Farm to Fork dinner tickets on sale now

Sara Bloom, DHDC director, at last year’s Farm to Fork dinner. *Courtesy photo*

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. Monday for the annual Downtown Hays Market Farm to Fork dinner.

The dinner will be at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at the Downtown Pavilion. Tickets are $60 each or a table of eight for $450. They can be purchased online or at the Downtown Hays Development Corp. office, 1200 Main. Only 104 tickets will be available.

Farm to Fork supports the Downtown Hays Market. The market has about 80 vendors who annually sign up to sell items. The market does not charge a vendor fee, so the proceeds from the dinner are used in promoting the market, Sara Bloom, DHDC director, said.

The event begins with an hors d’oeuvres and cocktail hour. Musical entertainment will be provided, but the group has yet to be named.

Chef Manuel Hernandez, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing executive chef, is preparing the meal again this year.

The menu is as follows:

Appetizers

Corn-roasted salsa with guacamole, tortillas and pita bread
Honeycomb with brie
Roasted veggies
Meatballs

Soup

Black bean soup

Salad

Mercado shredded salad with jicama (Mexican turnip), carrots, cucumber and mango

Entree

Tricolored beef enchiladas

Dessert

Petite Mexican assortment of desserts with churros, tres leche cake and conchas (sweet bread)
Mexican hot chocolate

Centerpieces from last year’s Farm to Fork with materials provided by Bethesda Place and arranged by Norman Keller of Regeena’s. *Courtesy photo*

Once the chef has the menu, he provides DHDC with the list of needed ingredients, which he tries to source from local market vendors.

“That covers everything from the dairy products to the egg products to produce and meats,” Bloom said.

Vendors who do not sell food have the opportunities to donate merchandise that is given away during the event.

Resurrection Vineyard will again provide a selection of wines, and Lb. Brewing will offer a new dessert beer.

“We try to keep this event very small and intimate,” Bloom said. “We want the people to be able to meet people they haven’t met before and create a real intimate evening for those who attend.”

What truly makes the event unique, is Chef Manuel’s discussion of the ingredients that he uses and the dishes that he has prepared.

“He is the highlight of the evening,” Bloom said. “Listening to him talk about the ingredients and the difference between the eggs you find in a grocery store compared to ones you can get from a farm and just hearing him talk about his passion for food and his passion for local sources is just wonderful. He really does make the event.”

Lb. Brewing will provide a new dessert beer for the event and Resurrection will provide a selection of wines. *Courtesy photo*

The Downtown Hays Market will be wrapping up on Oct. 18. It is 7:30 to 11 a.m. through the summer and early fall every Saturday at the Downtown Hays Pavilion at 10th and Main streets.

“We have wonderful vendors who participate in that event,” Bloom said, “and it has truly become a gathering place for our community – free coffee and just good conversation and wonderful products and services that are down there. I always want to encourage people to check out the Downtown Hays Market, and if you are able to support that event by purchasing tickets to the Farm to Fork dinner, by all means, I hope that you do that.”