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Farms to Fork September 2011 |  | |
A group of over 100 people had a wonderful time at the Farms to Fork Connecticut-Grown Dinner hosted by the Windsor Education Foundation (WEF) at Northwest Park on Friday, September 16th, 2011. The fundraiser benefitted WEF which encourages community support for excellence in public education and provides funding for innovative projects and programs in the Windsor Public Schools.
Anita Mips, a new WEF board member, made everyone feel welcome at the registration table. The evening started with gourmet hors d'oeuvres, wine and wine charms personalized with each guest's name and crafted from fallen branches by Attorney Richard Vassallo, a founding WEF board member and current Vice President.
While the delicious hors d'oeuvres and Connecticut wine were being enjoyed, poured by Liz and Jim Burke with help from Cyndi Deshais, the attendees chatted and browsed the twelve Connecticut auction items on which they would later bid.
By 6:15 pm, everyone had chosen a table and many pleasant comments were heard regarding the lovely table settings. The WEF board and Farms to Fork committee took pains to make the tables homey yet elegant, with earth-friendly plates and 'sliver'ware; all made of biodegradable bamboo.
Florence Barlow, co-president, and Paula Pierce, Vice President, welcomed and thanked the eager diners and new board member, Lisa Bress, introduced two of the foundation's grant recipients who spoke of the benefits their programs made to Windsor's school children.
The array of locally grown food was grown and prepared by Executive Chef of Peppercorn's Restaurant in Hartford, Dino Cialfi with assistance from Kim Rukus, sous chef and owner of Earthtone Farms. Many local farms and donors supplied fresh ingredients including Earthtone Farm (vegetables), Paul Nasuta (vegetables, foodie gift basket), Freunds Farm (specialty breads), and Sweet Pea Hayes Family Farm (cheese).
Dinner was served; fresh salad, hand baked gourmet breads, butternut squash filled ravioli, porcini encrusted chicken, seasonal roasted vegetables served family style for a casual, but elegant feel.
As dinner progressed and the sun went down, the outdoor pavilion was warmly lit with autumn gold and hunter green tealights donated by Partylite rep, Pat Gardner, with some help from the overhead lights brought in by volunteer technician, Gary Dogewicz. The seasonal harvest decor was donated by Brown's Harvest.
For dessert, the group enjoyed a fall treat of home made apple cake topped with creamy vanilla UCONN ice cream drizzled with caramel donated and prepared by Carol Engelmann, catering manager of the Beanery at Bart's. It was so good, even people who thought there were already stuffed energetically finished dessert.
After dinner and much good conversation, Russel Sills, principal of Windsor High School, and Michael McDonald, Windsor Town Councilman, entertained the crowd as they auctioned off twelve Connecticut gift baskets, expertly packaged by WEF Secretary, Joan O'Neil. All items were highly sought after and were soon sold, raising over $1,500 for the foundation's grants. All items were donated by local businesses, the public and WEF board members. New board member Ruth Jefferis dutifully recorded each bid and assisted the winners as they picked up their items.
As the evening ended, a very heartfelt thank you was given to Wilson Congregational Church who recently made a very generous donation to the foundation. Solar lights arranged by Steve Erickson and Jody Terranova, lighted the way out of the park at about 8:45 pm.
WEF Board members, including co-president and Farms to Fork Chair, Jane Garibay, sponsors, donors and volunteers all helped to make the event a great success. We look forward to next year's event.
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