Welcome to our new Decorator!

Welcome to Lydia Mumford, of Lydia's Daily Thread, who will be decorating the space for DISHES 2016! We're excited to have her join the team and can't wait to see what she comes up with. Lydia spent half of the 80's and all of the 90's cozied up in a $1 house in Syracuse's Southside, wrapped in fairy-tale daydreams, hand-knit sweaters, and the rich love of her dear parents and two sisters. She spent years styling her dolls and later herself from her mother's attic textile trove, and working with her craftsman father in the basement woodshop. She has always been fascinated by transforming raw materials into finished objects.

Lydia still lives in Syracuse, in a little city bungalow with her husband and three kids. They always have a project (or a hundred!) to keep them entertained and now she's added DISHES to the list! Lydia works from home designing and creating finely-crafted textile items for Lydia's Daily Thread. She is inspired by theater, picture books, materials, the natural world, and the imaginations of children. Check out some of the amazing costumes she's created, or the many other textile designs on her facebook page. We know it's going to be a lot of fun working with her on the upcoming dinner!

Photography by Erika Brunner

Thank You More Sound Recording Studio!

A BIG THANKS to More Sound Recording Studio for being this year's Local Music Sponsor! More Sound has been working hard to bring the Syracuse music scene to life, and their support means the world to us.

More about More Sound:

Located in between downtown and the historic Hawley-Green neighborhood, More Sound Recording Studio provides recording, mixing and mastering services for all types of music. Frequented by locals and out-of-towners, the studio has gained an international reputation for its rich recordings, comfortable accommodations, and affordable rates. Founder Jason "Jocko" Randall and his team of talented engineers bring a level of professionalism and personal commitment that is hard to come by. This place is definitely worth the trip!


The Local Music Sponsor is one of several new sponsorship tiers created to help support Salt City DISHES. Sponsoring this event is a great way to build connections with diverse stakeholders throughout the community, while also supporting a great cause! If interested in sponsoring our February 21st event, please contact us!

Major Player at DISHES 2016!

We're stoked to have Major Player, a Syracuse band with a great vibe playing at DISHES this year.  If you haven't seen them around town yet, take a listen on youtube or at majorplayer.bandcamp.com where you can also buy their album, just released last month.  They're a bit of soul, trip-hop, indie, rock, and r&b all rolled into one. Or, as they describe it, their music is the oldies station playing on a transistor radio, traveling through space on a crash course for the asteroids of Shuggie Otis and Portishead. We can't wait to hear them live at DISHES, just over four weeks away!

They Call Themselves Roux

The ever changing landscape of food served at DISHES is a staple of our event, bringing attendees a complete dining experience involving local farms, talented cooks, & delicious food.

We are confident this year's dinner will not disappoint, as it will be spearheaded by two energetic friends who see themselves as a catalyst for food and design exploration. They call themselves Roux, where their crazy designs and delicious recipes come together into a unique eating experience that's both exciting and engaging. For them, it's all about enjoying good food and company, learning stories about people and places through food, and sharing that with everyone else at their pop-up dinners. Salt City DISHES is another way for Roux to do what they love, and we hope you'll enjoy them just as much as we do!

About our new Co-Chefs:
Roux is comprised of Ryn Adkins and Rohan Thakore. The duo are both designers, foodies, and lovers of all things craft. They are currently 5th year students at Syracuse University studying Industrial and Interaction Design. Together they started Roux, a pop-­up dining experience cross-pollinating food and design. They create intimate and interactive dinners that celebrate food as the ultimate material for the exploration of design and craft. They showcase the entire sensory experience of eating: from the food, to the atmosphere, and everything in between. Visit rouxdining.com to see what they've been up to and follow them on social media so you'll know where they'll be next!

Syracuse Real Food Co-op: Bringing Local Food to the Table

We are happy to announce the Syracuse Real Food Co-op as this year's "Community Table" Food Sponsor!* The Co-op is a member-owned grocery store located in the Westcott Nation. It brings together local farms, producers and a community of shoppers, who believe we can create a better world by supporting locally grown, ethically sourced & sustainable foods. We see the Co-op as an integral part of the Syracuse community, and the ideal sponsor for our locally sourced dinner. 

*The Community Table Sponsor is one of several new sponsorship tiers we created to help support Salt City DISHES. Sponsoring this event is a great way to build connections with diverse stakeholders throughout the community, while also supporting a great cause! If interested in sponsoring our February 21st event, please contact us!

Welcome to our new Photographer!

We are excited to have a new photographer join the DISHES team this year! Laurence Ford is a local photographer with a passion for food and its ability to bring people together. Laurence grew up in London and met an American while living in Spain, who brought him here. Since finishing his Masters in International Relations at SU he has been working on a number of refugee and community development projects in Syracuse.

Laurence is also a freelance photographer, caputuring anything from foodie events to family photoshoots and weddings. And we love, love, love his style! Just take a scroll through his facebook page and you'll see what we mean. The photos below are from a recent Farm to Fork 101 event at Laci's Tapas Bar. We're excited that he'll be capturing DISHES this year!

Photography by Laurence Ford

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year! We are super excited for this year's event and are so thankful for all who are a part of it - attendees, volunteers, sponsors, presenters, friends and family. Wishing everyone a healthy, creative & prosperous 2016!