Local produce finds its way into NYC chefs’ cupboards
Imagine gooseberries grown on a farm in Afton appearing in a photo in New York magazine, or Norwich-made cheese and mustard as part of an article in another prominent downstate publication.
These are just some of the food items produced in Chenango County that are gaining in popularity. And not only in the media, but on diners’ plates at some of the city’s fanciest restaurants.
Fantasy Fruit Farm, owned by Steve and Linda Dygert of Afton, supplies fruits in season almost daily to green markets in and around Manhattan as well as to the chefs who shop them. Downstate gourmets and restaurant representatives for the past 20 years have mulled over Fantasy’s specialty strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, black and red currants and Champaign grapes.
The farm’s award winning gooseberries are featured in a menu created by chef Bill Telepan of Telepan’s on 72 West 69 St. The restaurant, which paired the gooseberries with a pan-toasted cornbread and creme fraiche dessert, was voted the best newcomer in this year’s well-known Zagat Survey.
The gooseberries appeared in the July 30-Aug. 6 issue of New York.
Time-Out New York magazine’s Sept. 6-12 fall preview edition showcased an article about small markets in and around Manhattan. The Evans family’s Farmhouse Creamery “Chenango Cheddar” and Patsy Smith’s Schoolhouse Kitchen Bardshar Chutney figured prominently in photos of Marlow & Sons and the New York Little Piggy markets, both of Brooklyn.
Smith said the article in the trendy weekly was a complete surprise. While her SweetSmoothHot Mustard, Bardshar Chutney and Balsamic Vinaigrette Basico have been selling well, she didn’t know her chutney would be featured in the publication.
“Wow! This came out of the blue,” the Norwich and Cooperstown philanthropist said. (SchoolHouse Kitchen donates l00 percent of its profits to educational organizations.)
Chenango Cheddar is just one of the many products that has been produced and distributed from the Evans’ Family Farm in Norwich since 1999. Sue Evans said she had actually lost touch over the years with who ends up getting the dairy farm’s cheese, yogurt and milk.
“We initially had a bunch of interest from city chefs as well as store owners. But we had to eventually put that part of the business in the hands of other food distributors,” she said.
The demand for the local cheese at downstate specialty markets has been “incredible” this past year, an Evans distributor said. “We could sell everything they send us and more.”
Evans said she, too, was pleased with the recent publicity.
According to distributors, some of the restaurants that often purchase Chenango County produce at market are: Jean Georges, Cru, Union Square Cafe, the Craft family of restaurants, Lever House Restaurant, Gramercy Tavern, The Tasting Room and the Savoy.
“It’s good publicity for us,” Fantasy’s farm manager Harvey Fletcher said. “It’s recognition amongst the restaurant clientele that we service. You have to build up a credibility with these restaurants, because they know who furnishes them with a top quality product. They’ll shy away from anyone who does a shoddy job.”
Fletcher said demand downstate for upstate produce will most likely continue as more and more people become organically-minded. “People are really in tune with point of origin of their fruit and vegetables. Whatever is sold at Union Square or any of their markets, they know it is produce by farms in south central New York state. They send people up to check to see that the product that you are representing is produced on your farm and your farm only.”
Zaid Kurdieh of Norwich Meadows Farm, located on state Rte. 23 just outside of the city, said 95 percent of his vegetables are sold in New York City also, either directly to restaurants or through the green markets. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and specialty artichokes have been grown locally and successfully sold downstate since 2000. “We are selling everything,” Kurdieh said.
While the farm’s chickens and eggs have ended up exclusively at Hamilton College in Clinton or to private individuals, Kurdieh said his distributors have been approached by Paul Newman’s Restaurant in Connecticut to supply them with about 150 chickens a week.
“We’ll see whether we can do that,” he said.
These are just some of the food items produced in Chenango County that are gaining in popularity. And not only in the media, but on diners’ plates at some of the city’s fanciest restaurants.
Fantasy Fruit Farm, owned by Steve and Linda Dygert of Afton, supplies fruits in season almost daily to green markets in and around Manhattan as well as to the chefs who shop them. Downstate gourmets and restaurant representatives for the past 20 years have mulled over Fantasy’s specialty strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, black and red currants and Champaign grapes.
The farm’s award winning gooseberries are featured in a menu created by chef Bill Telepan of Telepan’s on 72 West 69 St. The restaurant, which paired the gooseberries with a pan-toasted cornbread and creme fraiche dessert, was voted the best newcomer in this year’s well-known Zagat Survey.
The gooseberries appeared in the July 30-Aug. 6 issue of New York.
Time-Out New York magazine’s Sept. 6-12 fall preview edition showcased an article about small markets in and around Manhattan. The Evans family’s Farmhouse Creamery “Chenango Cheddar” and Patsy Smith’s Schoolhouse Kitchen Bardshar Chutney figured prominently in photos of Marlow & Sons and the New York Little Piggy markets, both of Brooklyn.
Smith said the article in the trendy weekly was a complete surprise. While her SweetSmoothHot Mustard, Bardshar Chutney and Balsamic Vinaigrette Basico have been selling well, she didn’t know her chutney would be featured in the publication.
“Wow! This came out of the blue,” the Norwich and Cooperstown philanthropist said. (SchoolHouse Kitchen donates l00 percent of its profits to educational organizations.)
Chenango Cheddar is just one of the many products that has been produced and distributed from the Evans’ Family Farm in Norwich since 1999. Sue Evans said she had actually lost touch over the years with who ends up getting the dairy farm’s cheese, yogurt and milk.
“We initially had a bunch of interest from city chefs as well as store owners. But we had to eventually put that part of the business in the hands of other food distributors,” she said.
The demand for the local cheese at downstate specialty markets has been “incredible” this past year, an Evans distributor said. “We could sell everything they send us and more.”
Evans said she, too, was pleased with the recent publicity.
According to distributors, some of the restaurants that often purchase Chenango County produce at market are: Jean Georges, Cru, Union Square Cafe, the Craft family of restaurants, Lever House Restaurant, Gramercy Tavern, The Tasting Room and the Savoy.
“It’s good publicity for us,” Fantasy’s farm manager Harvey Fletcher said. “It’s recognition amongst the restaurant clientele that we service. You have to build up a credibility with these restaurants, because they know who furnishes them with a top quality product. They’ll shy away from anyone who does a shoddy job.”
Fletcher said demand downstate for upstate produce will most likely continue as more and more people become organically-minded. “People are really in tune with point of origin of their fruit and vegetables. Whatever is sold at Union Square or any of their markets, they know it is produce by farms in south central New York state. They send people up to check to see that the product that you are representing is produced on your farm and your farm only.”
Zaid Kurdieh of Norwich Meadows Farm, located on state Rte. 23 just outside of the city, said 95 percent of his vegetables are sold in New York City also, either directly to restaurants or through the green markets. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and specialty artichokes have been grown locally and successfully sold downstate since 2000. “We are selling everything,” Kurdieh said.
While the farm’s chickens and eggs have ended up exclusively at Hamilton College in Clinton or to private individuals, Kurdieh said his distributors have been approached by Paul Newman’s Restaurant in Connecticut to supply them with about 150 chickens a week.
“We’ll see whether we can do that,” he said.
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