Sunday, August 18, 2002
Foodstuff
'Foodie event of the year' celebrates growers
The Tristate is blessed with its share of food benefits — events that feature food and raise money for good causes. The best food benefit I've attended in a long while was last summer's “From the Garden to the Table,” sponsored by the Cincinnati Chefs & Growers Collaborative. Held at the Iron Horse Inn in Glendale, the food and wine were not only extraordinary, the fellowship — the communion — was rare. Patrons were able to talk to the chefs who cooked the food, and meet the farmers who grew the products. It was the foodie event of the year.
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IF YOU GO
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What: From the Garden to the Table.
When: 6:30 p.m., Aug. 26,
Where: The Heritage Restaurant, 7664 Wooster Pike, Plainville.
Tickets: $75; $125 for patrons. Reservations required: 561-9300.
Information: 557-2197.
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The 70-member collaborative is promising another memorable benefit Aug. 26 at the Heritage Restaurant in Plainville. This year, more than a dozen chefs will be paired with farmers who raise and produce vegetables, herbs, cheese and livestock. The growers will provide their best products, the chefs will cook them and the staff of Jungle Jim's Market in Fairfield will choose wines to complement each dish.
“At least one thing different about our fund-raiser is all our chefs are local,” says Maggie Green, who's on the steering committee of the collaborative. “And all our chefs aren't from restaurants.”
Cookbook authors Marilyn Harris and Ethan Becker will each host a table, as well as cooking teacher Rita Heikenfeld.
This is the third “Garden to Table” benefit sponsored by the collaborative, which was formed in 1999. The collaborative's goal is to “connect” local food producers with chefs. Locally grown food tastes better, the members believe, and encouraging this commerce helps keep the farming operations, which tend to be small and family-owned, in business.
With the help of other members, Ms. Green started an e-mail and fax “chef-grower” hot line last year. On the weekly hot line, farmers are able to post news of their available products. Chefs and other subscribers can order the freshest tomatoes, peppers and lettuces in the Tristate.
Money raised at this year's benefit will help support the chef-grower hot line and other projects. The Chefs & Growers Collaborative also is planning an educational program in schools. Its simple message: to show kids where food comes from, that it doesn't all just pop out of a fast-food window.
Although it's not easy, more than a few small farmers still grow food in this country. Our children need to hear that message. Maybe they'll learn to eat the food, too.
So next week's Garden to Table event will not only offer delicious things to eat and drink, but the opportunity to support a worthy cause. And the best chance to dig into fine foodie fellowship.
E-mail cmartin@enquirer.com
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