PARTY TIME!
Large crowd turns out for inaugural Eat Drink Saratoga festival
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Folks at Hamlet & Ghost, a Caroline Street craft cocktail bar, didn’t have to go far to set up for the firstever Eat Drink Saratoga festival on Saturday.
They were among the 50 distilleries, wineries, breweries and cideries on hand, plus 14 local restaurants, at the parking lot of the former Saratogian building in downtown Saratoga Springs.
The hottest day of summer, with 90-degree temperatures and high humidity, didn’t deter people as more than 1,200 party-goers were expected for the one-day event.
“We’re up for any opportunity to get out and taste the local offerings,” said Andy Ferrara of Saratoga Springs.
“I love the food, love the beer, so why not?” his wife, Milly, said smiling.
The festival, which took six months to plan, was organized by Hamlet & Ghost
managing partner Brendan Dillon and his wife, Jillian Petercsak, who works for Fish at 30 Lake, a Spa City restaurant.
“We were just staring at this parking lot and thinking about the Caroline Street block party of old, and said: Hey, let’s throw a party!” Petercsak said. “We’re hoping to make it a fun event every year in downtown Saratoga.”
It was the biggest crowd at The Saratogian’s former home since the newspaper moved to 7 Wells St. late last summer.
“It’s great,” said Dan Spitz, of Fat and Happy Catering. “It’s walkable for everybody. It’s bright and open.”
The property, which is for sale, is owned by local businessman Frank Parillo, whose multiple holdings include Wilton Travel Plaza at Northway Exit 16.
The site, a block from Broadway, is prime real estate, but there’s been no public disclosure about future plans for it.
Petercsak said she hopes to find another downtown location for Eat Drink Saratoga, if The Saratogian lot isn’t available next year.
Participation for the inaugural festival was quite strong as firms from Vermont, Massachusetts and throughout New York, from Coney Island to Rochester, took part.
Wilton resident Brian Baker is an area account manager for Rochesterbased Black Button Distilling.
“We started the business with bourbon and we’ve moved into trying a lot of different things like vodka, apple pie moonshine and lilac gin,” he said. “The main benefit of this event is developing future customers who will try our products here, and then buy them at liquor stores surrounding Saratoga or when they go out to dinner.”
That’s the goal for restaurants, too, such as The Mouzon House, which served its famous lamb burger, which is Elihu Farm ground lamb patty with roasted red pepper and Cabot cheddar cheese.
“We’re also doing our Mouzon House gumbo,” owner David Pedinotti said. “This is a great, upand-coming event. I can’t believe the number of breweries, distillers and of course all the local restaurants here. It’s really nice to see people having a great time.”
The event had two sessions, from 1-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Afterward, people were encouraged to visit local restaurants, which served drink brands from some of the festival vendors.
Ten percent of all festival proceeds will be donated to Saratoga County Children’s Committee, a non-profit dedicated to meeting year round emergency and basic needs of underprivileged children throughout Saratoga County. The committee sponsors the Empty Stocking Project, a summer camp program, and back to school program.
“It’s really nice to see this space being used like this,” Gina Peca, of Saratoga Springs, said between bites of a tasty Druthers Brewing Company slider.
“It’s incredible,” her friend Chris Rose said. “There’s always something to do downtown.”