Westport Farmers’ Summer Market ’16 Opens May 19

Real food, real farmers, real good: Westport Farmers’ Market returns!

Get your canvas shopping bags ready, Westport Farmers’ Market (50 Imperial Avenue) will be opening for their summer season on May 19. At high noon, grab some free juice donated by The Stand and toast to another successful season. The market will then continue every Thursday from 10-2 up until November 3. There will still be the awesome farmers and artisans there this year, but there will be plenty more happening like chef demos, yoga, and activities for children. Check our FB post for an album of shots we took from one of last year’s markets. 

Two Simple Ways to Help Wakeman Town Farm Win Grant Money

Up to $25k up for grabs for WTF!

Wakeman Town Farm in Westport is a farm, sure, and they grow crops and have plenty of cute chickens, but it’s way more than just fruits and veggies. One of the most important aspects of WTF is that they are, truly, a community organization. They invite people to the farm to check it out, learn how things work, and more. And, one of the greatest aspects is that they are working hard to connect younger people to the farm and farming through classes, workshops, and even summer camp sessions.

Feast Prep: Special Christmas Westport Farmers’ Market on 12/22!

WFM is spreading some holiday cheer with a special holiday market! 

Skip the grocery stores this Christmas as you prep for an amazing meal with family and friends. What are we doing, you ask? Well, Kristien’s parents are coming over and we’re going to be eating allllll day long! Yes, we’re kicking Christmas off with a delicious brunch followed by a new dish every hour or so. So, it’s more of a lounging in your pajamas kind of day. 

Mole Stout OmNomCT Collabo + Casa Villa @ Half Full Rare Beer Night

The first stages of the Half Full Mole Stout

Patience. Overwhelming, meticulous, and methodical patience. That’s what we discovered Jen Muckerman, Headbrewer at Half Full, has as we brewed a beer together. A serious scientific and orderly mind that moves her to create an arsenal of beer on tap at the brewery and for distribution. And, a nice little side effect was some of that rubbing off on us…yeah, we know: patience is a virtue and stuff.

It all started back at Dinosaur Bar-b-que after the Rare Beer Night on the SoundWaters boat a few months back. Jen said we should do a beer together so we were like…damn right, son! We talked about it for hours and hours. We didn’t want to do a standard kind of beer…it was going to be for Rare Beer Night after all: a monthly event highlighting nanobrews made by Jen, Jon, guest brewers, and the brew crew. Our immediate thought was to make it somehow food based, but still accessible and highly addictive. We settled on creating a dark stout made with typical mole ingredients, inspired by our favorite mole dish at Casa Villa in Stamford, CT.

CT Beer + Restaurant Weeks Brewing Statewide October 13-19

Get ready to drink some ridiculous amounts of beer and eat dish after dish as the second CT Beer Week of the year eclipses with Connecticut Restaurant Week from October 13-19. Well, okay, you’re probably ready to eat and drink, but let’s get ya primed and ready for meals and deals galore.

First up is CT Beer Week. Breweries and restaurants around the state will be offering special beers, collaborations, events, and deals to help quench your demanding thirst. Plus, make sure you check into Untappd (let’s be friends) and get the CT Beer Week sticker just like last year!

Well, here’s a little taste of what to expect (with more to come):

Parallel Post + Onyx Moonshine Team Up for Scandalous Prohibition Dinner

As bad as you think your life is now with problems left and right, think about this:  what if you lived during the Prohibition Era?  You couldn’t get a beer, couldn’t get a cocktail, couldn’t even drink wine…what kind of life is that?  But, that didn’t stop the truly devoted who took the ban on liquor as a creative opportunity to sell illegal drinks in speakeasies and make a profit.  Oh, and you best believe that people started brewing their own liquid goodness too…stuff that would put hair on your chest, stuff that could polish (and maybe corrode) metal, stuff that was sure to get you all messed up with just a few sips.

CT Food News, Vol. 15: Pepe’s Takes MA, Festivals, Contests, CT Beer Props, Updates, and more…

August is a bittersweet month:  the last bits of summer are dripping down, parents, teachers, and students are ready to head back to school, and the boys of summer are gone (points for the reference).  But, screw that bittersweet crap:  we’re talking ’bout just sweet for the next two weeks!  In CT Food + Beer News, Volume 15, we’ve got openings, restaurant updates, fairs, restaurant specials, and more.  If you’d like a full list of events that we’ve covered in previous posts, check out our Events page up above.

Restaurant Openings and Updates

Pepe’s Pizza will be opening up a restaurant in Brookline, MA, further expanding their cheesy empire.  Pepe’s will be replacing The Fireplace restaurant, formerly owned by Jim Solomon.  Other locations include the original Pepe’s in New Haven, and their pizza satellites in Danbury, Fairfield, Manchester, Mohegan Sun, West Hartford and Yonkers.

CT Food News, Vol. 10: Summer Fun, Wine, Beer, FIFA, Openings + Major Props

Summer’s in gear and it’s about time you got off your ass and did something.  And, with this list of things going on in and around Fairfield County, you better work it.  Um girl, don’t be lazy and stay home…not with so much going on.  Whether you’re talking about food-focused events, beer and wine, world cup action, or Woodmont’s Farmers’ Market, we’ve got a major checklist for you to cross off.  Plus, we’ve got some props to hand out, some opening/closing info, and a sweet little summer getaway idea.

Events

6/26:  The hostess with the most-ess, Anna Zap, will be at Dinosaur Bar-b-que in Stamford for Drinks on the Deck with Leaf Vodka.  The par-tay begins at 5 pm!

Discount + Free Farm Fresh Delivery from Fresh Nation w/ OmNomCT

Click here to get your delivery started!

Do you know what’s frustrating?  Wanting to eat healthy, fresh, and local food, but rarely having a chance to get any.  Sure, there are plenty of farms nearby, but most of them take an hour or so to get there.  And, yes, there are lots of farmers’ markets, but many of them don’t fit in with work schedules.  So, isn’t it awesome that there’s a company like Fresh Nation that sends out your own personal shopper to get you all you need… and then delivers it right to your house?

Can’t make WFM on Thursdays? Set up delivery!

Yeah, it’s a pretty awesome way to keep eating and supporting local food providers, without putting a huge wrench in your busy schedule.  Right now Fresh Nation is focused on Fairfield (they just recently added Westport Farmers’ Market!) and Westchester County and has recently expanded out into parts of Los Angeles, too.

So, to get you started (and hooked no doubt) on this farm-to-kitchen delivery service, we’ve teamed up with Fresh Nation to give you an OmNomCT EXCLUSIVE offer (oh you fancy, huh?). Not only will you get 10% off your purchase, but you’ll also get free delivery.  And, ya know what’s even better?  This deal is always available as long as you keep buying by clicking through the link in this post, or on our side button to the right.  Yep, so you’ll get the deal again, and again, and again, and… well, you get the picture.

CT Food News, Vol. 9: Hot Dogs, Cocktails, Free Oysters, Trux, Cooking Classes, Festivals, and More…

Well, what can we say but there’s a whole helluva lot going on in and around Fairfield County over the next two weeks.  So, in addition to our regular posts, we’ve gathered up some major highlights of things going on such as awesome events, special meals, beer news, beer dinners, cooking classes, farmers’ markets, festivals, ways to give back, and we give some props to a city in CT that just got some major press.  Check out more events here, too.

Cool (and Chow) Down

6/18-6/20:  Chef Storch of Match continues his themed lunches, this time with “Super Duper” Match.  And, if you’re wondering…yes, he’s featuring some of the greatest dishes from Super Duper Weenie:  the best hot dog joint in the world.  Check out Match’s FB page for the menu.

6/19:  The Chelsea in Fairfield is takin’ things back to ‘Nawlins with food and drink specials, mon cherie.  This is all in celebration of Marc Broussard hitting up Fairfield Theatre Company that day.