Politics & Government

Farm-to-Chef Week Underway in Connecticut

More than 65 restaurants and farmers markets are participating in the annual program.

More than 65 restaurants and farmers' markets participating in the Connecticut Department of Agriculture's 2012 Farm-to-Chef week.

The weeklong event runs from September 16-September 22 and includes a variety of restaurants and even a few school cafeterias from all over the state.

Participating locations often create new and unusual dishes using local foods, and they all set their own prices for their Farm-to-Chef menus. Businesses that serve alcohol will also offer one or more Connecticut Grown wines. 

Find out what's happening in Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We encourage participants to go above and beyond for Farm-to-Chef Week,” explained Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky.  “Some are new to buying and using ingredients from local farms, so they might start more conservatively. Others are accustomed to working with local farm products on a daily basis. In that case, we ask them to stretch creatively, incorporating Connecticut Grown proteins, dairy, maple, honey, and more unusual produce items.”

As locally-grown and produced foods contribute $3.5 billion to the state economy and represent about 20,000 Connecticut jobs, Governor Dannel P. Malloy is encouraging everyone to go out to eat this week.

Find out what's happening in Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Our state’s farmers produce an astoundingly wide variety of foods, and Farm-to-Chef Week is a great opportunity for people to get out there and really enjoy everything Connecticut has to offer,” he said.

While no restaurants from Windsor are participating, diners can enjoy unique menus from a variety of local restaurants, including eateries in Hartford, West Hartford, Simsbury and Manchester.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here