WELCOME TO OUR HARVEST KITCHEN CULINARY SCHEDULE

To read Norma Chang's Blog about her experience at the 2011 Festival Click Here!

2011 Harvest Demonstration Kitchen Schedule
New York State Sheep and Wool Festival

Saturday, October 15th:

11:00AM:  "Sheep's Milk Cheeses of the World, 1", Debbie Decker, Adams Fairacre Farms Cheese Shop, Poughkeepsie, NY.

12:30 PM:  Laura Pensiero, owner, Gigi Hudson Valley; author, Hudson Valley Mediterranean.

2:00 PM: Norma Chang, author, Wokking Your Way to Low-Fat Cooking.

3:30 PM: Charles Derbyshire, Old Mill Wines and Spirits.

Sunday, October 16th:

11:00 AM Jennifer Brizzi, local food columnist.

12:30 PM: Norma Chang, author, My Students' Favorite Chinese Recipes.

2:00 PM: "Sheep's Milk Cheeses of the World, 2" Debbie Decker, Adams Fairacre Farms.

3:30 PM. Charles Derbyshire, Old Mill Wines and Spirits.

The cooking demonstrations will be held in the Harvest Kitchen in Building E.
 

Jack Ford
A thirteenth-generation descendant of English settlers, Jack has helped promote the efforts of local food producers for over thirty years, first as a chef, and later in sales and marketing roles.  Best known for his work creating large public cooking demonstration programs, he has worked with a vast array of regional food companies, promotional groups, food writers and culinary schools, as well as a majority of the celebrity chefs from PBS andThe FoodNetwork.  One of Jack's proudest moments came in September of 1995, when the legendary Julia Child introduced  him to a group of culinary professionals as “ a champion of the American farmer.” 

Biography of Norma Chang 
Norma Chang, The Travelling Gourmet, is a food lover who enjoys sharing her skills and ideas with others through her many food related activities.
Norma Chang is the author of "My Students' Favorite Chinese Recipes, Updated Edition" and "Wokking Your Way to Lowfat Cooking".
Norma believes cooking should be fun. The food you prepare and eat should not only be good for you but look and taste good too. This philosophy is reflected in her cookbooks, demonstrations and workshops.

Norma Chang will be making Lamb in Oyster Sauce and Lamb in Hoisin Sauce.  Copies of the recipes will be available for the audience.

To read Norma Chang's Blog about her experience at the 2011 Festival Click Here!


Biography for Jennifer Brizzi

Jennifer Brizzi writes about eating and cooking the classic dishes of the U.S. and the world. She has been a food columnist for thirteen years and her current column "Ravenous" has appeared since 2003 in several weekly newspapers in Upstate New York. She has worked for a variety of caterers and restaurants. She teaches cooking classes and does demonstrations at festivals and farmers markets. 

Brizzi has a web site at www.jenniferbrizzi.com with examples of her writing, as well as a blog at www.tripesoup.com on cooking and food writing. Brizzi is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. 

 


Charles Derbyshire
Old Mill Wine & Spirits
 
Charles Derbyshire has drunk wine on five continents over the past 30 years.  He is an avid cook and traveler and forever curious about other cultures, peoples, cusines and WINE!  He is always ready for something he has never tried before and as a result has educated himself in wines both obscure and distinctive which is not to say he doesn't appreciate a well made chardonnay.  He is the owner of Old Mill Wine & Spirits in Rhinebeck, NY where he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm and varied interests about wine and food on a daily basis.

From 1980 to 1995 I was and actor in New York City where I performed in theatre, television commercials, soap operas and movies.
During that time I also built, opened and managed several restaurants in New York City.
In 1989 I also started making documentary films for a non-profit organization called Orbis International which fights world blindness and promotes peaceful cooperation among nations.
In 1991 I worked as fundraiser for Orbis which included writing grant proposals and opening an office in Hong Kong.
In 1995 I quit acting and working for Orbis and became a television executive working first at Bravo where I became Director of Acquisitions and Special Programming.
In 2004 I left Bravo and became Director of Sales and Co-productions for the BBC.
In 2005 I retired from television and moved to the Hudson Valley where I now own a wine shop in Rhinebeck.

Charles Derbyshire will be pairing wines to serve with lamb dishes.


Biography of Laura Pensiero
Gigi Hudson Valley

Laura Pensiero is the owner and creative force behind Gigi Hudson Valley (Gigi Trattoria, Gigi Market & Café, and Gigi Catering) a fast growing Hudson Valley company that believes good health and great flavor go together.  Laura’s background as a chef and nutritionist has helped her create a bountiful Hudson Valley roadmap to delicious and healthful eating, Mediterranean style! From its beginnings in 2001, Laura’s award winning restaurant, Gigi Trattoria, was one of the first in the Hudson Valley to source the bulk of its ingredients directly from local farmers, ranchers and food artisans. Today, her 60+ employee business is creating a new and sustainable model for elegant yet rustic dining, personal wellness and community engagement.   Laura is also a chef and partner in Just Salad, a collection of seven healthy ‘fast food’ restaurants in NYC and two licensed outlets in Hong Kong. A prolific author, Laura recently wrote Hudson Valley Mediterranean: The Gigi Good Food Cookbook (HarperCollins 2009) to share with the rest of the country her flavorful and practical approach to wholesome and healthy eating.

Click here to download Laura's Recipe!


Debbie Decker
Even after 34 years behind the counter at Poughkeepie’s Adams Fairacre Farms’ cheese shop, Debbie Decker is as enthusiastic and informative as ever.  A native of Poughkeepsie, Debbie has watched in amazement as the availability of cheeses has evolved from “the usual” imported and domestic cheeses, to the unbelievable array of sizes, shapes and varieties that her department carries today.
Debbie is especially proud of the accomplishments of small, local artisan cheese makers.  Almost nonexistent twenty years ago, these talented, dedicated people are responsible for some of the finest cheeses in the world.  It has become Debbie’s mission to educate the public about these wonderful products.  In an effort to learn as much as she can about the cheeses and their producers, she visits every farm in the region, and is particularly delighted when the cows, sheep, or goats have names.  “Healthy, happy animals make the best cheese!” she says.
In her spare time, Debbie volunteers at a local animal shelter.
Debbie’s two presentations at this year’s Sheep and wool Festival will feature a variety of the world’s finest sheep’s milk cheeses.