Tag Archives: Lakeshore Fork Fest

Local First organizes second annual Lakeshore Fork Fest at Coppercraft Distillery, Sept. 28

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Food, Going Local, Local Food, Upcoming Events, ,

Attendees invited to try samples from area restaurants, farms, specialty shops, and more

By Mieke Stoub, LocalFirst

 

Local First will host the second Lakeshore Fork Fest, presented by Coppercraft Distillery, on September 28 from 6-8:30 pm. This event, also held in Grand Rapids each fall, celebrates the local food system. Attendees will have the opportunity to talk with food and beverage vendors and learn about ways to shift their dollars to strengthen the local food economy.

 

“Food naturally brings people together,” said Elissa Hillary, President of Local First. “Fork Fest helps the community bond with the people behind the agricultural abundance in West Michigan. It nurtures our connection to place.”

 

Each vendor will offer samples of their menu, which are included in the cost of admission. Chef Kelsey of Coppercraft and Chef Matthew of the Southerner will perform live cooking demonstration with ingredients from Visser Farms and Louise Earl Butcher. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch each chef prepare the dish and taste the finished product. Adult beverages will be available for purchase at the event.

 

Photo supplied

“We’re really excited to be involved with Fork Fest again,” said Paul Marantette, Restaurant & Tasting Room Manager of Coppercraft. “Farm-to-table and grain-to-glass are our main messages, so this event means a lot to us.”

 

Fork Fest welcomes folk musician Megan Dooley, a Kalamazoo native, and the Holland Arts Council, who will bring their ArtCart for the kids. Complimentary valet provided by At Your Service Valet.

 

In addition to connecting the community to the people who feed it, Fork Fest is an annual fundraiser for the Local First Educational Foundation. Each year, the Education Foundation hosts this and other events such as the Lakeshore Street Party and the Measure What Matters workshops to lead the development of an economy grounded in local ownership that meets the basic needs of people, builds local wealth and social capital, functions in harmony with our ecosystem, and encourages joyful community.

 

Food vendors

  • Country Winds Farm, Goat Share + Creamery
  • Cultured Love
  • Distinctive Dining Solutions
  • Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars – Holland
  • Heffron Farms
  • JK’s Bakehouse & Deli
  • Lemonjello’s Coffee
  • Sandy Point Beach House
  • The Southerner
  • Thornburg and Company

Entertainment

  • Live music from Megan Dooley
  • Cooking demonstrations by Coppercraft and The Southerner
  • Holland Area Arts Council’s ArtCart

Beverages for purchase from

  • Coppercraft Distillery
  • Farmhaus Cider Co.
  • Fenn Valley Winery
  • Tripelroot

Event Details

  • Tuesday, September 28
  • 6:00-8:30pm
  • Coppercraft Distillery, 184 120th Avenue, Holland, MI 49423

Admission: $30 presale; $35 at the door; free for kids 10 and under

 

Tickets at localfirst.com/events/lakeshore-fork-fest.

 

Organic farmer Anthony Flaccavento discusses sustainable development

3-bottom, Food, Local Food, , , ,
Anthony Flaccavento
Anthony Flaccavento

Local First will host Anthony Flaccavento this fall as part of the organization’s fall celebrations. Flaccavento is an organic farmer, small business owner, author and activist who has worked for more than 30 years to strengthen the economy and food system in both rural and urban settings. He speaks about the importance of sustainable development.

 

His book Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up: Harnessing Real-World Experience for Transformative Change (Culture Of The Land) connects a broad foundation of experience with a clear economic analysis and an array of public policy ideas that, taken together, help point the way towards more widely shared prosperity and a more resilient, vibrant economy. It is a call-to-action for innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, community activists, environmentalists and all citizens who want to create thriving, locally-based economies, and a more just, sustainable world.

 

The presentation will be at Holland’s Windmill Island Gardens, 1 Lincoln Ave., Holland, at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27. Then celebrate the season at Coppercraft for the Lakeshore Fork Fest at 6 p.m. More information about both events at localfirst.com/events.

 

Chef Cook-Off at Lakeshore Fork Fest: Coppercraft Distillery vs. Butch’s Dry Dock

3-bottom, Entertainment, Local Food, Our Cities, , ,

 

defaultcoppercraft_squareJoin the Lakeshore community for an evening of flavors, brews, baked goods and more at Coppercraft Distillery! The chef from Coppercraft Distillery will go head-to-head with Butch’s Dry Dock in a live cook-off. Each restaurant will compete to create the most mouth-watering dish using items provided by a Visser Farms.

 

Presenting sponsor, Coppercraft Distillery, is working with the Township to finalize plans to build a kitchen making the Lakeshore Fork Fest a good opportunity to showcase their Chef and some of the food they’d like to offer in the near future. According to General Manager Paul Marantette, “Local First does great work and it is always fun joining their team to plan a successful event!” Look for Coppercraft at other community events throughout the year. So far in 2016 Coppercraft Distillery has participated in four large-scale events including being the official sponsor of Tulip Time for the third consecutive year.

 

Coppercraft Distillery started in Holland in 2012 by Kim and Walter Catton when they decided to take their passion for whiskey and bourbon to a new level by opening a distillery. Marantette says Coppercraft “focuses on a premium product using quality ingredients from the very start with our grain that comes from a farm just five miles from our location, to the locally sourced produce and citrus we incorporate into our cocktail program.” Coppercraft chooses to support local businesses such as Central Park Market and the Farmers Market to secure these needs, and let the freshest ingredients speak for themselves as featured on the weekly cocktail specials menu.

 

Coppercraft will host this year’s Lakeshore Fork Fest, which will feature samples from an array of local food vendors while you enjoy the live cook-off. The cook-off will feature a Chef from Butch’s Dry Dock and Chef Kelsey Winter-Troutwine of Coppercraft Distillery. The Grand Rapids native has spent the last six years working in some of the finest restaurants in downtown Chicago – most recently as a Sous Chef at mk The Resturant, a staple in the Chicago dining scene.

 

Feast on an array of flavors with Local First at the Lakeshore Fork Fest on Tuesday, September 27 from 6-8:30 PM at Coppercraft Distillery. For tickets, click here.

 

To learn more about Local First and upcoming events, visit the group’s website, www.localfirst.com.