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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/