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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Sara Firebaugh,
Assistant Director Slow Food USA., 718.260.8000
September 19, 2005
SLOW FOOD USA CELEBRATES REGIONAL / SUSTAINABLE
/ ARTISANAL FOODS
NEW YORK, NY On October 2, 2005, Slow Food USA will hold
Urban Harvest, its festive tribute to the farmers and food
artisans who provide New York and the surrounding region with
foods that are delicious, ecologically sustainable, and humanely
produced.
Urban Harvest is comprised of two parts: New Amsterdam Market,
to be held from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the New York City Municipal
Building (1 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan); and The Spirits
of the Region, a three hour unlimited tasting of the region's
best handcrafted wines, beers, and ciders at the Institute
for Culinary Education, (50 West 23d Street.) from 2:00pm
to 5:00pm. Both venues will showcase artisanal and sustainable
products from New York City and its hinterlands, including
New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
This vast region corresponds closely to the lands that were
once claimed by the Dutch as the New Netherlands, with New
Amsterdam as its capital.
New Amsterdam Market will be held under the magnificent vaulted
arcade of the NYC Municipal Building, designed in the Beaux
Arts style by McKim, Mead, and White. This setting, reminiscent
of traditional European market halls, will be populated by
over 40 farmers and producers, including those who are either
new to production, too small in scale, or too distant from
the city to participate regularly in the Greenmarkets. Offerings
will include honey-smoked bacon from Betty Acres Organic Farm
and pastured chickens from Snowdance Farm, both in the Catskills;
artisanal Tiger Spud potato chips from the East End of Long
Island; traditionally fermented sauerkraut and pickles made
by Real Pickles in the Berkshires; locally produced milk from
the newly formed Hudson Valley Fresh cooperative in Dutchess
County; sustainably farmed tilapia from Laughing Duck Farm
in the Champlain Valley; and chocolates made with locally
sourced fillings by Cocoa Vino in New York City. Market goers
will be able to sample dozens of antique heirloom apples and
over 30 varieties of artisan cheeses from the northeast, many
of them represented by the Vermont Cheese Council. Wines and
hard ciders produced in New York state will also be sold by
the bottle. Admission to the market is free; tasting plates
prepared by New York City chefs with seasonal, regional ingredients
will also be available. Tasting tickets are for sale online
and at the market site (six for $20).
Independently produced wine, beer, and cider from today's
"New Netherlands" will be poured all afternoon at
The Spirits of the Region, a walk-around tasting at the Institute
for Culinary Education. Hand-crafted American ciders - a food
category recently listed on Slow Food's "Ark" of
endangered foods will include those produced by Flag Hill
Farm in Vershire, VT; West County Cider in Colrain, MA; and
a new producer, Pup's Cider, in Greenfield NH. Beers from
Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown NY, Dogfish Head Brewery in
Milton, DE; and Heavyweight Brewing Company in Ocean Township,
NJ will be served along with other regional offerings. The
wine tasting will feature vintages from Long Island's East
End, including Macari, Bedell, Wolffer, and Shinn Estate.
In addition, there will be a special tasting of fruit liqueurs
and eaux-de-vie made by Westford Hill in Ashford, CT. Tickets
for the event are $65 ($55 for Slow Food members). Informal
workshops on the history and culture of wine, beer, and cider
in the region will take place throughout the afternoon, and
a special fruit syrup workshop for kids will also be offered.
For more information or tickets, visit www.slowfoodusa.org
or call (718) 260-8000
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