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GardenShare’s First Ever Restaurant Week

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. 

Local tomatoes at Foster the Plant Cafe in Potsdam

Q: Who is participating? Just restaurants?  Read more GardenShare’s First Ever Restaurant Week

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Upcoming Opportunites for Producers

Want to take advantage of some of the upcoming events and webinars that could help you with your food or farming business? This winter at Cooperative Extension in St. Lawrence County an online ag and food producers academy will be offered to farmers and producers to enhance marketing and business skills. Read to learn more and in the meantime check out other upcoming opportunities happening this fall. 

Winter Ag and Food Producers Academy: Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County 

The Ag and Food Producers Academy will be offered during the winter to aid producers in marketing and development strategies to elevate their business. Participants will get to personalize this learning experience by choosing from a menu of topics such as social media management, e-commerce, and improving business viability. Join your fellow entrepreneurs along with Cornell Cooperative Extension, GardenShare, and other Specialists for this interactive online skill-building opportunity. Check online as new information is being added.

Read more HERE

 

New York Small Scale Food Processors Association (NYSSFPA) in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE)

Starting October 5th, a three-part series that provides you with the information you need to take your business ideas into reality. Suitable for farmers, chefs, and food entrepreneurs in learning the building blocks to run a successful food business.

Learn more HERE and Sign-up HERE.

Read more Upcoming Opportunites for Producers

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Fruition Livestream: Summer Recap

In the past three months, those tuning into the Fruition Local Foods Livestream have gotten a significant taste of the north county’s food scene. This series gives viewers a chance to really get to know the people behind the businesses. Interviewees shared how and why they grow, cook, and sell the food and products that they do. Viewers have the chance to win prizes that are generously donated by the farmers and chefs on the program. Past viewers have walked away with a Thanksgiving Turkey, gift certificates, and fresh local honey, just to name a few. Celebrate the growers and makers in our community and tune in for the next showcase this Wednesday, August 18th from 7 to 8 pm.

Each month features three unique farmers or food entrepreneurs. Here are some of the tidbits we’ve enjoyed so far from each month. 

May Showcase 

During the first-ever local foods showcase the Livestream provided some insight into the culinary magic that is happening at Big Spoon Kitchen in Potsdam. Owner and chef Will Trithart shared how meals rotate weekly based on seasonally available items. 

Eight O’Clock Ranch has continued to provide their customers near and far, with a range of delicious and healthy meats. We heard from owner Kassandra about how their business model started off nearly 20 years ago with sales mainly by mail but has since shifted in the past few years to predominantly local sales. Read more Fruition Livestream: Summer Recap