Tag: chefs

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Discover Central Massachusetts Leading “Art of Food” With Region’s ArtWeek

Discover Central Massachusetts Leading "Art of Food" With Region's ArtWeek

In 2013, Catalan Chef Ferran Adrià, the man once hailed as the “Salvidor Dali of the kitchen” received his own art exhibit to demonstrate the deep roots intertwined between artistic expression and culinary skills. In 2017, Mass Foodies declared food the “utmost undervalued form of artistic expression in the history of art,” in its #FoodisArt series. Fast forward to 2018 and the connection between the two industries are stronger than ever, as the correlation of culinary expression has finally reached the second largest city in New England: Worcester, thanks to a partnership between Discover Central MA and ArtWeek.

ArtWeek, an award-winning innovative festival featuring hundreds of unique and creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive or offer behind-the-scenes access to artists or the creative process, has arrived in Worcester and Mass Foodies is excited to help participate and urge Worcester-area chefs to “find their muse.”

Presented by Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center, ArtWeek is designed to drive neighborhood economic impact and build awareness of the area’s creative economy in Boston. In four years, ArtWeek has morphed from a downtown celebration of historic theatres into a statewide festival introducing, Art of Food, an ArtWeek initiative recognizing the diversity and beauty of art through conceiving, creating, and constructing meaningful food items to bring the community together. During ArtWeek, restaurants and chefs are encouraged to create specialty dishes and cocktails that are inspired by art, in an attempt to tap into the creative genius behind the hospitality and restaurant sector. In Central Massachusetts, ArtWeek is a natural way for Worcester’s evolving culinary scene to show how some of the commonwealth’s most talented chefs can interpret fine art pieces through creative plating.

If you are a restaurant, bartender, or chef who would like to join us ArtWeek this season as they make their way through central Massachusetts, then submit your applications here no later than April 3rd. Have questions about the application or Art of Food in general? Contact Discover Central Massachusetts at info@discovercentralma.org or 508-753-1550 , who is spearheading the movement for the region.

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The Gift of Terroir: Wine and Beer Dinners To Look Forward To For 2017

111 Wine Dinner Table Set Up

Wine culture offers an air of exclusivity that can sometimes deter novice curiosity. We all know that the best way to learn about wine is to drink it, but to educate one’s palate in the wine world requires a great deal of time and resources. I can’t justify cracking a $125 bottle of 2007 Beringer Reserve if I don’t understand what I’m tasting. Pairing dinners present perfect opportunities to sample boutique wines while cultivating an appreciation for the craft.

Aside from familiarizing amateur sommeliers with the good stuff, pairing dinners often provide a taste of the winery itself. Attendees gain access to precious anecdotes and old chestnuts as told by special guests, namely: winemakers, distributors, and chefs.

Preparing one of the courses at a 2016 dinner at VIA Italian Table.
Preparing one of the courses at a 2016 dinner at VIA Italian Table.

Plenty of restaurants in and around Massachusetts have recently added paired dinners to their repertoire, but The 111 Chophouse and VIA Italian Table have been hosting events of this sort for a long time. This year, VIA will delve deep into the art of beer pairing in addition to its traditional wine dinners.

VIA’s General Manager, Keith Carolan explains that he maintains three steadfast expectations for each of VIA’s events; in his humble opinion, dinners must prove: exclusive, educational and memorable.

A course at one of 111 Chop House's 2016 Wine Dinners.
A course at one of 111 Chop House’s 2016 Wine Dinners.
Exclusive

Seats are so limited and we feature wines and beers that people don’t simply have access to. For example the CasaSmith dinner in March, VIA is the only place in Massachusetts that you can enjoy all of Charles Smith’s Italian varietals under 1 roof.

Educational

This December the “Kings of Italy” refers to the most highly touted wines from some of the most highly touted producers Italy has to offer, Barolo, Brunello and Amarone. Instead of limiting the dinner to one region or one producer, hopefully it can shed some light on various regions of Italy that some people may not be accustomed to. The same can be said for all of the beer dinners. In a genre like Craft Beer that is so popular right now, we find that all of our guests learn something new every course, because we have local owners and Cicerones explaining the brewing process and culture of each brewery.

Memorable

Not only are we offering great wines and beers, but we give our chefs the creative license to explore things they haven’t previously attempted and work on dishes that haven’t been featured on our menu. The results have been fantastic.

Here’s a peek at the 2017 lineup:

The 111 Chophouse

Beringer Private Reserve Dinner – February 28th– $150.00
Robert Craig Dinner – March 28th– $125.00
Etude Winery Dinner – April 25th – $125.00
Far Ninete-Nickel & Nickel Dinner – September 19th – $150.00
Joseph Phelps Insignia – October 17th– $150.00
Pahlmeyer – November 14th – $160.00

 

VIA Italian Table

The Wines of CasaSmith Dinner – March 7th – $70
Wormtown Brewery Dinner – April 4th – $70
New Belgium Brewing Dinner – June 6th – $70
Jack’s Abby Brewing Dinner – October 3rd – $70
The Wines of Antinori Dinner – December 5th – $90

Ditch the wrapping paper this holiday season; instead of splurging on a highbrow bottle from the ritziest package store in town, consider offering your loved ones a distinguished experience.