Open to the Public! Free to Attend!

About the Event:
This event is intended to educate and connect the public to sources of locally produced meats. Consumers, chefs, restaurateurs, and food distributors are invited to meet livestock farmers and learn how to coordinate sourcing, serving, and consuming locally raised and processed meat. All attendees - from home cooks to chefs to distributors- will be able to identify sources of local meat (all cuts and kinds) for their families and restaurants. Centrally located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, the event will take place on the campus of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in the Vandervort Room located in Scandling Center (300 Pulteney St., Geneva, NY). This event is free and open to the public to attend. Parking will be free and available in the Medbery Lot located adjacent to Pulteney St.

This event is free and open to the public to attend. Registration is only required for vendors.

What You Can Expect:
The general public, chefs, caterers, restaurant owners, distributors, and farmers will be encouraged to seek local meat products, meet livestock farmers and chefs, and take note of farms and restaurants they can patronize in order to integrate local meat into their personal diets or professional venues. Throughout the event, while farms and restaurants are marketing their products and places of business, there will be cooking demonstrations and tastings for attendees to learn the fundamentals of preparing certain cuts of meat; making the realization that sourcing meat locally is safe, easy, accessible, and feasible. Restaurants that serve local meat items will promote their collaborating farmers, as well as their venue and menu. Livestock farmers will market their farms and livestock products to restaurants, chefs, and the public to increase sales and reach. Those attending the event will depart with a better understanding of who raises local meat and where to buy it from -which farms and restaurants. 

Vendor Registration is Now Closed (2/24)! 

Livestock Farm Vendors: 
For those farms interested in promoting their livestock products, farm vendor registration will be $30. Advance vendor registration and payment is required by February 24th, 2017. Farm/Farmer vendors will be provided a 6' table and 2 chairs for advertising their farm and livestock products. No food sales will be conducted at this event, therefore no coolers are needed. Vendors are encouraged to bring their sales sheet, marketing information (coupons, swag, list of locations, etc.), a tablecloth, and a way for attendees to join your mailing list. Outlets will be available for powering computers. Donations of meat are sought after from farm vendors for use in chef cooking demonstrations and tastings; to promote your farm and products. Donations will only be accepted from farms that use slaughter procedures consistent with restaurant sales, such as USDA certified (red meat) and processed at a 5-A facility (poultry). All farm donations will be widely recognized at the event and via social media.

Chef/Restaurant Vendors:

• For restaurants interested in ONLY vending (no cooking demonstration/tasting), advance registration will be $30. Advance vendor registration and payment is required by February 24th, 2017. Restaurant/Chef vendors will be provided with a 6' table and two chairs for advertising their restaurant. The limited number of vendor slots available to restaurants/chefs will be filled first come, first served. No food sales will be conducted at this event. Restaurant vendors are encouraged to bring their menus, marketing information (coupons, swag, etc.), a tablecloth, and a way for attendees to join your mailing list. Outlets will be available for powering computers.
• For those chefs interested in vending AND offering a cooking demo/tastings or just a cooking demo, vendor registration fee will be waived. Based on voluntary, qualified farm vendor meat donations, a stipend will be provided to chef demonstrators to supplement cost of ingredients in recipes. A list of quailified farm vendors to source from will also be provided in advance of the event. UPDATE: The four cooking demo positions are now filled.
  

Agenda:
9:00 AM - Doors open for vendor set up
9:45 AM - Vendors complete set up and make final touches for welcoming attendees
10:00 AM - Event start
10:30 AM - Cooking Demo/Tastings by Chef Orlando Rodriguez of Veraisons Restaurant at Glenora Wine Cellars (Pork)
11:30 AM - Cooking Demo/Tastings by Chef Scott Riesenberger of Ravinous Kitchen at Ravines Wine Cellars (Duck)
12:30 PM - Cooking Demo/Tastings by Chef Brud Holland of FLX Made and Fox Run Vineyards Cafe (Beef)
1:30 PM - Cooking Demo/Tastings by Chef Carl Bray of Geneva On The Lake (Chicken)
2:00 PM - Event concludes

Event Marketing:
This event will be distributed and promoted throughout the Finger Lakes region by the Finger Lakes Institute, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Meat Suite, and Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty. Posters and printed postcards will be disseminated personally by staff, co-sponsors, and collaborators.  All registered vendors are encouraged to self-promote the 'Meet and Greet: Farmer and Chef Fair' by utilizing social media and printing and hanging promotional materials. The hashtags for this event are: #meatyourfarmer, #farmercheffair, #meatsuite, #CCE, #FLCB, and #FLIatHWS. Sharing the Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/409228036090968/) is the best way to encourage your 'followers' and 'friends' to attend. The quick link to the event homepage is www.tinyurl.com/farmercheffair.
Everyone that sees it is a potential customer!

More information:

• Regarding Vendor Registration.... Sarah Meyer, Finger Lakes Institute smeyer@hws.edu
• Regarding Livestock Farm Vendors.... Nancy Glazier, Cornell Cooperative Extension  nig3@cornell.edu
• Regarding Marketing Resources.... Marie Anselm, Cornell Cooperative Extension ma882@cornell.edu

Register Now!