CONNECTICUT FARM-TO-CHEF PROGRAM NEWS 08/20/07

CT Grown Fruits and Veggies Now Available

If you need help locating sources of these items, please contact Linda at 860-713-2558 or Linda.piotrowicz@ct.gov.

Apples (early varieties)

Beans (green, Italian, wax)

Beets

Blueberries

Blackberries

Cabbage

Carrots

Collard Greens

Cucumbers (seedless, slicing, pickling)

Culinary Herbs

Eggplant

Kale

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Lettuce (and other salad greens)

Melons

Nectarines

Onions

Peaches

Peppers (bell, frying, hot)

Plums

Potatoes

Raspberries

Summer Squash (yellow, green, pattypan)

Sweet Corn

Swiss Chard

Tomatoes (cherry, red, heirloom)

Winter Squash

Other CT Grown Products Available

Don’t forget about all of the other fantastic CT Grown products available - fresh seafood, meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and more!  If you need help locating sources of any of these products, please contact Linda at 860-713-2558 or Linda.piotrowicz@ct.gov.

Farm-to-Chef Program Logo Contest

Thanks to all of you, Farm-to-Chef has grown into a full-fledged, official program.  It now needs its own logo.

Do you or someone you know have artistic talents?  If so, please send us your logo ideas.  This is your program, so it is only fitting that the logo be designed by you! 

Please send entries in EPS, JPG, or PDF format to Linda.piotrowicz@ct.gov.  Hard copies of artwork can be sent to Linda Piotrowicz, CT Department of Agriculture Marketing Bureau, 165 Capitol Avenue, Room 129, Hartford, CT  06106.

Entries must be received by September 21, 2007.  Winner will receive something really cool (yet to be determined) and bragging rights.  Winning artwork will become property of the CT Department of Agriculture.

Guest Editorials Needed

The Farm-to-Chef Program is seeking guest editorials from both chefs and farmers to provide for this newsletter. 

Possible topics include your discovery of a great local product, how you overcame a particular challenge in your job, suggestions for local menus during the winter, the wonders of local farming, a special recipe you want to share, a memorable experience and its impact on you, etc.  Please send submissions to Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov.

Chefs Sought for Farmers’ Market Demonstrations

The Farm-to-Chef Program is working with the state’s 90 farmers’ markets to offer culinary demonstrations featuring CT Grown products available at the market. 

This is a great opportunity to help teach the public about the beautiful, beneficial bounty from our local farms (not to mention get some well-deserved visibility for you and your business).

The CT Department of Agriculture has a limited amount of funding to reimburse participating chefs up to $100 for the cost of product used in each demonstration.  If interested, please contact Linda at 860-713-2558 or Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov.

Chef Daniel Chong-Jimenez to be Featured on CT Outdoors

Daniel Chong-Jimenez, Executive Chef for the Spa at Norwich Inn, along with Linda Piotrowicz, Farm-to-Chef Program Manager, will be a guest on CT Outdoors with Suzanne Thompson, Tuesday, August 21, 2007.  Chef Daniel will discuss his use of CT Grown in his menus and facility, and his participation in the CT Farm-to-Chef Program.

CT Outdoors airs live on WMRD 1150 AM radio in Middletown and WLIS 1420 AM radio in Old Saybrook on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 1:00 PM.  It is rebroadcast the same day from 6:30 to 7:00 PM and again on Saturdays from 1:00 to 1:30 PM.

Chef Daniel also will host a wine dinner at the Spa’s Kensington Restaurant on Thursday, September 20, 2007. The menu features a tremendous selection of CT Grown ingredients.  Music will be provided by at Mitchell.  For more information, go to http://www.thespaatnorwichinn.com/dining_seasonal.aspx  or call (860)425-3630.

New CT Grown Distribution Company Forming

An additional new company specializing in the distribution of CT Grown farm products is forming.  Its organizers are interested in hearing from chefs and restaurants to learn more about your needs.  Please contact Mark at MarkD@ctproduce.com or go to www.CTProduce.org.

Assistant Chef Wanted by School in Fairfield

An Assistant Chef is wanted for a small private school in Fairfield, CT. The school stresses the importance of using locally produced, all-natural ingredients whenever possible.  For more info, please email jturenne@sustainablefoodsystems.com, with the heading “Assistant Chef Position.”

Chef Carol Byer-Alcorace Featured at Silo Cooking School

Chef Carol Byer-Alcorace, Executive Chef for New Morning Market in Woodbury, was the instructor of a class on raw and minimally processed foods at the Silo Cooking School at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford on August 4, 2007.

The class was the second in a series of classes focused on healthful cooking with local ingredients offered by the Plough to Plate Coalition.

Chef Anne Gallagher will wrap up the series on September 8, 2007.  For more information, contact the Silo at http://www.hunthillfarmtrust.org/index.php?/silo/cooking#august.

CT Grown Breakfast and Dinner Posters

If you would like copies of the beautiful, full-color posters, “Have Breakfast with Your Neighbors” and “Invite Your Neighbors for Dinner,” to display in your restaurant or facility, please contact Linda at 860-713-2558 or Linda.piotrowicz@ct.gov. 

The posters complement the television, radio, billboard, and bus advertisements currently running as part of this year’s comprehensive CT Grown – The Local Flavor campaign.

CT Farm-to-Chef Program Website Listings

We are always seeking more restaurants, institutions, and other dining facilities to be listed on our site.  If you or someone you know is serving CT Grown food and would like to let people know, please contact Linda at 860-713-2558 or Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov so we can add you to our website.

We also are continually looking to updating our producers/wholesalers listings.  If you are purchasing CT Grown from someone not on our list, please let us know so we can include them!

You can access the Farm-to-Chef Program from the CT Department of Agriculture’s home page, www.CTGrown.gov and then click on the Farm-to-Chef link on the right sidebar under “Featured Links.” 

CT Department of Agriculture Mascots
The Department has four vegetable costumes (carrot, corn, cucumber, and pea), as well as a cow, lobster, and chicken. The Mascots are a fun, effective way to promote the benefits of nutritious CT Grown foods.  Look for them at events such as farmers’ markets, fairs, and shows around the state.

All of the costumes are available to borrow for special events. For more information, please contact Linda at 860-713-2558 or Linda.Piotrowicz@ct.gov.

CT GROWN! - THE LOCAL FLAVOR.

www.CTGrown.gov