Third Annual Farm to Fork event set for Greene County
More than a decade ago, our collective consciousness began to shift. We began paying more attention to what we were fueling our bodies with, where it was coming from and how it was sourced. We began paying attention to ingredients, to fresh, clean and real food. We began composting in our backyards, growing more of our own food and signing up for CSAs. Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food” hit the shelves in 2008, and the mantra of “eat food, not too much, mostly plants” became a rule for many.
Of course, there are folks who have always lived as locavores, lived off their own land and paid attention to their carbon footprint. But this movement – this shift – is more than a hipster trend. It’s how we are now living. In 2018, convenience doesn’t mean popping a frozen TV dinner in the microwave – it means plucking fresh cherry tomatoes off the vine, tossing them together with fresh mozzarella cheese (quite possibly cheese made from your very own cows’ milk), and drizzling it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar purchased at a local farmers market.
Here at Observer Publishing Co., we wanted to celebrate that movement. In 2016, our sister publication, South Hills Living, hosted the first Farm to Fork Event at Bella Sera in Canonsburg. “It was so wonderfully successful that we thought, ‘Where better to have this event than on the beautiful landscape of Greene County?” says Observer Publishing marketing director Carole DeAngelo. “There is something so appealing and inviting about Greene County, and this was the perfect way to highlight sustainable living that occurs so much here.”
For the third year, Farm to Fork Greene County will take place on the beautiful grounds of Thistlethwaite Vineyards.
“We have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of businesses throughout our four-year event period,” DeAngelo says. “I attended a wedding at Thistlethwaite years ago and sat in a tent in the pouring-down rain, and looked out and thought, ‘This place is simply magical.’ It speaks to what and who Greene County is. They believe in the farm-to-fork movement, and they live it.”
With every Farm to Fork event, attendees will have the chance to not only sip on the stunning wines of Thistlethwaite Vineyards, but they’ll be treated to a local feast. Doug Krency of Krency’s Restaurant in Washington will be roasting a pig sourced from Willow Tree Farms in Greensboro. Scenery Hill’s Emerald Valley Artisans will be crafting a surprise menu specially prepared for this event. The newly opened Dapper Doughnut in Waynesburg is providing sweet treats, as is the Waynesburg-based Five Kidz Kandy.
“Our goal is to pair whatever the chefs are preparing with a wine – we have literally tried to hand-pick local restaurants and local chefs to partner with us and make sure that the menu is as exclusive as Thistlethwaite is,” DeAngelo says.
The Corner Cupboard Food Bank in Waybesburg is again the beneficiary. “Corner Cupboard Food Bank is grateful to have been involved with the Farm to Fork event, and as a beneficiary for the past few years, the contributions of this unique event have helped us to continue our mission of providing food security to the residents of Greene County,” says executive director Candace Tustin.
Whether you are an avid locavore, an oenophile, or just love good food and music, Farm to Fork has something for everyone.
Farm to Fork takes place 4-9 p.m. Sept. 22 at Thistlethwaite Vineyards in Jefferson. Tickets are $30. Two VIP sessions are also available, which cost $60 each and include a one-on-one session with the winemaker at Thistlethwaite. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit farmtoforkevent.com.