Dine-in, Take Out, Restaurant Week in St. Lawrence County.
Join us in making GardenShare’s first-ever restaurant week, a success. During the week of October 16th to 23rd visit area eateries. In doing so you will support GardenShare’s food access and local food programs and support restaurants around our region. We sat down with Celine Carriere, Management Consultant at GardenShare to learn more about what the week entails!
List of Participating Restaurants and Stores:
Big Spoon Kitchen, Potsdam, Cascade, Canton, Flying Lotus Yoga Center & Juice Bar, Canton, Foster the Plant Cafe, Potsdam, Jake’s On The Water, Hannawa Falls, Jernabi Coffeehouse, Potsdam, Josie’s Little Pizzeria, Canton, Nature’s Storehouse, Canton, Potsdam Food Co-op, Potsdam, The Blue House, Madrid, The Red Pine Cone, South Colton, and the Village Diner, Potsdam
Q: What can I get at participating restaurants during the week that I can’t get at other times?
Celine: Many of the participating restaurants are already using local ingredients but they will be highlighting that on their menus. I am also excited to say Jake’s on the Water is developing a specific local foods menu for restaurant week. This week provides an opportunity to celebrate local foods and our area restaurants and participating businesses. We are looking forward to having our community celebrate the local food opportunities that exist and getting supporters to join in and eat some delicious foods.
Restaurant week is an opportunity to support GardenShare, and its local food and access programs. Restaurants and stores participating in the week have made a contribution to GardenShare affirming their support in our programming. Diners can support not only by dining at participating establishments but also by donating funds when they pay for their local meals.
Q: Who is participating? Just restaurants?
Celine: While we have twelve food businesses to dine at and show support for, there are not just restaurants joining in restaurant week! The friendly folks at Big Spoon Kitchen, The Potsdam Food Co-op and Nature’s Storehouse are also participating, so whatever purchases you make at those establishments over the course of the week will be a vote of confidence for our local food access programs.
Q: Can we get a sneak peek of some local dishes being offered during the week?
Yes! Big Spoon Kitchen will be serving up a great menu featuring local farmers like Kent Family Growers, Martin’s Farmstand and Levi Zook. On their menu, for the week you’ll find Empanadas stuffed with local cauliflower and Meier’s smoked cheddar cheese, along with Swedish meatballs made from Theobald Beef, just to name a few. Jernabi Coffeehouse will be serving up steamed hot cider from Canton Apples, along with other local snacks.
Q: What was the inspiration for doing restaurant week?
Celine: GardenShare’s focus is promoting local food, when we came to the realization that a sit-down dinner might not be the safest and appropriate celebration of local food this year it became obvious that a different type of event might be needed this year. So we came up with a way to promote restaurants and also fundraise for our local food and food access programs.
Q: What do participating restaurants get out of this event?
Restaurants will be able to see how important local food is to diners, and hopefully, this experience encourages them to continue or deepen their relationship with area producers and suppliers. For diners, it’s a great opportunity to find out what they can get from area eateries, and ultimately it will be a great excuse to try a new place to eat!
Q: Are there any local dishes you’re excited to try from any participating restaurants during restaurant week?
Right now I am wondering how I will be able to manage to eat at all of the places over the course of the week! In particular, I am curious about the Red Pine Cone in South Colton, as I often pass by it on my way to go hiking. I am also hoping to score one of the reserved seats on the Blue House porch deck. But really I plan on stopping in as many of the places as possible during the week!
Q: What Does this fundraiser mean for GardenShare?
This is a meaningful opportunity for us as we rely on local business and the support of community members. This fundraiser allows us to continue the programs that support access to local food for community members across the county. I encourage people to go to the GardeShare website to see the food producers included in our Local Food Guide, it’s a great way to discover more local food options and learn more about how to purchase from area growers.
Visit the GardenShare Restaurant week Facebook page for updates about local menu options. If you want to know more about what’s local call ahead for more information.
Lauren grew up in neighboring Vermont exploring and loving the green mountains and vast landscapes. Her undergraduate degree made her appreciate the communities that surround local foods and a Master’s Certificate in Food Studies from the University of Southern Maine made her want to pursue a career in the food system. In 2021 and 2022, she was the Local Foods Marketing and Development Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.