There are many times when I feel lucky to work here at LVS. This weekend was one such occasion, when I nabbed complimentary tickets to the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival. A delicious sampling of food from some of the area's best restaurants and wine from around the world—count me in! Anyone who knows me can tell you Number One: I love wine (the spicier and more robust the better) and Number Two: I cook all the time and only eat out on special occasions. Last Saturday became a special occasion when I attended this fundraising event for Northampton Community College.
My boyfriend and I arrived promptly at noon and joined the huge crowd of enthusiastic foodies trying to make the most of the next four hours. We began in VISION Lounge where the bar served up an array of wines (and beers). After enjoying our first drink of the day we made our way to the Event Center where restaurants and caterers like Kome, Vintage and Rodale Catering served up something for everyone's tastes. I'm an admitted picky eater (crazy, I know, for someone who writes a food column) but that day I was going to try everything and get out of my culinary comfort zone.
One trend I noticed was the abundance of seafood options. I don't know if this was a happy coincidence or a seasonal choice, but there was certainly a trend going on. (Note: I don't really like seafood.) But I have to give props to Rodale for forcing me to try (and actually enjoy) a savory white chocolate cheesecake with crab, roasted tomato and micro herbs. Other favorites for me had to be the delectable and adorable sliders from BAM! Burgers and More, and the sweet-tooth-satisfying mini whoopie pies served up by NCC's Hampton Winds. Following in the footsteps of the miniature cupcakes and fruit pies, whoopie pies are so trendy right now.
As for the wine, it was a global variety of tastes from France, Australia, South Africa and right here in Pennsylvania, to name a few. I may not have a discerning or refined palette but I know what I like. And the Graffigna Centenario Malbec, D'Arenberg “Stump Jump” Shiraz and Pouilly Fuisse, Louis Latour, all did not disappoint.
The day was made all the more memorable when we gained entrance to Chef Emeril Lagasse's cooking demo. This intimate, hard-to-gain-access-to event had Emeril cooking up dishes that highlighted in-season produce we should all be experimenting with right now. To recap, eggplant and squash are in abundance, and if you're not taking advantage of your local co-op or farm stand you are definitely missing out. Quality olive oil, salt, pepper, onion, tomato—these are really all the ingredients you need to create a dish served on its own or atop your favorite steak or pork chop. Thanks, Emeril for the tips I will be taking back to my kitchen this week. Check back with you soon!
