PA Farm Show

So, I'm back in PA after a week and a half respite in east Tennessee. The days since I got home have been spent cleaning our kitchen, waxing the floors and preparing for what is going to be a stellar 2010. I also did a short appearance this past friday at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

I went to Harrisburg excited about presenting a recipe utilizing PA mushrooms and also very excited about seeing the bounty of PA producers.


When I arrived at the Farm Show, I was advised that I would have a special guest cooking along with me on stage......'OK, I thought. That should be fun'. Little did I know that it would be PA Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. AWESOME!


I think I had the Secretary talked into working at the Sheppard Mansion on weekends, right up until I had him puree our soup with a stick blender. I think that was where he drew the line!


I had a great time cooking with the Secretary and talking with the many folks who came to my demonstration. Even though it just ended, I am looking forward to attending next year's show! I can't stress enough how important it is to attend the Farm Show. Knowing where your food comes from is of utmost importance and by attending the Farm Show, you can meet the people who work so hard to provide us with the food we cook. There isn't a better place to be in January in PA if you're into food!

Hello to 2010

After last night's service, 2009 is officially in the can and we are taking a short break to get ready for 2010. 2009 certainly was an interesting year and I'm looking forward to what 2010 has in store for us, but right now, it's a bunch of blank pieces of paper in my notebook. Here's wishing all of you health, happiness, good eating and drinking in 2010.



Just a couple of housekeeping points:

1) We reopen January 22nd. Make your reservations NOW. Yes, the notebook above is blank, but do you really think I don't have some cool ideas floating around in my head?

2) The restaurant is closed, but the answering machine is on. PLEASE leave reservation requests for our opening weekends and Valentine's weekend on the machine. The requests will be taken on a first come, first served basis and confirmed after Karen and I return from our southern swing. Yes, as of the end of service last night, we already had a good deal of reservations for Valentine's weekend. You don't want to be that guy calling around the day before expecting to get a table, do you?

3) Let's make 2010 the year of the saturday evening tasting menu. It is by far the best way to experience the full scope of our experience and it's a crazy good DEAL to boot!