Taste of… Offers Food Prizes at This Year’s Fund Raiser

CHATHAM - Chefs continue to submit their entries for the dinner coming up on August 2nd at the Columbia County Fairgrounds – and they sound delicious. But last minute changes can still occur – primarily because these cooks are relying on the ripest, most luscious produce to create their masterpieces and the weather dictates what’s ready to fall off the vine and what needs another week to reach the peak of perfection. Still, at the moment, the menu reads like a great evening filled with wonderful food.

The Taste of …, Columbia County Bounty’s annual dinner, is always the highpoint of the summer for people who love good food. A fundraiser to benefit an organization eager to create lasting partnerships between local farms and local restaurants, the dinner features “tastes” of over 40 different offerings – from wines to salads, smoothies to gazpachos.  Patrons have an opportunity to meet the great chefs of the region and taste fine produce and products from regional farms. Not only is fresh produce included, but so are items like grains from Wild Hive Farm, cheeses from an assortment of farms including Old Chatham Sheepherding and The Pampered Cow, and dairy products from Ronnybrook Farm. Wines made in the region by either Brookview Station Winery or Hudson-Chatham Winery will be available for purchase by the glass and Strongtree Coffee will have a specially developed blend made up just for the evening.

But the spotlight will be on delectable foods. Gazpacho from Blue Plate Restaurant, Chilled Cucumber/Dill Soup from Lippera’s Restaurant and Fruit Salad with Chutney made by the folks at Beth’s Farm Kitchen are on the menu along with Carrot Slaw and “Faux” Sushi (also from Beth’s Farm Kitchen). Red Devon Restaurant, in conjunction with Temple Farm, will be serving Ham Hock Terrine and a Cucumber-Tomato Salad.  

Hudson’s newest restaurant, American Glory, will be supplying chicken and pork sliders and homemade coleslaw. Resources include Punsit Valley Farms chicken, pork from either Old Saw Mill or Cool Whisper Farm, and Hand Hollow Farm will supply fresh, crunchy cabbage for the slaw. Stissing House is planning on using Coach Farm cheese and Sol Flower Farms vegetables for their Provencal Vegetable Terrine with Goat Cheese. The Cascades plans on offering Cake Waffles and Thinly Sliced Roast Beef served on Sliced Baguettes. And Tanzy’s Lemon Cake with Raspberry Sauce and whipped cream will use resources from the Dan Baker Farm. They will also be offering Blueberry Tarts, Lavender Tea Cookies and Blueberry Rooibois Tea Spritzers. Sound good?

News this year is the addition of several more Kids Groups: Hawthorne Valley Farm ‘Kids Can Cook Camp’, Columbia Cooperative Extension 4-H ‘Choose Health Ambassadors”, The Sylvia Center at Katchkie Farm, the Chatham Summer Recreation Program, Taconic Hills Harvest Club, Hudson Recreation and the Kids in Motion - Farm to School Program. For these young chefs, recipes are still in flux. But this event is their chance to shine and, rest assured, the resulting dishes will be delicious.

So will new Bounty member Red Lion Inn’s choice: Chilled BBQ Chicken w/ Smoked Heirloom Tomato Puree, Greek Style Honey Yogurt, and Sun Gold Tomato & String Bean Salad. This well-established area restaurant is using produce supplied by Punsit Valley Farm, the Farm at Miller’s Crossing, Ronnybrook Farm, and Markristo Farm.

Music for the evening will be provided by Kid Kurt and the Gentlemen of the Night. Flowers will be the work of set designer Peter Frank and include donations from Migliorelli’s Market in Hudson, Monkshood Nursery, Holmquest Farms and Cedar Farm Flowers in Ghent. 15 raffle baskets, representing produce and food-related items from several of the towns in the county, will be displayed atop linen provided by P/Kaufmann Fabrics. Tickets, 10 for $10.00, will provide some lucky winners with “to go” baskets before the evening is over. 

The Taste of… “spread” promises to be scrumptious, healthy and informative. Nothing is better than great food created with top-notch ingredients. And ingredients locally grown mean everything truly does have that “just picked” flavor. Whether chefs or gardeners, participants will be eager to meet and greet the public and show off their talents. And, through this fund raiser, Columbia County Bounty can continue to get the word out about the great agrarian economy that this County should continue to support.

The Taste of…evening, begins at 5 p.m. on August 2nd and takes place on the Columbia County Fairgrounds in the main Fairhouse off Route 66 in Chatham. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.ColumbiaCountyBounty.com, with a PayPal link or obtained at the door. They are $ 50. Children 7 – 12, $25. Under age 7, $10. Bounty membership ($25 for the year/$40 for a couple) is required and can also be accomplished on-line. Regionally, all branches of First Niagara Bank now have tickets for sale, too. Only a limited number of seats are available.

Columbia County Bounty is supported by Ginsberg’s, Lofgren/Brad Peck/Hermon Huntley Insurance Agencies, Hudson-Catskill Newspapers, Columbia Economic Development Corporation, General Roll Leaf, Hudson River Bank and Trust Foundation, Karp, Ackerman, Skabowski & Hogan, CPA, Keil Equipment, Ed Herrington, Inc. and Kinderhook Bank. In addition, Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation, Columbia County Chamber, the Columbia Land Conservancy and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia County lend their support.

The Fairgrounds are on Route 66 (182 Hudson Avenue, Chatham 12037 for GPS systems.)  Click for directions. 

Return to 2010 Taste of Columbia County Bounty Main Page

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Taste of Offers Food Prizes at This Year's Fundraiser

Attention Foodies:  Columbia County Bounty Dinner is Almost Here