CULINARY CELEBRATION
Saratoga Wine and Food Festival to return to Spa City
The Saratoga Wine and Food Festival is returning to the Spa City with some new features for foodies and wine-lovers to enjoy.
Presented at the end of Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s classical season, and for the first time during the fall harvest season, the 2019 Saratoga Wine and Food Festival will celebrate the bounty and talent of the region from the Hudson Valley to the Adirondacks.
Set around the Saratoga Spa State Park’s reflecting pool, the festival is slated for Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5.
Featuring a new “Forest Magic” Farm-to-Table Harvest Dinner on Friday night and Saturday’s signature Grand Tasting, the festival will include fine wines, tastings from regional and international chefs, live music curated by Caffè Lena, a sculpture garden presented by The Hyde Collection featuring works by artist John Van Alstine and photographic works of art created from compostables by TerriLynn Pellegri.
“The underlying ethos of this year’s festival is socially-conscious cultivation and consumption,” SPAC president and CEO said Elizabeth Sobol said in a press release. “Pairing indemand international talent with our progressive regional chefs gives our community the opportunity to experience exquisite culinary artistry, incorporating local sustainable ingredients for a truly collaborative farm-to-table inspired event.”
Renowned regional chefs Kim Klopstock, Kevin London, Dan Spitz and Michael Blake will collaborate with interna
"Pairing in-demand international talent with our progressive regional chefs gives our community the opportunity to experience exquisite culinary artistry, incorporating local sustainable ingredients for a truly collaborative farm-to-table inspired event." — Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC president and CEO, in a news release
tional culinary talent including UK farm-to-table chefs Tim Spedding and Louise Rødkjaer Jørgensen, and Ayurvedic expert Austin Peltier, for the sold-out harvest dinner.
Participating restaurants at the Grand Tasting are 9 Miles East Farm, Brown’s Brewing Company, Dakine Cusine, LLC, Doc’s Restaurant, Druthers Brewing Company, Field Notes NY, Hamlet & Ghost, Harvey’s Restaurant and Bar, Hatch Test Kitchen, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Park 26 Restaurant, Prime at Saratoga National, Ravenous, Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, Saratoga Tea & Honey, Seneca Restaurant, Siro’s Restaurant, Suburban Kitchen, Sweeney’s, Sweet Beet Bistro, We Do Fondue, Whitman Brewing Co, Whole Harvest and more.
Additionally, Graffiti Earth chef Jehangir Mehta and NYC mixologists Dave Arnold and Don Lee of Existing Conditions have joined the line-up for Saturday’s VIP Grand Tasting.
As part of the cultural celebration, the Grand Tasting will, for the first time, feature a sculpture garden curated by The Hyde Collection with pieces that align with the new festival vision by John Van Alstine, who is known for his outdoor and indoor sculptures and site specific installations, earning the artist a reputation as one of America’s most important sculptors.
Adding to the ambiance of the festival will be a lineup of musical performances curated by Caffé Lena including Kolonien, on the frontier of the new Scandinavian folk scene; the Jamcrackers featuring Adirondack folk musicians Dan Berggren and Dan Duggan, and Massachusettsbased, newgrass band, Mamma’s Marmalade, known for its fresh take on traditional American music that transforms the conventional bluegrass experience into an exuberant party, all slated for performances on Saturday afternoon. Harpist Martha Gallagher with guitarist Dennis Gallagher will bring their unique interweaving of strings to Friday’s VIP Farm-to-Table Harvest Dinner.
“For the first time at the festival, our largest fundraiser to support SPAC’s educational programming, we are celebrating the incredible cultural organizations in the region with live music, a sculpture garden, gorgeous photography of compostables and much more,” Sobol added.
The Saratoga Wine and Food Festival is SPAC’s primary fundraiser for its educational programming. Over the past four years, SPAC has greatly increased the breadth and depth of educational offerings to the community in pursuit of the belief that every child should have the opportunity to experience the life-enhancing benefits that accompany participation in the performing arts. Since 2015, SPAC’s education programs have gone from serving 5,000 students to more than 49,000 students in 2019. Through new initiatives this season such as the in-school “Ballet in Fifth” program with New York City Ballet as well as signature events including The Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists and SPAC’s “Classical Kids” in-school program presented by Union College, the venue offered more than 400 unique education programs and partnered with more than 120 schools and non-profit organizations across the greater Capital Region.
Tickets to the festival are available online at spac.org, at the box office or by calling 518-584-9330.