Sterling College Invites Community to Rural Heritage “Foodie” Events

This just in from Sterling College. The conference includes a panel with Steven, Claire's chef, on Wednesday night, with details below

Sterling College’s 2nd Annual Rural Heritage Institute (RHI) entitled Food, Farms, and Community: Rural America’s Local Food Renaissance from June 16 to 18 will have a number of events open to the public.

The first evening the Institute will have a Farmers’ Roundtable introduced and moderated by Severine von Tscharner Fleming, Director of The Greenhorns, a group filming a documentary on young farmers and authors of a new guidebook for young farmers. The Farmers’ Roundtable will be a collection of small scale sustainable farmers talking about the new agricultural economy and will be held on June 16 at 7:15pm in Sterling’s Simpson Hall

Clark Wolf, restaurant consultant and author of American Cheeses: The Best Regional, Artisan, and Farmhouse Cheeses, Who Makes Them, and Where to Find Them will discuss connecting local farmers to restaurants on Wednesday, June 17th at 4:30pm at Sterling’s Simpson Hall. Clark has over 30 years of experience in the food industry and is founder and President of Clark Wolf Company, a New York-based food and restaurant consulting firm.

A local Foods Banquet with fare highlighting the diverse bounty of local farmers follows Clark’s talk at 6pm in Simpson Hall — with Clark moderating a Chefs’ Roundtable starting after dinner at 7:15pm. The Chefs from Claire’s restaurant in Hardwick, Bee’s Knees of Morrisville, Hen of the Woods of Waterbury, and Sterling College chef Elena Gustavson will discuss the farm to table initiative and the economic viability of restaurants incorporating local foods in their daily menus. This Foods Banquet will be in Simpson Hall and is open to the public with a $30 entry fee.

As a late night dessert the public is invited to an “Evening Musical Interlude” listening to the soulful tunes of May Fly — a duet of sweet harmony vocals and folk instrumentals influenced by southern Appalachian old-time, and new England blues, ballads and soul music. This outdoor concert will start at 8:30pm in the Merlin/Madison courtyard on the Sterling Campus.

The last day of the Institute, Thursday, June 18th invites the public to the closing keynote speaker Andrew Meyer, founder of The Center for an Agricultural Economy and owner of Vermont Soy and Vermont Natural Coatings in Simpson Hall at 3:30pm.

A reception for the Black and White photography of Karl Decker will follow at 4:30pm in the Brown Library and at 7:30pm in the Craftsbury Public Library there will be a lively discussion of Wendell Berry’s Mad Farmer Poems led by Julia Shipley of Sterling College.

All events are open to the public and free unless otherwise noted. Donations are always welcome and appreciated. If interested in registering for the three-day Rural Heritage Institute please contact Pavel Cenkl, ruralheritage@sterlingcollege.edu 802-586-7711 ext.140 or visit http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/rhi.html.