For the Love of Food: Good Local Eats Coming to Twilight Celebration

Roasted butternut squash soup prepared by Jen Brenner, chef and owner of the local catering company Olive Branch Gourmet, is shown. Brenner is taking part in a fundraising event Sept. 15 – Twilight in the Meadow.

By Steve Peters

Last week I celebrated my two year anniversary of living in Vermont. When people ask how I like living here, the answer is easy: I love it. Why? For a number of reasons, but at the top of my list is the food.

If you’ve read this column before, you know that many factors are encompassed when discussing food in Vermont. We know it doesn’t just appear on our plates. It involves a number of dedicated and talented individuals – a combination that you simply won’t find anywhere else. Whether they are the farmers, chefs, bakers, or eaters, and the many folks in between, they have a role to play.

That’s why I’m excited for our upcoming fundraising event on September 15^th – Twilight in the Meadow. While the event certainly helps us raise the necessary funds to continue pursuing our work in advancing local farm and food initiatives, at the end of the day, it’s really not about us.

Twilight is a celebration of farms and the folks who have the creative ability to take their high quality local foods and turn them into delectable masterpieces. We often discuss our local farms here, but if we also didn’t have creative minds taking foods to the next level, the world would be a slightly less exciting place – at least for me.

Sheri Sullivan, owner of Sheri’s Diner in downtown Brandon and catering company, Plan-It-Sheri, is one of those creative minds. When she isn’t running one of her two businesses, Sheri oversees the non-profit Dinners with Love, which works with area chefs and cooks to donate meals to hospice patients. I’m excited to see Sheri leading Twilight’s dinner menu this year and doing something rather smart with it – adding some Mediterranean flavor.

Also contributing to the menu are a number of other talented individuals, including French trained Chef, Jennifer Brenner, who runs the local catering company Olive Branch Gourmet; Sissy Hicks of the well-known Sissy’s Kitchen in Middletown Springs; and Tracey Medeiros, author of the acclaimed The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook. Our guests will enjoy the result of this demonstration of how food can be sourced locally while also possessing some worldly inspiration.

Their food stations will be set up around the tent and grouped according to country. Northern Spain, France and Italy will be found at one station, Greece, Turkey and Syria at another, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya at a third and Spain, Algeria and Morocco at the final. Guests will enjoy dishes such as pork with fennel, apple and potato; Syrian chicken with ginger and saffron; Libyan spiced pumpkin dip; Egyptian Kushari (lentils, rice, chickpeas and pasta); and chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon.

Who would have thought all of that could be possible while our favorite high quality Vermont ingredients remain the highlight?

The evening wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include an equally delicious dessert course.

Local bakery Sugar Bees, run by Amanda Barrett, who can often be found at the Rutland Farmer’s Market and with items in area restaurants, will take our favorite autumn staples – apples and pumpkins – and use them to craft pielets – individual handheld pies. The fresh, local apples will be tossed in a salted apple caramel sauce while the pumpkins will be roasted, spiced and served with a sweetened whipped cream.

But I’m a firm believer that you can never have enough apple or pumpkin, especially in the coming months. Alison Briggs, of Trillium Fine Desserts in Chittenden and former writer of the column “Local Flavor” in the Rutland Herald will be contributing a pumpkin mouse with a maple drizzle. A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe in Mount Holly will bring pumpkin whoopie pies; apple spiced cupcakes and frosted sugar cookies, as well. Both Trillium and A Dozen Eggs take pride in their use of sourcing locally.

Can you see why I like living here, yet? And I didn’t even mention the number of Vermont cheeses, breads, crackers, sausage and beverages that will also make an appearance on September 15^th. The list is a long one and will soon be posted on our website.

While I hope you’ll join us at Twilight, out on the fields of Wood’s Market Garden in Brandon, the good thing is, even if you can’t, you can still seek out and support any of the talented individuals and businesses I’ve mentioned. Or maybe on your next trip to a farmers market you’ll think about how to incorporate some ethnic flavor or construct your own desserts.

Tickets to Twilight in the Meadow, our online auction, and raffle tickets to win a chance for a balloon ride for two, can all be found through RAFFL’s website at www.rutlandfarmandfood.org.

Steve Peters is RAFFL’s food education and communications specialist. Contact him at steve@rutlandfarmandfood.org

 

The 5th Annual Twilight in the Meadow is Almost Here!

The 2011 Twilight celebration at Hathaway Farm in Rutland.

By RAFFL staff

Each year on a cool evening, just as the summer turns into fall, a large white tent is erected on one of the picturesque farms in Rutland County for a very special event. Warm light, lively music, laughter and conversation draw in visitors from near and far. The event is known as Twilight in the Meadow, an annual celebration of local farms and food hosted by the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link.

Now in its fifth year, Twilight has become an annual tradition for many locals. This year’s celebration will take place at Wood’s Market Garden in Brandon on Sunday, September 15^th in the early evening. Catered by some of the area’s top chefs and bakers, using the finest ingredients Rutland County has to offer, tickets to the event are coveted by foodies and agricultural enthusiasts alike.

This year, our Mediterranean inspired menu will be presented by Sheri Sullivan of Plan-It Sheri, Jennifer Brenner of Olive Branch Gourmet, Sissy Hicks of Sissy’s Kitchen, Amanda Barrett of SugarBees, Alison Briggs of Trillium Hill Desserts and Tracy Medeiros of The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook. Their delicious foods will be complemented by Vermont made cheeses and served with local beers and wines.

In the past, Twilight has featured a formal sit-down meal with table service. However, this year’s event will look a bit different. There will be casual seating and a more relaxed atmosphere – adding more of the socializing everyone has loved at this end of summer festivity. The caterers will be spread throughout the tent, allowing for a “grazing” dinner to be enjoyed at one’s own pace.

Twilight in the Meadow is also a great opportunity to learn more about what we’re doing at RAFFL. Visual depictions of our programs will be highlighted throughout the tent and representatives from our organization and the agricultural community will be present to help narrate and answer your questions. There will also be plenty of time to chat with local farmers and learn more about the life of a farmer here in Rutland County.

As a celebration of local farms and foods, Twilight in the Meadow is one of our greatest fundraising efforts at RAFFL. The proceeds allow us to continue pursuing our work in advancing the agricultural community of the greater Rutland region. The event has both silent and live auctions and they are a great way to contribute to RAFFL and simultaneously win a gift certificate or unique experience at a local business or venue.

This year’s Twilight in the Meadow will be preceded by an online auction hosted by the popular charity fundraising website Bidding for Good. The online auction will be a convenient way for those who can’t be present at the actual event, and out of town supporters, to donate while purchasing some truly special items. A few such items include tickets to the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, a private dinner for six in the upstairs dining room at Roots Restaurant, passes to Vermont State Parks, gift certificates to Three Tomatoes Restaurant, a gift basket from Blackpowder Foods, a garden cart from Gardeners Supply, and many more.

One item you won’t find anywhere else includes the opportunity to travel to Vero Beach, Florida.  As the personal guest of the Vero Beach Opera and Ms. Virginia Russell of Brandon and Vero Beach, you are invited to view the concert and then attend a private party with the star, Marcello Giordani, at the Moorings Club.  Mr. Giordani has been hailed by the international press as one of the most important tenors on the opera stage today.  He has appeared in all of the world’s major opera houses and has sung with many of today’s most renowned conductors.  This item includes transportation expenses, great lodging and more.  Last year’s winner absolutely loved her experience.

Another unique experience is an educational farm stay at Trevin Farms, a fantastic bed and breakfast in Sudbury offering two nights’ accommodations, a cheese making course and meals.

From the magnificent to the simply great, RAFFL is incredibly appreciative of the generosity of our community members in helping us to raise the funds we need to operate our programs that support local farms and strong communities.  We hope to see many of you on September 15^th!

Tickets to Twilight in the Meadow are available on our website www.rutlandfarmandfood.org/twilight or by calling us at 417-7331 or 417-1528.