Over 40 area farms, including Pine Plains, NY-based Coach Farm, are participating in this year’s Hudson Valley Bounty ‘Taste of’ Dinner. Photo courtesy of Coach Farm.

The Bounty program will be honoring the original group who started the event back in 2008: Lori Seldon, David Robinson, the late Vicki Simons, Dave Colby, Steve Hadcock, Tom Crowell, Betsy Braley, Liz Beals and Joan Kadin. In addition, Hudson Valley Bounty will honor the 13 restaurants, farms and food makers that have participated and supported the event every year since its inception and who will be in attendance again this year: Blue Plate, Local 111, Carlucci-Simons Catering, Stissing House, Micosta, The Berry Farm, Staron’s Farm, Samascott Orchards, Ronnybrook Farm, Holmquest Farm, Feather Ridge Farm, Hudson-Chatham Winery and Chatham Brewing.

At left, a girl sits in a Ronnybrook Farm truck (photo courtesy of Ronnybrook Farm, Ancramdale, NY). At right, vibrant cherries grow on the trees of Samascott Orchards (photo courtesy of Samascott Orchards, Kinderhook, NY). These two farms, among other farms and foodmakers, have taken part in and supported the event each year since it began in 2008.

This year’s tasting dinner will also feature Hudson Valley restaurants and foodmakers including Helsinki Hudson, The Crimson Sparrow, The Cascades, The Old Chatham Country Store, American Glory, Tousey Winery, Brookview Station Winery, Beer Diviner, Jane’s Ice Cream, Sofregit, Serevan, Carolina House, Georgia Ray’s Kitchen, Beth’s Farm Kitchen, Hawthorne Valley Farm Store and For the Love of Pie. New this year, several member restaurants and food makers from the Berkshires will participate in the event. These include The Red Lion Inn, John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant, Nudel, The Meat Market, Route 7 Grill, Allium, The Old Inn on the Green and H.R. Zeppelin Chocolates.

A dish prepared by Great Barrington, MA-based restaurant and Hudson Valley Bounty ‘Taste of’ Dinner participant, Allium. The dish features veal pastrami from dinner participant Black Queen Angus Farm. At right, Chef Hugh Horner of Helsinki Hudson tends to a smoker.

“This is the culinary event of the season—a ‘must’ for foodies, passionate cooks and gardeners,” says HVB Program Director Kristin Roca. “The evening will highlight the best of our community’s restaurants and chefs making use of the amazing range of fresh, local food available right in our own backyard.” Last year, more than 30 chefs and farmers participated; serving tastes to more than 250 people and enjoying the opportunity to meet other Hudson Valley chefs, farmers and guests in a festive environment.

Celebrated area chefs will be paired with expert farmers to showcase a wide range of food grown and prepared in the Hudson Valley. More than 20 restaurant chefs will prepare dishes alongside tasting tables featuring local winemakers and brewers. Participants will feature ample “tastes” of more than 30 recipes including everything from appetizers and salads to main courses and desserts.

Blueberry cheesecake from longtime dinner participant Local 111 (photo courtesy of Local 111, Philmont, NY).

“The chefs being featured at ‘A Taste of’ offer considerable support to our farmers as the tastemakers of local food and help set the tone educating our region’s consumers about sourcing local ingredients,” said Todd Erling, Executive Director of the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation (HVADC). “This event gives our community a chance to sample exceptional cuisine crafted by our region’s best chefs and to experience first-hand the vital connection between farm and table.”

Seared duck breast from John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant (photo courtesy of John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant, South Egremont, MA).

Advance purchase of tickets is recommended due to limited space. Tickets are $75 for adults, $50 for HVB members and $25 for children (12 and under) and can be purchased online at hudsonvalleybounty.com or at the door. New this year is a discounted price of $50 for farmers, which can be purchased via phone. For more information, contact Kristin Roca at 518.432.5360.

The mission of Hudson Valley Bounty, a program of the HVADC, is to educate the community about the preservation of local farms through the purchase and use of local and regional sustainable foods and products throughout the entire Hudson Valley. The program also promotes and supports networking connections between local agricultural producers and culinary businesses. For information, visit Hudson Valley Bounty.

Can’t make the Hudson Valley ‘Taste of’ Dinner? Cook up your own locally-inspired dish with the help of Hudson Made.

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Matthew Wexler is the National Style and Travel Editor at EDGE Media Network. More of his musings can be found on his blog, roodeloo.com.

Such is the inspiration for ChefX, a gathering of five notable chefs “crossing the border.” Curious guests of two upcoming events are about to find out when pop-up ChefX dinners pay a visit to Hudson and Great Barrington in April.

The Crimson Sparrow in Hudson, NY will host the first ChefX dinner on April 7. Photo credit: Ashley Sears

Berkshire Farm & Table is producing these one-of-a-kind dinner events to bring like-minded restaurants with farm-to-table values to local food fans. In celebration of what chefs like to eat, each dinner will offer a special five-course menu. Both dinners will culminate in a Chefs’ Cocktail Hour where guests can casually mingle with chefs and learn more about their culinary philosophy and the restaurants they represent.

Five chefs from the Berkshires will cross the border in a one-night-only chef exchange and present a five-course dinner in Hudson on Sunday, April 7. Participating chefs include Bjorn Somlo (Nudel Restaurant), Brian Alberg (The Red Lion Inn), Jamie Paxton (The Meat Market), Stephen Browning (Bell & Anchor) and Matt Rubiner (Rubiner’s Cheesemongers).

From left to right: Bjorn Somlo, chef-owner of Nudel in Lenox, MA. Photo credit: Daniel Schmolze; Brian Alberg, Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Manager of The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA. Photo credit: Edward Acker.

From left to right: Jamie Paxton, chef at The Meat Market in Stockbridge. Photo credit: Silka Glanzman; Stephen Browning, chef at Mark Firth’s new Great Barrington, MA restaurant, Bell & Anchor. Photo credit: Silka Glanzman; Matt Rubiner, chef-owner of Rubiner’s Cheesemongers & Grocers, also in Great Barrington. Photo credit: Bone & Black.

Hosted at The Crimson Sparrow by chef/owners John McCarthy III and Benjamin Freemole, the event will celebrate the philosophies of these neighboring regions as well as the unique culinary viewpoints of the participating chefs. “Ben and I are extremely proud to host the first in a series of events with ChefX that will highlight and demonstrate the exciting culinary opportunities in both the Berkshires and Hudson,” said McCarthy. “It’s a very special event for diners in Hudson to experience the great options available in the Berkshires without having to go very far and hopefully spur some travel between our two regions in the future.”

From left to right : John McCarthy III and Benjamin Freemole, chef-owners of The Crimson Sparrow. Photo credit: Ashley Sears

Dining room, The Crimson Sparrow. Photo credit: Ashley Sears

On Monday, April 29, Allium Restaurant + Bar in Great Barrington will host their version of the event, importing five chefs from the Hudson Valley that in addition to Freemole and McCarthy include Hugh Horner (Helsinki Hudson), Jon Spoto and Chip Chiappinelli (Grazin’ Diner), Jeff Gimmel (Swoon Kitchenbar) and Josephine Proul of Local 111.

“These events are all about generating exciting and fun events for guests and the host restaurant. We’re excited to participate in Chef X and look forward to the collaborations,” said Bjorn Somlo of Nudel and a principal catalyst for this idea. “As business owners, we need to create more reasons for people to dine out in the off-season, to inspire chefs to reach out to new audiences and to celebrate what we have to offer. These two Chef X events are just the beginning.”

In addition to ChefX, Berkshire Farm & Table has been instrumental in continuing to cultivate support for the local food movement. Other events include Outstanding in the Field, an outdoor dining feast held at Indian Line Farm (the first community supported agriculture program in the country) and an annual dinner at the James Beard Foundation in New York City.

“The demand for food events is high and these first Chef X dinner events have been cultivated to bring several communities together and allow guests to sample the cuisine of a collective of restaurants in one evening,” said Angela Cardinali, founder of Berkshire Farm & Table. “The goal of these events is to create more dining opportunities and to showcase the culinary talents of a collection of noteworthy chefs in the Berkshire-Hudson region. We envision many more of these events in different shapes and sizes, all in the spirit of collaboration and enjoyment.”

Click Here for more information on ChefX.

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Matthew Wexler is the National Style and Travel Editor at EDGE Media Network. More of his musings can be found on his blog, roodeloo.com.