Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Meet the Beekeeper: Eamon Lee

There’s nothing quite like local wildflower honey. Try a spoonful and you’ll never want to buy the little teddy bears on the shelf at the supermarket again. Thanks to Beekeeper Eamon Lee, who has kept honeybees on small local farms throughout Central New York since 2008, we've been able to enjoy his unique and delicious Lees Bees honey at our DISHES events!

One of the main differences in Lee’s Bees honey is the unique and fleeting characteristics of terroir. Each bottle is labeled with the specific location, date of harvest, and a snippet of information about who hosts the bees. The one variable that cannot be manipulated by man is which flowers the bees visit to collect the nectar that is ultimately distilled to make honey. Factors such as weather, soil, plants, temperature, hive strength, and wind all have an incredible influence on what nectar makes it back to the hive. Every bottle is different and represents the sum total of more than 700 bees’ life work. It’s no wonder Eamon describes honey as "nature’s purest produce, born of raw, natural, ephemeral whim!"
More about Eamon Lee Eamon Lee attended Paul Smith's College and proceeded to work at the Woodstock Inn and Resort in Woodstock, VT, opened The Arad Evans Inn in Fayetteville, NY, worked at Aureole and Park Avenue Café in NYC, and finally served as Executive Chef at The Century Club of Syracuse where he remained for 10 years. He is now the Corporate Executive Chef for Maine's Paper and Food Service where he provides consultative services to independent restaurants throughout upstate New York. He enjoys fly-fishing and building fine furniture.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Thank you for your submissions!

Many thanks to all of you who submitted your creative and thoughtful ideas for Syracuse! We'll be in touch around December 4th to let you know if your proposal has been accepted to present at the February 21st dinner.


Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Got Talent?!

DISHES may be looking for you! We're seeking a few new team members to make this year's dinner another success. We need energetic people with passion and skills to fill a few roles including:
  • Graphic Designer
  • Photographer
  • Videographer
  • Presentation Coach
If you may be interested, learn more here.


Friday, October 30, 2015

What would you do for Syracuse with $2k?

You read that right, $2,000! We're doubling prize amounts this year, and we're excited to see what kinds of fresh and innovative ideas you come up with to enliven Syracuse!

Salt City DISHES is accepting proposals November 1st through the 22nd for our next DISHES dinner, which will take place on February 21, 2016. We are looking for projects that include a public component, involve fresh new ideas, will take place in the city of Syracuse, and are scheduled to happen or launch within one year of winning the grant. 

Find more information or submit a proposal here.


Friday, September 11, 2015

Supporting our Local “Planet”

This weekend one of our sponsors, Green Planet Grocery, is celebrating their 5 year Anniversary! It’s so nice to know that the need for a health conscious, natural, local and organic grocer is growing. Show your support by stopping in on Saturday or Sunday from 11 am – 5 pm (3514 W. Genesee St., across from Fairmount Fair). There will be a host of great local vendors to check out (our pals Recess Coffee, to name one!); goodie bags to take home, a free gift basket raffle, and grilling outdoors. Green Planet has also been nominated for Best Local Health Store on the Best of Syracuse 2015, along with other local favorites. Voting goes until September 20th at midnight. To cast your vote now, simply follow the link - http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/best-syracuse-2015/


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Second Line Syracuse, this Sunday!

The winning project from our 2015 dinner, Second Line Syracuse, is hitting the streets this Sunday!
The music and fun begins at 1:00 pm in Skiddy Park. Don't have your own instrument to bring? No problem; grab one of their noisemakers and join in the parade.


Saturday, March 14, 2015

The Forget-Me-Nots Chorus: 1 year later

In case you missed it, Francine shared the progress of the Forget-Me-Nots Chorus through a video at the DISHES dinner in February. 

"As a community, we must work together to conquer dementia. We must be the leaders and look at aging straight in the face, doing all we can to help our seniors be as productive as possible, for as many years as possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for voting for my project."

Francine won the 2014 DISHES mini-grant for her project, the Forget-Me-Nots chorus. You, Syracuse, made this work possible. Thank you. Everyone is welcome to attend one of the upcoming concerts, on April 26th, or June 28th. And thanks for your incredible work in the community, Francine!

Video by DISHES videographer Carli Cichocki.

Monday, February 9, 2015

And the 2015 Winners are...

A big loud congrats to last night's grand-prize winner, Second Line Syracuse, and our second prize winner, the Cooperative Federal Student Cash Stash Pilot!





And thank you to everyone who came out, we had a blast and hope you did too! More coming soon!


Photos courtesy of Allison Gates Photography.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Craving More Local Fare? Try LOFO’s Valentine’s Day Dinner!

Today's DISHES dinner is being prepared in collaboration with Abigail Henson - chef and owner of LOFO in downtown Armory Square. This January, former DISHES Co-Chef Luke Szabo joined farm-to-table forces with LOFO, helping to bring the most creative and locally focused fare to downtown Syracuse. In typical LOFO fashion, this year's Valentine's Day menu includes options for gluten free, paleo and vegan diners while more traditional options shine with utmost emphasis on supporting our region's farmers. If you find yourself craving real local fare after DISHES, this city's next best meal is at the LOFO table!

To feast on dishes such as Sweet Onion Kohlrapi Soup, Skaneateles Perch and Turf, and Kombucha Ginger Float*, book your reservation online by visiting www.lofosyracuse.com. Tickets are $50 per person with seating times available on February 13th at 5:30 or 8 PM and February 14th at 6 PM.


*Full Menu available at www.lofosyracuse.com

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Menu Sneak Peek: A Locavore's Delight!

We have designed a killer menu for this Sunday's dinner, highlighting the many fresh and local goods that have been donated from CNY farms and businesses. You can look forward to Lees Bees Wildflower Honey, Grindstone Farm Sunchokes, Greyrock Farm Beets, Ontario Orchard Apples, Williams Farm Cabbage, Pastabilities Fresh Baked Rolls, Bad Ass Organics Kombucha from Green Planet Grocery, Shallots and Herbs from Andy's Produce, and much much more!

A big thanks to all these local businesses for their support!

Friday, February 6, 2015

The St. Clare Theater

DISHES is in two days! Not sure where to go on Sunday?! Use this map. The St Clare Theater is easiest to find from N. Salina Street, at the back of the parking lot next to Assumption Church.  See you there!!


Friday, January 30, 2015

Thank You Cobblestone Valley!

We have an organic, pasture-raised turkey for our Feb. 8th dinner, thanks to a generous donation from Maureen and Paul Knapp of Cobblestone Valley Farm!

Cobblestone Valley is a certified organic farm in Preble, NY. Their primary focus is on dairy, selling milk to the nationally recognized farmer-owned and operated co-op Organic Valley. The farm also offers organic pastured poultry, grass-fed beef, pastured pork, pick-your-own strawberries and more!

To learn more about the farm and their products, click HERE!



Thursday, January 29, 2015

DISHES #6 is SOLD OUT!

We're happy to announce that our February 8th dinner, like all the DISHES events before it, is officially sold out! Thank you, Syracuse, for the support!


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Buy Your DISHES Tickets Today!

TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ONLINE

They are advance sale only and are $15 - $25 each, sliding scale.  


Come on out and eat, listen, and vote for your favorite community project.  There will be five great projects to choose from this year. Hope you can make it! Thanks in advance for your generous support.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Soliciting In-Kind Donations!

DISHES is currently soliciting in-kind donations of goods from local farms! Know of someone who would be a good fit, or want to apply yourself? Send a message to saltcitydishes@gmail.com and we'll shoot back our sponsorship proposal document. Or, you can fill out the attached sponsorship form HERE.



Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Meet Carli, the DISHES Videographer!


We're very excited to introduce you to the 2015 DISHES Videographer, Carli Cichocki! Carli is originally from Ohio, and moved to Syracuse in June to pursue her Master's degree in Multimedia, Photography and Design at Syracuse University. Back home, she regularly films the Cleveland Junior Jitterbugs and loves all things that build community. This will be Carli's first DISHES and we can't wait to see her in action.

Thank you, Carli! And welcome to the team!


Saturday, January 17, 2015

And the selected projects for the February 8th DISHES are...

We've selected five projects to present at our February 8th event! Here's a peek at what you've got to look forward to:

  • Second Line Syracuse! is a New Orleans style brass band with a Central NY flare. This project aims to improve Syracuse by energizing the streets with live music and bringing neighbors together with spontaneous celebration.
  • Her Village Day, a gathering of women from many nations sharing crafting, art, ethnic cooking lessons, and more to experience the beautiful diversity of our community.
  • Yoga for everyone! pitches the concept of free yoga for community members that would not otherwise be able to afford classes or have the means to travel to a class outside their neighborhood.
  • The Songambele Cultural & Edalt Education Foundation seeks to assist refugees with reading and writing skills while allowing them to share their culture with the Syracuse community.
  • The Cooperative Federal Student Cash Stash Pilot presents a new financial capability program at three Syracuse high schools, where students will use a smart phone app to connect with mentors and create and reach savings goals.



Thursday, January 15, 2015

Check out our gorgeous poster!

This year's gorgeous design was created by our team's Graphic Designer Tommy Lincoln: Artist/Designer/Kid. Tickets will go on sale online in a little over a week! Mark your calendars.




Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Menu Sneak Peek: Fermented Foods

Last Tuesday, members of the DISHES team gathered in the kitchen of our new Co-Chef, Abigail Henson*, to get a head start on the menu for February’s dinner. In honor of this time of year and the history of preserving food to help us through the cold winter months, we will have a selection of fermented vegetables to taste at the February 8th event. We look forward to seeing you there!

We also want to give a big Thank You to Main Street Farms for generously donating produce in advance to make this possible! 






*More to come soon about our new Co-Chef Abigail Henson and her involvement in Syracuse’s local food scene