Second Annual Oswego County Harvest Dinner

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County will be hosting the Second Annual Oswego County Harvest Dinner on October 21st

Fall is just around the corner which means farms are busy harvesting the best of Oswego County’s fruits, vegetables and meats. It is also time for the Oswego County Harvest Dinner featuring locally grown and sourced food, hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County, with the support of the local farmers and agriculture businesses. This event showcases the diverse agricultural products from Oswego County and guests will enjoy a six-course dinner prepared by Oswego County’s top chefs Emil Nymander, The American Foundry; Raymond Jock, LaParrilla; Brian Girard, The Blue Plate.

The Oswego County Harvest Dinner will take place on Friday, October 21, 2011 at The American Foundry, 246 West Seneca St. Oswego, starting at 6:15 pm. Pre registration is required and seating is limited and tickets are $30 per person or $55 per couple. Reservations can be made by contacting Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County at 315-963-7286.

The event will start with a cocktail hour including sampling of Oswego County wine and other beverages from New York State agriculture businesses. After the cocktail hour, there will be a six-course dinner showcasing the best of Oswego County’s agricultural products followed by our guest speaker for this year’s event, Rochelle Bilow. There will also be raffle baskets featuring Oswego County’s finest products.

Rochelle Bilow is a food writer and columnist for the Syracuse Post-Standard and is a classically trained chef receiving a grand diplome from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Rochelle has worked as a catering chef in the famed Time Warner Center, and a cook in the New York Times and Michelin-starred restaurant Aldea, owned by Top Chef Masters competitor George Mendes. She has cooked for the likes of Harold Dieterle, the winner of Top Chef’s Season One and Jeffrey Steingarten, Iron Chef’s most charming judge. 

Oswego County is a rural county, with a prosperous agricultural community.  The diversity of land allows for the growth of a variety of agricultural products including onions, apples, honey, meat, cheese, wine, berries, plums, peaches, and a wide variety of vegetables just to name a few. Our county hosts seven local farmers markets, at least one is open every day of the week except Sunday. The agricultural community in this county generates $31.5 million in annual revenue from 639 farms.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County has a deep-rooted local presence that is responsive to the needs of our communities. Staff from Cooperative Extension have been educating the public about growing local, buying local, eating local since the creation of the victory gardens used during World War I and II and we continue that education today. In addition to the support we provide to our county’s agricultural community, we also offer many outreach programs on the importance of nutrition and food preparation.  Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County’s mission is to interpret, disseminate, and deliver research-based information and knowledge on issues relevant to Oswego County youth, individuals, families, farms, small businesses, and communities; and further, to contribute to improving the quality of life in Oswego County through education and empowering volunteers and staff to lead, guide, and teach.