While Hudson Made celebrates the artisans and craftspeople of Hudson Valley and New York City, we also realize that this passion is part of a growing interest in cottage industries and the locavore movement. Perhaps nowhere in the country is this more prevalent than in the rolling hills of the Berkshires of western Massachusetts
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.
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).
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.”
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.