Food will be prepared and served by students and faculty in SCCC’s School of Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism. The menu will feature hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, salad, pasta, carving stations and a “make your own sundae” station.

Entertainment will be provided by Al Santoro and Friends; there will be a silent auction and a cash bar will be available.  New York State Assemblyman James Tedisco will serve as Honorary Chairman of the event.

Tickets are $50 per person, and proceeds from the dinner will benefit victims of Hurricane Irene in Schoharie, Schenectady, Greene and Montgomery Counties.

Guests are asked to RSVP in advance to one of the following Storm Aid officers: Janice Thompson, Founder/President, 518-372-0035; Diane DeMeo, Vice President, 518-372-0642; Cheryl James, Treasurer, 518-895-2468.

For more information about the dinner, please contact Janice Thompson.

For the seriously bargain price of $50.00 per person, guests will be treated to local foods grown and made by Schenectady Greenmarket vendors and prepared by SCCC faculty and students in the Hotel, Culinary Arts & Tourism department.

The menu has not yet been finalized, but among other things, Chef Christopher Tanner (SCCC instructor and Certified Executive Chef) has promised a delectable-sounding Charcuterie Station:

• Vegetable terrine and rillettes
• Charcuterie Trio – Porchetta di testa with fines herbes salad; Black Forest Ham; Herbes de Provence-infused Chicken Galantine
• Smoked salmon and Russian gravlax

The Details:

Local Harvest Dinner

Thursday, November 17

Reception 5:30pm; Dinner 6:30pm

Van Curler Room, Elston Hall, Schenectady County Community College

A Reminder:

Schenectady Greenmarket is open Sundays from 10:00am-2:00pm. The market will be outdoors (around City Hall) until October 30; it moves inside Proctors (432 State Street) beginning November 6.

Schenectady Greenmarket Links: Follow on Twitter. Subscribe on Facebook.

The Dominican Retreat & Conference Center will be presenting “Sundaes on Sunday” on August 14, which includes  free ice cream sundaes, contemporary & traditional Christian music with the Dominican Retreat Center Choir, and a tour of the center.

The event will take place from 1:00pm-4:00pm; concerts by the choir will take place at 1:00pm and 2:30pm.  The Dominican Retreat & Conference Center is located at 1945 Union Street (Troy – Schenectady Rd.) in Niskayuna.  The event is free and open to the public. Further information is available by calling 518-393-4169 or at www.dlcny.org.

Some historic notes: the Dominican center is a neat little place, which has an historic windmill on its grounds.  The windmill was once part of the Clark Witbeck estate, and was used to pump water into the house. The windmill still exists on the property, but the mansion was torn down in 1972.  The windmill is now used as private lodging for individual retreats.

Clark Witbeck was a Schenectady businessman, founder of  the Clark Witbeck Company, which sold wholesale hardware. There’s a building in Schenectady named after him, which even contains a faded (and partially painted over) building advertisement. Here’s what it looked like originally. The building was once the Daily Gazette press building, and now houses the Edison Tech Center.

I don’t remember doing it, but I even once took a picture of Witbeck’s mausoleum in Vale Cemetery!

Photo (postcard) circa 1910. The postcard reads, "One of Schenectady's Fine Residences"

The windmill as it looks today

Classe’s chef Jeremy Kane was our guide through a menu of traditional bbq items that they’ll be offering to catering clients who are looking for something casual yet upscale, but perhaps not as upscale as their regular white-glove catering services. I am certainly no barbecue expert, nor do I even pretend to be.  I was glad to be seated across from The Profussor, so I could ask him what was what. I offer my humble review of Big KaHoona BBQ (caption text taken from menu provided by Classé):

"CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF BRISKET, Seasoned with our signature rub and slow smoked for 12 hours"

BRISKET: Nicely trimmed of fat, and was moist and tender. Not quite tender enough to cut with a fork (should it be? I don’t know), but not at all tough. It was smoked for 7 hours, which gave it a rich and…well, smoky flavor that I really enjoyed.  The lengthy 24-hour brine gave the meat a terrific juiciness.  What I learned: not everyone loves their brisket trimmed as much as this one was. Some prefer a thick layer of fat, melting into and flavoring the meat. Not me. I’m always on a diet, so the less fat the better in my opinion.

PULLED PORK: seasoned with our signature rub, smoked for 24 hours and tossed with a chipotle bbq sauce and served on a warm buttermilk biscuit. COLESLAW: hand shredded and tossed with caraway, vinegar and sugar

PULLED PORK and COLESLAW: Two barbecue items that can be my absolute favorite things. This coleslaw was definitely done well – not overly dressed in mayonnaise, with a nice tang from the cider vinegar. I thought the addition of a sprinkle of caraway seeds was brilliant – absolutely the right flavor.  The pulled pork was very good, but very unlike other pulled pork sandwiches I’ve had around here. Much of the time, the pork is swimming in a gloopy, cloyingly sweet barbecue sauce, and served on a squishy soggy bun. Not this one. The meat was dressed lightly in a sharp, tangy vinegar-based sauce (Carolina style) that was not sweet.  The drawback to this particular dish was the biscuit it was served on. The biscuit itself was tasty, but a bit too crumbly to stand up as a sandwich container.

BABY BACK RIBS: Brined for 24 hours, dry rubbed for 12 hours, smoked for eight hours and finished with Big KaHoona’s house-made barbecue sauce

BABY BACK RIBS: I must be honest, I did not even know what I was looking for here. I’m not really a fan of ribs, so mine is a very amateur impression. The crust on the ribs was crisp and sweet, with a hearty helping of smoke. The ribs were not fall-off-the-bone tender, but according to my sources (Daniel), they shouldn’t be. So, a point here. If you like ribs, you will probably enjoy these.

MAC AND CHEESE: Elbow noodles tossed with an extra sharp Vermont cheddar cheese sauce, “burnt ends”, Dijon laced buttery bread crumbs and baked until golden brown

MAC AND CHEESE: This offering was inspired by Chef Kane’s grandmother’s recipe.  I love me some mac and cheese. And there was much about this version to love: it was filled with traditional and comforting elbow macaroni, topped with crispy buttered breadcrumbs, and studded throughout with smoky burnt ends of brisket. The thing that was missing was cheese – there just wasn’t enough.  They didn’t miss the mark by a lot, but the addition of a few more handfuls of Vermont cheddar would have sent this dish over the top.

COLLARD GREENS Stewed with ham hocks, onion and vinegar

COLLARD GREENS: I tried collard greens for the first time a couple years ago at the legendary Hattie’s in Saratoga Springs. I was immediately entranced by their earthy green-ness, which was offset by a smoky spiciness, which I guessed was from nutmeg.  I saw Chef Jasper walking by, and asked him what he put in the collards. He said nothing. I’m pretty sure he was lying, because I have yet to find collard greens as good as Jasper’s.  Chef Kane’s are pretty good, though. They’re a bit on the crunchy side, which is great – mushy greens are awful. These were seasoned sparingly, taking most of their flavor from a ham hock and some cider vinegar. The real flavor of the greens shone through. I could eat a whole plate of these.

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN: Marinated in island spices, grilled over charcoal and glazed with a light mango barbecue sauce

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN: It was good chicken, but it wasn’t jerk-y enough. The meat was cooked perfectly, with a nice juiciness.  But I was hoping for a more aggressive spice – jerk spices are best when they’re right in your face, letting you know what you’re missing because you’re here and Jamaica is all the way down there, with people having fun and drinking Red Stripe without you.  This chicken lacked that punch, and also lacked a crispy, almost-burnt skin that you come to expect from a grill.  Chef acknowledged that he was also disappointed in the soggy skin, and noted that it won’t be the case in the future.

Also on the menu:

BAKED BEANS: Just ok. Pretty standard, barbecue sauce with some bacon pieces.

SKILLET CORNBREAD: The menu promised jalapenos, but I didn’t taste any in there. Which is fine. The crumb was dense and moist, and it was not overly sweet. Delicious.

SAUCES: Four varieties – House Barbecue, Peach Jalapeno, Chipotle Mango, and Dr. Pepper Barbecue, all made in-house from scratch. The only one that I didn’t really care for was the Chipotle Mango. I thought the consistency was too thick, and there wasn’t enough chipotle flavor. The other sauces were fantastic, but the Dr. Pepper sauce really won the day. Everyone was raving. Chef Kane told us that the recipe was created by his teenage nephew, who convinced his uncle and Classé Catering to bottle it for him. They plan to start selling it soon at the Troy Farmers Market.

Chef Kane was incredibly gracious, accepting our compliments and discussing our criticisms with both professionalism and candor.  It was nice to know that he was really listening, and taking our comments seriously.  I got the sense that he really has a desire to do the very best he can to create delicious food.

I would have no problem recommending Big KaHoona BBQ to anyone looking to have a terrific barbecue, for any type of event.  Many thanks to the accomodating and helpful team at Classé Catering for opening their doors to me and my fellow bloggers!

We should do this again soon.  How’s next week?

5^th annual Upper Union Street Strawberry Fest & Art Show

Saturday, June 18

10am – 3pm

Upper Union Street, Schenectady’s 5^th Annual Strawberry Fest & Art Show is a feast for berry lovers of all ages on Saturday, June 18 from 10am – 3pm.  A wide range of “berry good” menu items (sorry-  I’m just copying from the press release!) at Upper Union Street’s wide range of restaurants and retail stores include both Italian- and American-style strawberry shortcake, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry jam, “berry” tea  (the tea expert at Divinitea says strawberries just don’t cut it in tea), strawberry gelato, strawberry cobbler, angel food cake with berries, strawberry lemonade, and strawberry tarts.

There will be lots of tasting samples, too – strawberry salsa, bagels with strawberry cream cheese, strawberry ice, and (for your four-legged barking friends) strawberry shaped dog biscuits.

And, there’s more than just berries:

• Firefly Florist will offer a “King & Queen of Hearts” photo op, complete with royal props
• The City Squire will be serving up strawberry daiquiris and live music in their outdoor “Beer Garden”
• Gershon’s Deli will be offering strawberry cupcake decorating for the kids

If you don’t care for strawberries, you can still get a taste of some great food along Upper Union Street: several Italian restaurants, an Irish Pub, a Jewish Deli, California style burritos, several Asian restaurants (including Mr. Wasabi, with Japanese preparations), and standard American fare.

Admission is free, as is parking.  More information at www.upperunionbid.org or on their Facebook page.

Related articles

• Strawberry fest returns to Schenectady (timesunion.com)

Mad Jack Brewing has been in the works for a while now, and the McDonald family finally held the celebration we’ve all been waiting for.  Tonight they debuted nine beers on tap, showed off the shiny brewing facilities, and allowed folks to experience the atmosphere of the Van Dyck.  Beer samples were passed around, and I got to taste 4 of them before I had to head home (lager, pale ale, brown ale, stout).  There were also some appetizer samples from their new menu – yum!

I ran into some old friends, and hung out the crew from Brayton Graphics, the geniuses behind Mad Jack’s marketing.

Photos after the jump.

The brewery, out back

Mad Jack Brewing poster on the patio, complete with wicked cool QR code.

Some of the crowd inside, enjoying beer & apps

The scene at the Van Dyck bar...

The dainty lads of Brayton Graphics

Congratulations to the McDonald family on creating another great destination for fun in Schenectady. I hope to feature them, the restaurant, and their brewmaster in an upcoming podcast episode. Like I need an excuse to go back.

And, if you’re reading this before 9:00pm on Thursday, June 2: there’s still time to get over there and enjoy the grand opening festivities!

As I discovered on Sunday, this Gentile has been missing out on a ton of tasty treats.  I would write about it, but I think photos tell a better story…

Daniel B.'s Better Butter Battle. I am forever ruined for normal grocery store butter. The unsalted Italian butter made me swoon. Schmeared over the amazing challah made by Leah the Nosher...heaven.

Daniel B. and Leah the Nosher themselves - it was awesome to meet them in person for the first time! I am extremely envious that Daniel has a t-shirt for his blog.

Chopped Chicken Livers. I was a bit hesitant, but I tried them. Pretty good! Brought me back to my childhood - my mom used to make liver every once in a while, and we would even eat liverwurst sandwiches from time to time.

The fudgiest, deepest, darkest brownies I've ever eaten. Sadly, they were not homemade or even made by a restaurant - they were from a Sara Lee institutional box mix that the Daughters of Sarah nursing home uses! Ridiculously good, though.

Hamentaschen. Hamen-awesome!

Coconut macaroons. I ate these so fast I forgot what they tasted like. So good. Washed down with a fantastic egg cream, another new taste for me!

Caramel Matzo Crunch. If I was promised these every Sabbath, I would convert. Gladly. Patti van Leeuwen could be my sponsor.

Pucker's Pickles. I'm not sure if they're Jewish, but boy were they tasty. They had a kick-ass kimchi that really surprised me.

And I just realized how lame my photo gallery from the event actually is. I guess I got so wrapped up in eating, I forgot to take pictures.  I’ll just have to tell you everything else I ate:

Tzimmes: an interesting root vegetable stew, with some meat thrown in (or so the guy at the table told me).  This was a dish that was new to me in every way – I had never seen it before. According to my sources, tzimmes is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish, made from a variety of vegetables, cooked slowly over low heat and flavored with honey or sugar and sometimes cinnamon.  It’s often served as part of the Rosh Hashanah meal, when it is traditional to eat sweet and honey-flavored dishes. The carrot rounds in the dish symbolize gold coins, which bring the hope of prosperity in the year to come. Yum.

Blintzes – Basically, a Jewish crepe, filled with cheese or fruit and topped with sour cream or applesauce. Gershon’s Deli made them, and they also made this incredible blintz souffle, which was hands-down the best item at the event.

Ratatouille – again by Gershon’s. Stewed vegetables, with a touch of tomatoes. Loved it.

Egg Cream – a delightful little drink, made with Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup, milk, and seltzer.  Daniel B. has the scoop.

Potato Kugel – potato noodle casserole, a traditional side dish.

Latkes – traditional potato pancakes. Identical to the ones I make to go along with my sauerbraten. (mine are better…shhh).

Mandelbrodt/Mandelbread – similar to biscotti, but not as crunchy. I should have gone back for more.

Challah – homemade by none other than Leah the Nosher. Get her recipes over on her blog, Noshing Confessions.

Four different kinds of butter – at Daniel B.’s Better Butter Battle. My personal winner: the unsalted Delitia Parmigiano-Reggiano butter (made from the cream of the cows that produce Parmigiano-Reggiano). So creamy and incredible I wanted to rub it on myself. But I didn’t, something for which Daniel and Leah (and everyone at the festival) should be grateful.

The food was just so good – and I have to mention that the food prepared by the congregants absolutely BLEW AWAY the food made by the restaurants.  I was  disappointed in most of the restaurants, unfortunately – they either didn’t prepare Jewish food, or what they did make was pretty mediocre. One restaurant group served bland chickpea hummus with STALE crostini. Seriously – stale crostini. It was apparent they didn’t really want to be there.

I was only able to stick around for about 90 minutes, after which my stomach told me I could not eat another bite.  Plus, I get weirdly nervous and self-conscious when I’m by myself in a huge group of people. I should have brought an eating buddy. Next year!

Chef Anand "AJ" Jayapal

On this episode of Wendalicious:

• Chef Anand “AJ” Jayapal, the new Food & Beverage Director for the Mallozzi Group.  AJ was born in India, spent many years in kitchens all across the Capital Region, and created a food company dedicated to bringing Indian flavors to life here in American kitchens – Miss Sydney’s Secret Family Recipes.  But – AJ wasn’t always a chef, and his background may surprise you.
• Diane Conroy-LaCivita,  owner of Harmony House Marketplace in Cohoes, a unique food and arts destination in New York’s Capital District.
• The 8th Annual Jewish Food Festival, taking place on April 3rd at Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady
• News Roundup, including Girl Scouts gone digital, and the latest battle in the global Cupcake Wars.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW:

Links from today’s Show:

• Miss Sydney’s Secret Family Recipes, (518) 768-8113 or 1-866-215-3316
• Mallozzi Group
• Harmony House Marketplace
• Jewish Food Festival

Music credits from today’s show:

• Wendalicious by Matt Francisco and Karl Eisenhart of Pinnacle
• Peeps by Antioquia (source: Mevio.com)
• Uneducated Guess by 3rd Man (source: Mevio.com)

Today’s Poll:

And you don’t get more underdog-gy (underdoggy? under-doggy?) that those poor unfortunate No. 16-seeds that get pitted against the No. 1-seeds in Round Two (which used to be Round One, but now that they’ve added more teams and play-in games, they had to create a whole new round.  They should call it the “Play-In Round” and not Round One.  Too confusing.  But I digress).

There’s never any chance in hell that one of these No. 16-seeds will beat a No. 1-seed (No. 1 seeds are 104-0 all-time against No. 16 seeds), but at least this year Pizza Hut is making it interesting.

If by any sort of miracle a No. 16 seed defeats a No. 1 seed in the second round, Pizza Hut will be rewarding America with free pizza.

“If a 16 seed wins, America wins,” says Kurt Kane, CMO at Pizza Hut.  “An upset of this magnitude would be an unmatched sports moment, which deserves an unmatched celebration from Pizza Hut.”

I don't even particularly *like* Pizza Hut pizza, but free pizza is free pizza.

If the impossible does occur, Pizza Hut will load up its mobile kitchen and embark on a road trip of epic proportions. The Pizza Hut party tour will travel to each of the 48 contiguous states in the United States to hand out free slices of pizza at designated locations.

Pizza lovers, basketball junkies, and fans of the “Cinderella Story” can follow along on Twitter by using the hashtag #pizzachampions.

So, what are the chances this year?  Abysmal, as usual.

Going into tonight’s Round Two games, the No. 16-seeds left in the tournament are University of Texas San Antonio (v. Ohio State), Boston University (v. Kansas), Hampton University (who?) ( v. Duke), and University of North Carolina-Asheville (v. Pitt).  I’m thinking that none of those teams are likely to pull off an upset, keeping that longstanding record going strong.

Thanks for the thought Pizza Hut, but we all know damn well you’re not going to be loading up any pizza tour bus, this or any year.  And, even if you did, I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t be traveling anywhere near New York’s Capital Region.  So, there’s really no point in me even writing this post, is there?

And, for what it’s worth, I did do a bracket.  Here’s who I’ve got going to the Final Four: UNC, Kansas, Duke, and Florida.  I did not pick any No. 16-seeds to beat any No. 1-seeds (my momma didn’t raise no dummies).  I’ve got no money riding on it, but I still think it’s fun to watch the tournament shake out!

This month’s event (the final in the series – wish I’d heard about it sooner), highlights the lowly potato – that ubiquitous yet unappreciated tuber.  Here are the details:

“Potato: The Perfect Human Food”

Wednesday, March 2, 7pm-9pm at the NYS Museum in Albany.

FREE

For the first few million years, the potato tuber was just a nifty adaptation to help plants store a bit of energy underground. Then humans discovered how nutritious it was, started experimenting with its evolution, and created the perfect human food. Dr. Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the State Museum, gives the evolutionary back- story to the tuber that changed the world, and the Food Network’s Chef David Britton cooks up examples of cuisine it has inspired.