Thursday, April 5, 2012

Pittsburgh Farm to Table Conference 2012: Local Food Tasting


Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Farm to Table Pittsburgh 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the food tasting event sponsored by Edible Allegheny at the Pittsburgh Farm to Table Conference.  More than 40 local vendors offered samples of cheeses, meats, hummus, desserts, wine, beer...you name it!  I love events like this where you get to meet the people behind all these amazing local products and discover new places all in one evening.  I feature in this post, using photos and captions, some of my favorite vendors at the food tasting.  Note, however, that I didn't get to visit every single booth so I'm sure there were many gems that I missed!

Embody Natural Health at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Aimee Woods of Embody Natural Health (Facebook,
Twitter) making fresh juice.


The Greek Gourmet at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Michael Smalis, the Greek Gourmet (Twitter), serving
up some of his 24 mouthwatering flavors of hummus.
My favorites: Curry and horseradish.


The Greek Gourmet at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Just look at her face! I think she's excited to try Greek
Gourmet (Twitter). :)


Cinnamon Cheesecake with Chocolate Chips and Bacon by Beaver Falls Coffee and Tea Company at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Beaver Falls Coffee and Tea Company (Facebook, Twitter) served up some amazing
Cinnamon Cheesecake with Chocolate Chips and Bacon. Mmm-mmmm!

Franktuary at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Franktuary (Facebook, Twitter) offering samples of my favorite locavore frank.


Wild Purveyors at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
The friendly guys at Wild Purveyors (Facebook, Twitter), coming soon to Lawrenceville.


Wild Mushroom Pate Crostini by Quiet Storm at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Wild Mushroom Pate Crostini by Quiet Storm (Facebook, Twitter). I must visit the
restaurant soon!


Pretzel Crazy at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
I was really looking forward to trying Pretzel Crazy
(Facebook, Twitter) for the first time and it was SO good!
Follow their social media sites to find out where they're
setting up shop on any given day!

Clarion River Organics  at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Clarion River Organics (Facebook, Twitter) can be found
on weekends at the Pittsburgh Public Market.


Chicken Terrine by Restaurant Echo at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
The chef at Restaurant Echo (Facebook, Twitter) putting the finishing touches on
some terrific Chicken Terrine.  I love Restaurant Echo's commitment to local sourcing.

Olio Fresca Olive Oil at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Heather Cramer of Olio Fresca Olive Oil Company (Facebook,
 blog) talking to food tasters about her amazingly tasty olive
oils, which can be found on weekends at the Pittsburgh
Public Market.  Check out this post she wrote recently with
some valuable information about olive oil.


Steak by North Country Brewing at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
North Country Brewing Company (Facebook) was another vendor I was really looking
forward to, and this steak was plain awesome!


E2 at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Kate Romane, Chef at (Facebook, Twitter), posing for
a photo with the farmer who supplies her eggs.


Freshapeel Hummus! at the Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference 2012
Great hummus from Freshapeel Hummus! (Facebook, Twitter), coming soon to a
Pittsburgh store near you.

In sum, it was a great event and I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to participate.  As a matter of full disclosure, I received complimentary tickets to this event from Revive Marketing for assisting them with a ticket giveaway.  However, it was explicitly agreed upon that I would not be expected to write a positive review of the event (not to mention that that would be against one of my own rules).  Besides, none of the vendors featured in this post knew that I'd be writing about them, and the only "bribe" I received from them was amazing foods that truly deserve attention. :)  All in all, it was a great event.  I got to try foods from places I've been meaning to check out, and learned about some new vendors as well.  My only regret is that I wasn't able to attend more of the conference because of work, but there is always next year. :)