranac Sourdough. Eileen says she's been in the Adirondacks for so long that it's hard to imagine being anywhere else, but adds "It's all about the quality of life".

When asked about her favorite local ingredients, Eileen said that cucumbers are one of her favorites. She uses them to make her legendary Half-Sour Dill Pickles, using cucumbers from Ledgetop Farm and dill from Tucker's Farm. In the spring, her favorite ingredient is fresh peas. She uses them to make a pasta dish, prosciutto with peas.

For the Chefs & Farmers (Saturday, August 27, 5:30-8pm) Eileen has put together a fabulous menu featuring ingredients from local farms:

• Half-Sour Dill Pickles with cucumbers from Ledgetop Farm and dill from Tucker Farms
• Torta Siciliana, a savory cheesecake made with fresh homemade white cheese layered with Sicilian pesto made with basil and garlic from Fledgling Crow, heirloom tomatoes from Rehoboth Farms and almonds
• Crostini with Three Toppers: 1.Tuscan liver spread with pickled fennel from Rehoboth 2. Heirloom tomato-basil salsa from Rehoboth Farm 3. Eggplant caponata from Northern Orchard farm stand
• Caponata with Mozzarela: small sandwiches made with cheese is from Clover Mead Farm and greens from Tucker Farms
• Dessert -- Blackberry Fool

The Breakfast Club

Susan Berkowitz and her partner Heather LaPere are the owners of The Breakfast Club in Lake Placid. When asked why she's here in the Adirondacks, Susan replied "I have come up here every summer my whole life, and a few years ago I forgot to leave. It's beautiful, and I'm happy. That's what it really comes down to for me." Heather grew up down state, but went to SUNY Plattsburgh and fell in love with Lake Placid. She decided to make it her permanent home about eight years ago.

For the Chefs & Farmers event, they are partnering with South Meadow Farm. They will be serving:

* Carmelized Onion, Smoked Ham and Gruyere Fritatta

* French Toast Fondue, a breakfast club original

* Virgin Bloody Mary sips.

Generations Restaurant Chef Hunt loves local Farms!

Why are you here in Adirondacks?- I love the lakes and mountains, and can't think of a better place to raise my family. Also, working as a chef in Lake Placid has been a great experience. I am not a native but have lived and worked here for 30 years.

What is your favorite locally grown ingredient, and how do you use it?- I have many, as far as growing goes, this week it's the awesome pok choi from Fledgling Crow farms. We have been doing Asian inspired dishes, and also have oriental vegetable stir fry with Soba noodles on the menu incorporating many local vegetables. My all time favorite is the Bison from Windy Mountain Farm, Ron and Beth Edgley are raising Buffalo right here in Lake Placid - its absolutely fantastic!  Generations has Maple Seared Bison with peppercorn sauce on the menu, its a huge seller. I really love Asgaard Goat cheese and Clovermead farm cheeses too. This is a hard question to name my fave.

What Farm will you be partnering with? I plan on Fledgling Crow to be my main but have some surprises too. I want to create a local saute station at the event utilizing lots of vegetables and allowing the guest to create their own dishes.  The Chef will prepare what the guest wants and try and help them create something awesome and nutritious.

What other dishes will you be serving during week of local eating? Well, it's based on availability, but I'm planning Berkshire pork chops, hopefully some local lamb, also some breakfast specials. I try and allow my culinary staff to be creative, so who knows- specials change every day and are as local as I can make them. However, during this week we are trying to be 100% local!!!