Hi, friends:
Does it seem like everyone you know is on vacation? That’s how I’ve felt the last couple of weeks, seeing the steady stream of beach-at-sunset and “before and after” oyster-shucking photos on Facebook. Even our farmer-columnist, Caroline Pam, took a break from hauling vegetables to, well, reel in a freakin’ huge fish near Martha’s Vineyard — the evidence is on page 22.
Meanwhile, David Schrier, head chef at The Alvah Stone, was hard at work putting the finishing touches on a menu for a five-course meal he would be presenting at the James Beard House in New York City. The James Beard House regularly hosts dinners in the former Greenwich Village townhouse of the legendary chef of the same name.
This particular dinner, titled “Lammas: Celebrating the Pioneer Valley Harvest,” featured a collaboration between the married chefs at The Alvah Stone, Schrier and his wife, pastry chef Jessica Pollard, and the owner-bakers at Northampton’s Hungry Ghost Bread, Jonathan Stevens and Cheryl Maffei. We wrote about their prep for the big day on page 12.
Don’t you wish you’d been there? I do! But there’s plenty going on here. My family and I headed over to Easthampton’s Art in the Orchard last Saturday to wander around the gorgeous grounds, including the sculpture trail, where many of the featured artists sat by their installations on folding chairs. I’m sure we’ll be exploring and drinking cider slushies there again soon. (If you’re looking for other ways to drink your fruit, check out a refreshingly simple recipe for sangria in “Tasting Circle” on page 19.)
On Sunday, I tried to see a photography exhibit at A.P.E. Gallery in downtown Northampton — “Ordinary Devotion,” in which artist Martha Fleming-Ives chronicles her first year of motherhood and her daughter’s infancy — but my baby girl wasn’t having it. I will try again. The photographs, which I’ve only briefly glimpsed, have a way of pulling you in for a closer look.
So do the prints of our “Art Maker” this week, Sally Clegg, who, among other things, talks about discovering an unlikely source of inspiration at the Thai restaurant Miss Saigon. Read more on page 5.
What are your plans for this weekend? If you’re looking for things to do, on Saturday you could head over to Florence for the annual Look Park Food Truck Festival happening from 12-6 p.m.
Or, if you’re more in the mood for music, check out the Lady and the Amp Festival at June Millington and Ann Hackler’s Insitute for the Musical Arts in Goshen. It runs from 12-8 p.m., also on Saturday, and features IMA students, faculty and alumnae, including And the Kids, Kalliope Jones, Christine Ohlman and Millington herself.
I’m kinda hoping I’ll be able to do both the food fest and the music fest, but we’ll see. This weekend, I’m also saying goodbye to my parents who have been visiting from Miami and helping out with the kids for the past few days. They’ll be back in October, just in time for leaf peeping and apple picking.
Have a great weekend.
Brooke Hauser