Boston Flora

Tag: Chefs Collaborative

  • Sunday, November 3 – Tuesday, November 5 – 2013 National Sustainable Food Summit – Looking Back, Cooking Forward

    Chefs Collaborative is a national chef network that’s changing the sustainable food landscape using the power of connections, education and responsible buying decisions. Chefs Collaborative works with chefs and the greater food community to celebrate local foods and foster a more sustainable food supply. The Collaborative inspires action by translating information about our food into tools for making knowledgeable purchasing decisions. Through these actions, our members embrace seasonality, preserve diversity and traditional practices, and support local economies. They hope you will join them in Charleston, South Carolina for the 2013 National Sustainable Food Summit – Looking Back, Cooking Forward, November 3-5, 2013. Buy your ticket and learn more about the featured speakers, schedule of events, and travel details at http://www.chefscollaborative.org/sustainable-food-summit/national-summit-2013/.

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  • Sunday, September 30 – Tuesday, October 2 – Chefs Collaborative Sustainable Food Summit

    The 2012 Chefs Collaborative Sustainable Food Summit will take place Septembver 30 – October 2, with a focus on Flavors of a Foodshed: Seattle. This year, Summit participants will have the opportunity to hear and meet Ruth Reichl, former editor in chief of Gourmet Magazine; Kim Severson of the New York Times; Rowan Jacobson, author of five books including a Geography of Oysters; chef Tom Douglas of Tom Douglas Restaurants, and others to discuss food and cooking, culture and sustainability. You’ll have the chance to enjoy great Northwest food from Northwest chefs. Think Pacific oysters, Alaskan salmon, local beans and grains, apples and berries, craft spirits and more.

    We’ll be fabricating goat carcasses, offering in-depth beef butchering lessons and baking with heritage grains. We’ll be discussing the challenges of sourcing sustainably raised poultry and looking at traceability and other tools in seafood sourcing, as well as deciphering the nuts and bolts of running a sustainable restaurant, to name a few details. Besides all this, you’ll have the chance to network and learn from like-minded chefs from all over the country. “The highlight of the Summit for me,” says Rich Garcia, executive chef of Boston’s 606 Congress and Boston Local Network Leader, “is the chance to meet chefs I’ve looked up to throughout the course of my career.” All of the Summit information is found at http://chefscollaborative.org/sustainable-food-summit/2012-2/ – programs, events, field trips, meet-and- greets, accommodations, and venues. So what are you waiting for?  Register now at Eventbrite by clicking here.

  • Monday, March 5, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Mushrooms: Safe Foraging, Delicious Cooking

    Have you ever wondered about safe ways to hunt for wild and exotic mushrooms, or wanted to spice up supermarket varieties like crimini or portabello? If so, join president of the Boston Mycological Club, Susan Goldhor, and renowned Boston-area chef Chris Douglass, on Monday, March 5, from 6 – 8 at the Boston University Demonstration Room, 808 Commonwealth Avenue,  to explore fascinating fungi. Goldhor has been collecting and eating wild mushrooms—without a single stomach ache—for more than 25 years, and she writes a regular column for the magazine Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming. Chef Douglass is chef-owner of Dorchester’s beloved Tavolo and Ashmont Grill, as well as leading member of Chefs Collaborative and an active proponent and patron of local food producers. Together, Goldhor and Douglass will expand your knowledge of mushrooms and please your palate with mushroom dishes paired with wine. Cost $60.00.  Register online at www.bu.edu/foodandwine, or telephone 617-353-9852.

  • Sunday, October 2, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Grilling on the Green

    Join Chefs Collaborative and Metro Boston’s finest sustainability-minded chefs for Grilling on the Green on Sunday, October 2, from 4 – 6, at 500 Technology Square in Cambridge. That’s between Area Four and Catalyst restaurants, for those of you who are geographically challenged. The growing list of chefs cooking for the event includes: Antonio Bettencourt, 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar; Chris Coombs, Deuxave; Mary Dumont, Harvest; Richmond Edes, Beacon Hill Bistro; Richard Garcia, 606 Congress; William Kovel, Catalyst; Michael Leviton, Area Four/Lumiere; Peter McCarthy, EVOO/Za; Jeremy Sewall, Eastern Standard/Lineage and more! Purchase online by visiting www.chefscollaborative.org/events/2011-boston-fundraiser/ or by calling the office at 617-236-5200.

  • Wednesday, December 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Amy Cotler

    Slow Food BU is hosting author Amy Cotler at the George Sherman Union Building, Boston University Central, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, On Wednesday, December 1,  from 7 – 8:30 pm.  Amy writes:

    “I have been a chef, culinary educator, farm to table and school advocate for almost 3 decades. I have a Farm to School book that has been distributed free to every district in the state and is free on my website. I began my career with my colleague Robyn Van En, the founder of the CSA movement in North America and have been working towards a better food system ever since, founding the non-profit Berkshire Grown, coordinating farm to restaurant work for the Chefs Collaborative and much more.  I will be doing a speaking and book signing from my book, The Locavore Way, which is a comprehensive guide for everyone to seeking out and savoring local food, as well as becoming an advocate in your community. To find out more, visit my website and local food recipes blog at : http://www.amycotler.com.”

  • Wednesday, September 15, 6:00 pm – RAFT Vegetarian Heirloom Harvest Dinner

    The fields are overflowing! And thanks to the work of Chefs Collaborative and their RAFT Grow-Out, certain chef’s kitchens are the happy recipients of wonderful heirloom varieties of produce.

    Chef Greg Griffie at 606 Congress has risen to the challenge of creating a five course vegetarian meal with wine pairings included. Slow Food Boston supporters will be gathering at the restaurant at 6PM on Wednesday, September 15th for this lovely meal. Can I hear a ‘Hurrah’ for local produce?

    Cost for the evening will be $45 including the wine, with beer and cocktails available for an extra charge. There is limited seating, and registration and prepayment are required. If you’ve had the pleasure of attending one of the previous Slow Food meals at 606 Congress, you know that it will be sure to amaze your senses – so sign up today, on line at www.slowfoodboston.com!

    Directions:
    606 Congress is located in the Renaissance Hotel at 606 Congress Street in the Seaport area. There is lots of parking, and the Silver Line lets off just a few blocks away. Feel free to contact them with questions by phone: 617.476.5606 or on Facebook.

  • Monday, August 23, 6:00 pm – RAFT Heirloom Harvest Dinner

    “Eat it to Save It.” Seems like an odd statement, doesn’t it? But if requesting heirloom varieties of produce on our plate encourages chefs to search them out and farmers to plant them, then it’s a success. So let’s do our part to help bring back more of these heirlooms… By doing what we do best, eating!

    Along with Chefs Collaborative and their program the RAFT Grow-Out, Slow Food Boston is teaming up with a number of local chefs to offer up a series of amazing dinners throughout the next few months.

    RAFT is a program started by Slow Food USA as a spin-off from the ARK of Taste, which recognizes foods that are in danger of extinction due to changing tastes & growing practices. RAFT goes one step further, bringing attention not only to regional foods and heirloom varietals that are hard to find, but also the cultural traditions around food that are being lost.

    The RAFT Grow Out is a program that encourages local farmers to grow unusual heirloom varietals and teams them up with local chefs willing and eager to use those vegetables. The desired result? More people getting to discover amazing flavors, textures and colors and start asking for them at the markets. And in response more farmers being willing to grow them!

    So back to the eating thing. The RAFT Heirloom Harvest Dinner series kicks off on Monday August 23rd at 6pm at Garden at the Cellar, 991 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge. Chef Will Gilson will be putting together an amazing four course meal featuring RAFT veggies for your gastronomic pleasure, and there will be Chefs Collaborative reps and a farmer on hand to discuss what you’re eating.

    Cost for the evening is $65, inclusive of tax and tip but not drinks. The regular wine and beverage list will be available for purchases. Preregistration and payment are required. To register, log on to www.slowfoodboston.com.

  • Wednesday, August 25, 6:00 pm – RAFT Talk & Farm Tour at Allandale

    You know about heirloom tomatoes tasting better than their mealy, chalky red softball cousins. What about Sibley’s Squash, pictured below, first grown in Marblehead in 1798, known for its ability to store well for the winter? Or the Early Blood Rooted Turnip Beet? Promoted by the Shakers beginning in 1850, they have blood red flesh and are super sweet with cinnamon and clove spice undertones.

    If this piques your interest, reserve Wednesday, August 25th, at 6 pm, to join Slow Food Boston, Chefs Collaborative and Farmers Jim & John from Allandale Farm for an evening’s discussion about heirloom varietals and RAFT – ‘Renewing America’s Food Traditions’.  We’ll be touring the farm, learning about growing practices and the need for crop diversity – as well as getting a few tastes to tempt our palates.

    RAFT is a program started by Slow Food USA as a spin-off from the ARK of Taste, which recognizes foods that are in danger of extinction due to changing tastes & growing practices. RAFT goes one step further, bringing attention not only to regional foods and heirloom varietals that are hard to find, but also the cultural traditions around food that are being lost.

    Chefs Collaborative, a Boston-based network of chefs, is working to get more of the RAFT heirloom varieties into their members kitchens. They’ve created a so-called ‘RAFT Grow-Out’ enticing local farms to grow these special items with the promise that everything they grow will be purchased by local restaurants. A perfect field to table food system!

    So what’s in it for you? Well, if farms start growing these amazing beautiful and yummy heirloom varieties, they’ll start selling them at local farmers markets – which means you get a chance to taste and experiment!. You support crop diversity AND get better tasting food.

    Space for this evening is limited, so reserve your spot today by logging on to www.slowfoodboston.com.  Cost for the evening is $5, going to the Terra Madre Fund.  What, you ask, is that? Terra Madre Fund Campaign: Locally, Slow Food Boston is raising funds to send representatives from our food communities to Terra Madre, October 2010 in Italy. At the last Terra Madre in 2008, over 7,000 farmers from 153 countries met for four days to discuss sustainable food production & biodiversity, aiming to make farming a viable career option. Farmer Jim from Allandale has been accepted to this prestigious event, and we’re raising money to help with his transportation costs (and those for three others as well.)

    Directions:
    Allandale Farm is located at 259 Allandale Road in Brookline. More information can be found on their website, www.allandalefarm.com.

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  • Sunday, October 18, 6:00 – 9:00 pm – Local, Sustainable, Delicious: A Seasonal Celebration!

    We’ll be gathering to eat delicious food prepared by some of New England’s most talented chefs on Sunday, October 18, beginning at 6 pm at the Regattabar, The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett Street in Cambridge! We hope you can join us to celebrate the farmers and chefs participating in the New England Grow-Out, a project led by Chefs Collaborative promoting partnerships between farmers and chefs and highlighting the rich agricultural history of New England. We’re putting together a great list of items for our silent auction that you won’t want to miss! Enjoy small plates and drink from renowned chefs: Peter Davis, Henrietta’s Table ; Jody Adams & Nuno Alves, Rialto; Jason Bond, Beacon Hill Bistro; Jeff Fournier, 51 Lincoln; Rich Garcia, Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro; Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar; Michael Leviton, Lumière and Persephone restaurants; Evan Mallet, Black Trumpet Bistro; Tony Maws, Craigie on Main; Peter McCarthy, EVOO & Za restaurants; Bruce Tillinghast & Beau Vestal, New Rivers; Tim Wiechmann, TW Food …and sweets from Canto 6 Bakery. Tickets are $100. Proceeds from the event benefit Chefs Collaborative, the leading nonprofit network of chefs that fosters a sustainable food system through advocacy, education, and collaboration with the broader food community. Purchase tickets online (http://chefscollaborative.org/events/) or call 617-236-5200 to pay by phone. Please feel free to contact Elizabeth Kennedy at elizabeth@chefscollaborative.org with any questions about the event. (This event sold out last year, so be sure to get your tickets early.)

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