REAP the Benefit 2015, “Night on the Farm”

Reprinted with permission from Les Dames d'Escoffier Cleveland's blog "Dame du Jour"
By Cynthia Schuster Eakin | Photo By Eric Eakin

REAP the Benefit 2015, “Night on the Farm” welcomed 350 guests into the Ohio City Farm to benefit The Refugee Response in Northeast Ohio.

Cleveland Dames Paula Hershman, Marla Monzo Holmes, Maggie Harrison, Shara Bohach, and Carol Hacker lended their hands as volunteers throughout the evening.

The Refugee Response empowers refugees to become self-sufficient and contributing members of their new community. Services offered by The Refugee Response include home tutoring, an academic scholarship program and the Refugee Empowerment Agricultural Program (REAP). Managing sites at both the Ohio City Farm and Urban Community School, the organization employs farm trainees. These trainees have cultivated and distributed more than 20,000 pounds of produce and have supported the weekly delivery of food to 119 community supported agriculture (CSA) members this past year. Produce grown on the farms is available to trainees and their families, donated to hunger centers, sold on-site at a retail stand and purchased by contract from a host of local restaurants.

Several of the chef and restaurant partners attended the “Night on the Farm” to prepare seasonal cuisine. Music and dance was provided by members of Cleveland’s Bhutanese and Burmese communities. The highlight of the evening was the introduction of Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who has dedicated his life’s work to spreading the philosophy of non-violence. A journalist, activist, author and “peace farmer,” Arun Gandhi’s work in social and economic justice has touched millions throughout the world.

The 5th Annual Brite Winter Celebration in Ohio City

Located in Cleveland's Ohio City Market District, the Brite Winter Festival is a festival of music, art, food, games and more. The attraction takes place both indoors and outdoors…. yes outdoors in the middle of February. Multiple intimate stages were set up throughout the area. Large warming fire pits huddled the masses as band after band, local and national, rocked the cold from the air with their original music. All local establishments participate, making Ohio City heat up on a cold Cleveland winter night.

We had no set plan other than finding a parking spot as quickly as possible and getting out into the evening. Parking is a bit of a challenge when more than 20,000 people descend on an area surrounding the West Side Market at West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue, but we got really lucky and followed someone who was leaving to their car. We grabbed a beverage from an outdoor Great Lakes Brewery tent and got into the music right away. Strolling through the event there is much to see. Art on display or being created… games, food trucks, people. We stopped for a moment, enjoying the sight of thousands of others enjoying yet another fantastic event in Cleveland. No one seemed to care that is was only 8 degrees out, we were embracing the offering of this great city and all the people who made this amazing event happen. The air was still, everyones' frozen breath evaporating into night air, and we were warm and part of something that was just cool. We thought of how it must feel to serve ice cold beer with frozen beer-soaked hands and gloves all night. How one's bare hand might feel holding the neck of their frozen guitar. How those who did never showed it. They just rocked it out and we can stay it was truly appreciated. A thank you to all. We braved the cold, only stopping inside to catch our final act at the Great Lakes Brewery Tasting Room stage. We were simply blown away by the talent of the bands we saw. Wish we could have seen more of them. Here are a few that we especially enjoyed.

Sidney York from Alberta, Canada played on the outdoor Town Hall Stage at 8:00 pm. We sat amidst the firepits and sipped Southern Tier's deliciously dessert-like Creme Brulee Beer. By the end of the performance we were on our feet dancing up front. Fronted by two females, they easily won the crowd over with their high-energy, sweet, addicting electro-pop.

The Ridges from Athens, Ohio played on the considerably warmer Great Lakes Brewing Co. Tasting Room Stage at 9:30 pm. They are an orchestral folk rock band, combining guitars with upright bass, multiple cellos, and other strings. Very cool.

The festival began at 4pm, with outdoor activities until 11pm Establishments continued until 1am If you want to experience something truly special in Cleveland, make it a point to get out to this annual event next year. There is just something about everyone being in the same "stay warm" situation together that makes this event shine so brightly.

Brite Winter is free and open to all. Big thanks to many winter loving sponsors and supporters.
Ohio City Market District – Cleveland, Ohio
www.britewinter.com

For some more reading on the event and the details check this out.

We apologize for the shaky nature of our photography… it was 8 degrees!

Cleveland Veg Gala

The Cleveland Veg Gala, held Sunday October 14, 2012 was one of the best food events we've ever been to. Sure there were a few snags, but in its first year, this event exceeded expectations. And we LOVE that a vegan event in Cleveland SOLD OUT!

Over 28 restaurants, bakeries, and other food vendors showcased their finest vegan cuisine (usually two items at each station), and the results were just delicious. Really, if you didn't think about, you might not have even noticed that everything was meat and dairy free. Some highlights were Deagan's Kitchen's mushroom-potato "Meatballs" with spicy Marinara, Root Cafe's Raw Lasagna (zucchini layered with marinara, hazelnut-walnut pesto and cashew-based 'ricotta'), Pura Vida's Chili with such an intricate level of spices and seasoning, Lion On Lorain's Cubano Vegano with steamed seitan, vegan ham, and vegan cheese, Luxe's Chick Pea Patties, Orale Kitchen's Potato Empandas and Enchiladas, and Grovewood Tavern & Wine Bar's Ohio Black Bean Ragoût served over polenta cakes.

And then the desserts! Decadent creations from so many sweeteries. Tremont Scoops' buckeyes, Vegan Sweet Tooth's moist cake pops covered in dark chocolate, and those amazing deep dark chocolate truffles covered in toasted coconut from Grovewood were stand-outs. But seriously, the selections were abundant and overwhelming.

There were some outstanding beverages as well. Muddy Paw Wines were fabulous. This local winery in Grand River Valley donates proceeds to the Geauga Humane Society. Love it!! Dandy Blend Herbal Coffee Substitute, a tasty caffeine-free herbal coffee substitute served with rice milk was perfect with dessert. And E-3 Live, such a healthy concoction that aids with digestion, was a great idea after indulging all night on plentiful vegan fare!

We applaud the effort of many participants who went the distance to show off really creative vegan fare that surprised and delighted. We overheard a few people saying "And the best part is, we can eat everything here. We don't even have to ask about the ingredients!" Indeed.

The Veg Gala was rounded out with a wonderful cruelty-free silent auction, and live music throughout the evening. Proceeds are going toward the upcoming Cleveland Veg Fest this summer. Surely an event not to be missed!

Unity Design is a print and online design firm that specializes in the restaurant and culinary industry.

Wine, Cheese and Chocolate! The Best of Ohio

What a night! Thursday, April 26 the Cleveland chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier had its annual fundraiser, and as would be expected, it was rather tasty!

Four wineries, four cheesemakers, and four chocolatiers participated (listed below) and brought delightful, diverse samples for the 65 or so guests to taste and enjoy. The event was held at the beautiful Trevarrow Showroom in Parma, which made attendees eager to re-do their home kitchens! Guests circulated though five gorgeous kitchens, to taste some of the best wine, cheese and chocolate Ohio has to offer.

Wine
Ferrante Winery
Firelands Winery
Harpersfield Winery
South River Winery

Cheese
Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese
Kokoborrego Creamery
Lake Erie Creamery
Mackenzie Creamery

Chocolate
Coquette Patisserie
Emerald Necklace Inn & Tea Room
Pomona Chocolates
What's For Dessert?

Summed up by Programming Chair, Carol Hacker, "Attendees loved the opportunity to sample wonderful wines, cheeses and chocolates from independent local producers. The exposure benefits both sides and supports the link between farm and table. A delicious learning experience - what could be better?"

All event pictures are posted on the Les Dames d'Escoffier, Cleveland facebook page. If you missed this year's event, be sure to watch for next year's offering. Les Dames fundraisers are not to be missed!

Unity Design was a proud sponsor and designed the identity and all of the event promotions.

The Cleveland Garlic Festival

Garlic. If you love it like we do, then you had to go to The Cleveland Garlic Festival at The North Union Farmers Market September 10-11. The festival is in its second year and is located on Shaker Square. Despite a little rain, plenty of people were there. We roamed the tents on both sides, sampling lots of garlic goodness, and buying items that wowed us. There were also cooking demonstrations using, of course, GARLIC, as well as live music on two stages. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Sergio's Sarava's Garlic Shrimp: Sergio's really took the theme to heart and made a savory shrimp with big garlic flavor and presented it on a bed of garlic rice to boot! This one really hit the mark on celebrating garlic. Loved it!
  
• Most interesting – Garlic Ice Cream by Mitchell's: we had to try it... everyone should try it… it actually did work! As a side note, they also had the most unbelievable caramel and salt ice cream. Just go try it, your jaw will drop.
  
• Roasted Garlic Salsa from Blaze Gourmet (so big and flavorful - one of the best salsas out there, and it's local!)
  
• Garlic Expressions Salad Dressing (yep, it's local too - we've been buying this for years.)
  
• The Olive and the Grape's many Garlic Olive Oils, Cooking Oils, and spice packets. The spices they incorporate are not the basic stuff, these delightful blends are carefully scrutinized with a passion for the highest quality, healthiest ingredients from all over the world.
  
• Whole Foods' extremely pungent, spicy garlic hummus. That says it all. Whoa.

Our only criticism is that there were some who showcased their regular fare without doing something creative with garlic. We expected everything to be garlic something. Hence, Garlic Festival. One of those things that's basically implied, if you don't love garlic, then don't come. So we challenge participants next year to bring out the garlic. Show us and amaze us with what you can do with it… I'm sure we garlic lovers will applaud the effort!