GOOD FOOD, GREAT CAUSE
Capital Roots’ Autumn Evening in the Garden celebrates Produce Project
TROY, N.Y. » Thursday evening was the 13th annual Autumn Evening in the Garden, hosted by Capital Roots, at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Between 200 and 300 guests attended, from Capital Roots board members to important community figures to the farmers and students that were a featured part of the event. The focus of this year’s event was the Produce Project, celebrating its 10th anniversary.
The Capital Roots’ Produce Project is a working farm that gives high school students opportunities to learn skills and knowledge that they won’t get anywhere else. It’s a unique experience that teaches about urban agriculture and cultivates leadership and job readiness in students, who receive a stipend and school credits for their work on the farm, not to mention fresh produce that is put to good use in the community.
Funds raised at the Autumn Evening in the Garden will go towards building a new pavilion for the farm.
“After 10 years, it’s the next needed improvement,” Capital Roots CEO Amy Klein said. “The students need a safe space where they can cook, learn, rest, and take shelter from the weather.”
“After 10 years, it’s the next needed improvement. The students need a safe space where they can cook, learn, rest, and take shelter from the weather.” — Capital Roots CEO Amy Klein
For the event, top local chefs were paired with community farms and used the produce they were provided to create elevated, elegant dishes for the evening. The pairings are different every year, so the chefs get a chance to work with different ingredients. The event was first conceived by chef Larry Schepici, currently the executive chef at Jack’s Oyster House.
“I came up with the idea for a high- end event to help out the program,” said Schepici. “We always make sure we have the best chefs for this event. We have a core of ‘regular’ chefs, and we select up- and- coming chefs who are making innovations in the field.”
Adding new chefs to the roster each year ensures that there are always new faces bringing fresh new ideas. It also gives the newer chefs a chance to get noticed by the community.
Whether they are new to the Autumn Evening in the Garden, like chef Libby Bellecosa, owner of Libby’s Lovely Buns, or they have been here for years, like chef Ric Orlando, the executive chef at NewWorld Bistro Bar, everyone is always very excited to be a part of the event.
All food for the evening is donated, from the produce provided by the local farms each chef is paired with, to the rest of the ingredients the chefs use to make their stunning creations, to the beverages provided by local purveyors.
“Everyone here is volunteering or donating time, products, or services,” explained Klein. “It makes the proceeds go that much further. Unlike some galas where half of the funds go towards paying expenses, everything here goes to fundraising. To me, it’s all about people coming together in support of a good cause - not how many people show up.
“This event is a wonderful mix of all sides of our food program. People get to see and appreciate all the steps of putting good food on the table.”
The amount of support that Capital Roots gets for their Autumn Evening in the Garden is staggering. Chefs line up to be part of it each year, many describing the event as their favorite.
“We’ve get chefs from all over,” Schepici said. “We usually have trouble finding space for everyone.”
“No matter where I’m working, I always come to this event,” chef Ian O’Leary, executive chef at C.H. Evans at the Albany Pump Station, agreed. “It’s by far my favorite of the year. I like getting to know new farmers and benefiting the Veggie Mobile.
“I have staff that lives in parts of the city that don’t have access to good supermarkets, and they rely on the Veggie Mobile.”
C.H. Evans at the Albany Pump Station was paired with The Gade Farm and Blue Star Farm. On the menu that evening was a North African vegan dish.
“It fills me up every year that I get to be part of bringing food to people who need it,” O’Leary added.
“The chefs always put a lot of thought into this event,” Schepici commented. “Even the simplest ingredients, they take to the next level. We try to mix up the (chef and farm) pairings each year. One chef will use an ingredient one way, and the next year a different chef will use that same ingredient in a totally different way.
“It’s all about creating textures and layers of flavor, whether you keep it simple and make the ingredient the star of the dish, or you use it in a new way.”
On chef Schepici’s menu for the evening was organic Chicken Galantine, served with garlic braised in duck fat, slow-roasted carrots, a spaghetti squash risotto, and a wild herb salad. Jack’s Oyster House was paired with Slack Hollow Farm and Echo Creek Farm.
“I was so happy when they asked me to be here,” chef Libby Bellecosa said. Libby’s Lovely Buns Bakery uses only local ingredients, decorations found in nature, and biodegradable packing materials. On Libby’s menu was a selection of cakes featuring ingredients from Indian Ladder Farms and Elihu Farm.
“I like the camaraderie between the chefs,” chef Jaime Ortiz, executive chef of Angelo’s 677 Prime, said. “I like that I get to see other people, other chefs that I don’t get to see very often. I like that I get to learn about farms I haven’t heard of before and wouldn’t otherwise get to work with.”
Angelo’s 677 Prime was paired this year with The Alleged Farm and Dutch Barn Farm. On the menu that night was lamb pot pie.
“We’ve been here since the beginning,” Ortiz said. “We go with what we get, and this year the ingredients screamed ‘pot pie’.”
Every chef at the event, serving sweet, savory, and everything in between, had something to offer that was completely unique. No two dishes were alike, and everything was delicious.
“I’m excited to be here,” said chef Bri Harrington, also known as “The Caker,” at the event for the first time. “I think it’s great getting to meet so many great chefs.”
Bri’s offering for the evening, using ingredients from Scrodin Farm and Wild Hive Community Grain Project, was a vegan apple cake. She was selected for this year’s Autumn Evening in the Garden because the event coordinator who chose her wanted her to be the first vegan baker featured at the event.
About halfway through the evening, Amy Klein asked for everyone’s attention. A short video was shown about the Produce Project, then Klein gave a short speech thanking everyone who came and made the event a success, giving special attention to the farmers.
The crowd acknowledged the recognition with a loud round of applause.
Klein then introduced Mark Fruiterman, who led the “raise the paddle auction” to raise funds for the Produce Project’s new pavilion. A “raise the paddle auction” differs from a traditional auction in that instead of trying to outbid each other to purchase items, participants are instead making pledges to give a certain amount of money.
Categories for the auction ranged from $2,500 pledges for the pavilion’s foundation to pledges of $50 for finishing touches. Produce Project students and farm workers assisted with the auction by collecting pledge information from participants.
By the end of the evening, people were walking away with a mixture of emotions: Happy, proud, satisfied — and full.
“I loved it,” said Emma Jones, at the event for the first time as an assistant to chef Matt Joyce, executive chef at PRIME at the Plaza.
Jones came to the event with her daughter, 18 months, and niece, 10, in tow, and the whole family had a good time.
“Stefanny tried lots of different dishes tonight, and she enjoyed all of them,” Jones said of her daughter.
Her niece, who loves cooking, assisted with plating and presentation at chef Matt’s station. Perhaps some day she will be at an Evening in the Garden in her own right, another rising star chef helping Capital Roots to bring healthy, locally farmed food to everyone that needs it.