Thanks Again Cafe Kubal!

We're so grateful to Cafe Kubal for once again providing coffee for our DISHES diners! And we're excited to hear that this local favorite is growing and spreading across Central New York.  In addition to their cafes downtown, in the eastwood neighborhood, on the hill, and at the airport, they just opened a new location in Camillus.  Check out their facebook page for more!

Many Thanks to Our Local Farms!

One of the wonderful things about living in Central New York is the abundance of local farms just minutes away from Syracuse that offer a variety of great products. And we are especially lucky that so many of these wonderful farms are ready to support the DISHES effort!  We're eager to see what our great team of chefs (meet them here!) come up with using this year's donations. 

DISHES would not be possible without the generous donations of many of these farms, including:

Gianforte Farm for the 15 lbs of cornmeal they have offered. This incredible farm produces up to 13 different organic food grade grains and beans and is located in Cazenovia, New York. Their website features a number of recipes, including buckwheat gingersnaps and three layer corn bread.

Fruit of the Fungi for their donation of shiitake mushrooms. They are a great family farm committed to growing the finest gourmet mushrooms in Central New York. Learn more about them on their website, including where you can find their mushrooms. 

Wake Robin Farm for donating a wheel of cheese - the Mona Lisa! If you you're a regional market regular, you're probably familiar with their amazingly delicious maple yogurt or have tried one of their yummy cheeses. If you can't make it to the market, stop by the Syracuse Real Food Co-op, Skaneateles Bakery, or their farm store in Jordan to find their products.

Owen Orchards for the tasty apples they're donating. They offer a variety of their own, and other local goodies at their store in Weedsport. Including apple cider and apple cider donuts!

Stones Throw Farm for their generous donation of root vegetables. They grow a diverse array of specialty produce, herbs, and flowers on their farm just south of Syracuse. Check out their website for some wonderful recipes. And they're now accepting new members for the 2014 CSA season!

And there are more! But we'll save the rest for another day. 

Tommy Connors Performing!

Our dinners always feature live music and on February 23,Tommy Connors (http://www.tommyconnors.com/) will be performing, playing a mixture of covers and original songs. Big thanks to our Music Coordinator, Andrew Greacen, for working out all the details. We can't wait!

Delicious Desserts Await

We're excited to be offering 83 & Company's delicious mini-cheesecakes at the 5th DISHES dinner on February 23rd.  And to top if off, they will be vegan and gluten-free.  Along with cheesecakes 83 & Company bakes up a variety of delicious cupcakes and they create custom cakes.  In fact, just this past weekend they made an amazing looking Dome-shaped cake for the SU vs Duke game.  Check out their facebook page for photos and to catch their latest creations.  

And if you just can't wait till DISHES to try their desserts, stop by their new location at 115 Green Street, in the Hawley-Green neighborhood for a box lunch combo which includes 2 mini-cheesecakes! 

Your Lucky Tummy!

Rounding out our dessert menu is the My Lucky Tummy effort, providing DISHES with two delicious and worldly sweets: 

• Kunefe by Muna, from Iraq: toasted, rose water-steeped vermicelli over homemade cheese with crumbled pistachio on top and
• Shole Zard by Somayyeh, from Iran: saffron rice pudding with almond, pistachio & cinnamon garnish. 

At DISHES, you'll get to hear more about the My Lucky Tummy effort, but If you find your mouth watering over those descriptions, you should purchase a ticket to their event this Saturday! $20 buys you a taste of Afghanistan, Bhutan, Mohawk Nation, South Sudan and Iran. Vegetarian options aplenty.

Check out this month's Today's CNY Woman Magazine and Syracuse.com for more details. 

Posters are up!

Mark your calendars! It's official. The 5th DISHES dinner will be held on February 23rd at the St. Clare Theater at 800 N. Salina Street.  Tickets will be sold online only this year, starting on February 14th through the 21st (unless they sell out first!).  Check back here on our website to buy them.

We want to extend a big thank you to our team member Damian of Echo for designing the poster.  And to team member Sarah for hanging them around town.  We're excited for the big night, just over three weeks away!

Six Community Project Ideas, Coming Your Way

We're happy to announce that we've accepted six project proposals to present at the next DISHES dinner! We're pumped and can't wait to see the presentations on February 23.