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Hoosac Harvest to Host 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food'

Hoosac Harvest will host 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' at All Saints Church on March 7.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Hoosac Harvest will host the third Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food event at the All Saints Church, located on Summer Street, on March 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. Farmers and small food producers of the northern Berkshires will be on hand for this free event.

"It's the end of February and most of us are looking forward to spring and this event is a little pick-me-up to get us through the remaining winter," said Sandra Thomas, a core member of Hoosac Harvest. "Farmers are planning their crops and this is a great opportunity to meet those in our community who are growing food, making cheese, harvesting honey and using local items in the food they produce."
 
At the event, participants can learn about community-supported agriculture, enjoy free samples and swap seeds for the upcoming season.
 
Participating farm include Wildstone Farm, Cricket Creek Farm, Country Dream Farm, Many Forks Farm. Wild Oats Market, North Adams Farmers Market and other businesses and organizations will also be on hand.
 
Hoosac Harvest, a citizen-based organization and a staunch supporter of local farms and food, embraces easy access to locally grown food.
 
"There are many ways that people can access local food — from double SNAP Benefits at the North Adams Farmers Market, to participating in community-supported agriculture, to building relationships with the people who work hard to provide our community with fresh vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs, honey, fruit and more." 
 
For more information, visit www.hoosacharvest.org or email hoosacharvest@gmail.com.
     

Food of Love (Chocolate!) & Shakespeare Go Together

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The ninth annual Food of Love (A Celebration of Shakespeare, Love, and Chocolate) will take place at the Williams Inn on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 10. Doors will open at 3:30 p.m.

Food of Love is a benefit for the Fall Festival of Shakespeare at Mount Greylock Regional High School, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next November. At this event, the audience will enjoy a chocolate buffet, provided by the Williams Inn, while high school actors present some of Shakespeare's scenes — comic, tragic and always romantic.   
 
This year's theme is "Love Interrupted," with scenes where love might be ill suited, just declared, or not quite resolved. In addition to Shakespeare's work, some scenes from David Ives plays will also be included for a contemporary take on the theme.
 
Seating is limited. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students, available at Where'd You Get That?!, Wild Oats Market and at the door.

     

Great Barrington European Deli to Reopen in Pittsfield

By Joe DurwinPittsfield Correspondent

The deli will open after it finishes up the final stages of permitting.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A beloved South County specialty food shop and will open soon on Pittsfield's main thoroughfare.

The new location of Maria's European Delight will offer many of the same kinds of meats, fish, cheeses, pickled vegetables and other edibles as its southern incarnation, along with new additions such as fresh made sandwiches, owners Kryzysztof and Maria Sekowski told iBerkshires. The deli had previously been at its Route 7 location in Great Barrington for five years.

The delights offered by Maria's cover a wide range of northern European fare, particularly staples of Hungarian, Polish, German, Russian and Jewish cuisine.  Much of the deli's inventory is sourced from New York City and includes many items which cannot otherwise be found for sale in this region. The Sekowski's say five years at their previous location have refined their ideas of what is most in demand locally.

"When you start the second time, you know a lot more," Kryzsztof Sekowski said.

The couple cited the appeal of increased walking traffic, downtown lunch business, and less expensive rent as major factors in the decision to relocate from the smaller, tourist-rich community to the slightly more urban environment.

The Sekowski's expect to open their doors for business next week, but an exact date was still uncertain as the deli is in the final stages of inspections and awaiting proper permits.  

"Once we do, I'm heading straight to New York," said Kryzsztof, where he will acquire the rest of the fresh foods to fill the rest of the shop.

The new location at 146-A North Street, between Abbey Cutters and the Palace parking lot, has seen several changeovers in the past half decade. Music shop and indie band venue Rebel Sound Records occupied the spot for most of 2009 through 2010, then Great Gifts & More opened there for about a year, followed by two other businesses which operated there more briefly in 2012.

     

Eat To Total Health Opening On Ashland Street

By John DurkaniBerkshires Staff

Renee Tassone poses in front of the counter at her new store Eat To Total Health, located at 14 Ashland St., which is set to open Dec. 26.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Renee Tassone's business Eat To Total Health is moving from her home to 14 Ashland St. on Dec. 26.

"We can heal our bodies from everything with the right tools and it doesn't have to come from a pill," Tassone said.
 
Tassone drew from her own experience with Celiac disease, which is a condition that makes the body react negatively with gluten and prevents the small intestine's lining from absorbing essential food parts.
 
"I realized how our connection between food and health is important," Tassone said. 
 
The shop has two aspects — a "cleansing" program and and sales of healthy food.
 
Tassone said the program, which costs $30, starts with an hour-and-a-half consultation in person or by phone. She then helps the client create a program fitting to his or her goals. Tassone keeps in touch for adjustments and coaching. The program, on average, runs about three weeks, but Tassone said that many of her clients continue to eat healthy beyond the program.
 
"This cleanse really teaches you to eat healthy," Tassone said. "It becomes a lifestyle for people."
 
Her shop will sell various health foods and smoothies. The meals will be vegan and allergy free. At her home, Tassone delivered meals and smoothies to customers at their work or home. That service will continue, but now people have the option of also picking up the foods or drinks from the shop or sitting down and dining in.
 
Pet food will also be on sale, as well as other products such as protein powders, health books and movies, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
 
Tassone began consulting friends last January and the program "snowballed" from there. She consults roughly 40 people at any given time from various states as far away as Florida. Tassone said she's served about 400 people, all satisfied.
 
In August on her drive home from work, Tassone was excited by the prospect of selling home-cooked premade meals. She tested it out at first, posting to her Facebook what she was making and that she was taking orders. Tassone expected a couple orders, but instead ended up with more than 30. She currently serves about 100-150 meals each week. Meals typically range from $5 to $11 and she delivers as far out as Bennington, Vt., and Pittsfield.
 
"It kind of fell into place to open a shop," Tassone said.
 
When the Ashland Street location opened up, Tassone jumped at the opportunity to rent from First Congregational Church. SLC Contractors, based out of Clarksburg, is currently renovating the 700 square-foot space.
 
The store is located on 14 Ashland St. and will be open from Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. and on Saturday, noon to 5. For more information, check out the store's website or Facebook page.
     

Joe's Diner Throwback to Old Days

By Stephanie FarringtonBerkshire Food

The landmark Joe's Diner offers old-fashioned diner food and great coconut cream pie just like Grandma use to make.

LEE, Mass. — It's not exactly good. Not exactly charming either, not really anything but what it is.

If you go to Joe’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner it won't take you long to figure it out.

Joe's is a diner, that is to say, Joe's is a throwback to the old days, the very old days, before many of us were even born, before microwaves or even TV dinners when single working folks, men especially, would routinely take their meals at little roadside spots every day. Eventually many of these men settled down, raised a family and ate their meals at home but until they did, they went to places like Joe's to get their daily nourishment.

Norman Rockwell knew this when he painted "The Runaway" using Joe's as a model. Naturally, the little boy, thinking he's big enough to go his own way, went where the grown-up working men went, to a diner.

Joe's is still that kind of restaurant. It hasn't changed a bit. Seriously — except that now, you can buy a T-shirt or a cream soda with Joe's name on it.

At Joe's, you can still have liver and onions for supper, you can get your roast beef with green beans or boiled carrots and a boiled potato on Fridays. Your milkshake comes in a glass with the metal container on the side. Portions are reasonable, satisfying, not mammoth. You can have breakfast whenever you want (or need) to but what you get is going to be plain, mom-style food.

We went on Thursday, which is corned beef night. For $7.95 you can have the traditional New England boiled dinner; corned beef, cabbage, carrots and a boiled potato, served with hot mustard and/or vinegar. Just like your grandfather would have eaten after his shift on the railroad or at the mill. You can choose to have a sandwich instead but the boiled dinner is the real deal — plain as gingham and just as all-American.

Young working men, newly living on their own, love dessert of course. After all, back in the day they weren't much more than boys. And this is where Joe's really shines.

You'd swear your grandmother made their pies. The night we went, we had two classic diner choices, actually, we planned to share one but it was so good there wasn't enough to go around. The coconut cream pie is among the best I've ever had. Great crust, perfect custard filling, just a plate full of yum. If you prefer chocolate cream, that's even better. The tapioca pudding (yes, someone still serves tapioca pudding) is light and creamy and redolent of sweet vanilla, topped with cinnamon and a dollop of whipped cream, I could eat it all day.

But the real reason to go to Joe's isn't the food, it's the people. Maybe they're remembering their early days alone, I didn't ask, but the night we went the place was full of local guys chatting and joking with the waitresses, telling all the local gossip and laughing out loud.

Within minutes we felt like part of the gang, talking about the "adult entertainment" shop down the road, the wedding announcements in the local paper, who was going where and buying what — all of it. We learned a lot about Lee in a dinner hour and I'm pretty sure you would, too.

Breakfast at Joe’s is pretty famous, it routinely gets great reviews online and Jan and Michael Stern's road food website says it's worth a detour. Late-night host Jimmy Fallon made sure to stop in a couple years ago. I didn't find it to be much different from any other diner breakfast, but I would definitely pull over for a slice of that pie and a hot cup of Joe.

Postscript: Rumor has it Joe's will be closing their doors for good in January 2013 so if you want to get your own piece of Americana for the memory book, best do it now. First opened in 1939, the Lee landmark was operated for more than 45 years by the now legendary Joe Sorrentino, until being sold in 2000.

     
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Stephanie Farrington of Berkshire Food is contributing to our Eats blog — all about food, all the time. 

 


Farmfare
Seasonal Farmers Markets

Berkshire South Community Market
15 Crissey Road, Great Barrington
Saturdays through Oct. 27 from 11 to 3

Berkshire Mall Market
Sears parking lot, Route 8
Wednesdays & Saturdays through November from 8 to 2

North Adams Farmers Market
St. Anthony's Municipal Parking
Saturdays through Oct. 27 from 8 to noon

Great Barrington Farmers Market
Taconic Avenue & Castle Street
Saturdays through October from 9 to 1

Lenox Farmers Market
70 Kemble St., Shakespeare & Company
Fridays through Oct. 5 from 1 to 5

Oits Farmers Market
L & M Auto, 2000 East Otis Road (Rte. 23)
Saturdays through Oct. 6 from 9 to 1

Pittsfield Farmers Market
First and Fenn streets, across from the Common
Saturdays, May 11 through Oct. 26, from 9 to 1

Sheffield Farmers Market
Old Parish Church, Main Street
Fridays through September from 3 to 7

Williamstown Farmers Market
Spring Street parking lot
Saturdays, May 25 through October, from 9 to 1

Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
The Armory
Wednesdays, 4 to 7

 



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