Monday, November 1, 2010

Tonight: 9th ANNUAL FARMLAND FEAST

Don't miss out tonight!  Amazing local wines!


Anticipation is building as the fall harvest signals the time for DC’s ultimate celebration of the foods and farms of the Chesapeake Bay region. FRESHFARM Markets’ Farmland Feast on November 1 is the premier benefit showcasing local foods and wines, as well as the chefs and sommeliers who love to serve them. The event sets the table with a seasonal feast and invites guests to pull up their chairs and cheer on the farmers and chefs who are creating an important food community in this part of the country.

The Farmland Feast will be held at the Ritz-Carlton on Monday, November 1, from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM. The evening features a five-course seasonal dinner, sourced primarily from local family farms and served with local wines from Virginia and Maryland, along with a seasonal cocktail at the reception. The meal is prepared by an award-winning team of A-list chefs all hailing from the Chesapeake Bay region. 

Carla Hall (Photo by Emily Clack)
Chefs for the 2010 Feast are:  Will Artley-Evening Star Cafe, Danny Bortnick-Firefly, Richard Brandenburg-Café Atlántico, Stefano Frigerio-Copper Pot Food Company, Elizabeth Gallery-Stone Soup Bistro, Carla Hall-Alchemy Caterers, Mike Lund-Zynodoa, Tiffany MacIsaac-Birch andBarley, Pedro Matamoros-8407 kitchen bar, Sina Molavi-Occasions Caterers, Bryan Moscatello-Potenza, Nicholas Stefanelli-Bibiana Osteria and Enoteca, David Varley-Bourbon Steak and Robert Wiedmaier-Marcel’s Restaurant, Brasserie Beck, BRABO and Mussel Bar by RW. The coordinating chefs are Cathal Armstrong-Restaurant Eve, Eammon’s and Majestic Cafe, and David Serus, executive chef of the Ritz-Carlton.
Chef Nicholas Stefanelli (Photo by Emily Clack)
For the first time, all the wine served at the Farmland Feast is exclusively from local Virginia and Maryland wineries, featuring Black Ankle, Barboursville, Boxwood, King Family and Thibaut Janisson vineyards. The seasonal cocktail features Pennsylvania’s own Blue Coat Gin. Todd Thrasher, coordinating sommelier, will be pouring local wines alongside DC’s top sommeliers.

“If our farmers markets didn’t exist, there would be no tangible and regular evidence that there’s a local food economy that is growing and developing,” said Ann Yonkers, co-director of FRESHFARM Markets. “The Feast provides a dramatic showcase for the local food movement that focuses on how vibrant it is and how it is evolving rapidly in diverse and creative ways.”

This year’s featured farmer is Emily Zaas of Black Rock Orchards. She is a longtime participant in FRESHFARM Markets, who, along with her husband David, has raised two children at their farm in Lineboro, Maryland. A portion of the night’s program will focus on one of the first in-school garden programs in Washington, DC, FRESHFARM’s “FoodPrints.” The Feast’s silent and live auctions underscore the markets’ mission and feature farm and restaurant experiences as well as all things locavore that  encourage lively bidding by attendees.

The event sells out early annually but some tickets are still available.   

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