I was in a state of frenzy! Excited and restless - to take it all in….. all at one time, if possible. Too anxious about missing something un-missable! I wanted to shout out, “Step Aside And Fork It Over”!!!
Those were my true feelings the whole time I was at the “Fork It Over” brunch hosted by three phenomenal Westport based businesses: The Whelk, Fleisher’s Craft Butchery and Saugatuck Grain & Grape. The event was to raise funds for the Westport Farmer’s Market - an organization I truly admire because it brings pure joy and sense of community to thousands of people every week!
Lori Cochran, Executive Director of the Westport Farmers’ Market knows exactly what it takes to create a fantastic event…. one which people would rush to be a part of. She brings together the top names in the local food industry and adds a fantastic element of surprise by not revealing which chefs and purveyors will be paired at each of the four Fork It Over events … the location is also a secret until the final moments. As a result, die-hard foodies like me are wound up in a state of frenzy by the time the actual event rolls up…. and when the likes of me show up the day of - Well! You’d better watch out!
The first Fork It Over event of 2015 turned out to be at The Whelk where the Whelk team along with the Fleisher’s Craft Butchery team went all out with the food. Their generosity brought together a truly memorable experience for the diners. Fun-filled and food-filled. We are talking oysters, raw and roasted. We are talking razor clams. We are talking corn bread with bacon jam. Heck! we are talking crawfish boil. And…. wait for it…. we are talking a 100lb pig roasted for over 10 hours in a La Caja China… just for us!!!
There was more food than we could eat that day! And all the while, the delicious drinks by Saugatuck Grain & Grape kept flowing. The conversations were engaging. I met so many new and interesting people at one brunch. In fact, that is one of the goals of the Westport Farmers’ Market - to create a sense of community…. to encourage people to meet each other and get to know one another. Don’t you just love it?!
I learned some very interesting things that day:
- Westport Farmers’ Market is 501 c organization. Which means it is committed to give back to the community and local causes. It supplies fresh food donations to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission. It helps subsidize the cost for farmers to come to the market and do business each week. The organization works with local kids in Westport & Weston to prepare healthy meals for hungry people at Gillespie Center.
- Did you know that the Westport Farmers’ Market is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Most Farmers’ Markets don’t succeed beyond 3-4 years. Nay, this one is growing by leaps and bounds. That’s saying a lot!
I think the success of this Farmers’ Market lies in the passion that so many area chefs, farmers, foodies and local residents bring to the market each week. No matter when you visit, you are bound to rub shoulders with some of the most passionate people in the community.
On a slightly embarrassing note: I also learned that chef Bill Taibe’s team at The Whelk is exceptionally professional and damn good at customer service. They are all about making each diner feel special and important. Even if that diner happens to be an annoying paparazzi-type like myself! The food looked so gorgeous and the table was set so beautifully that I was anxious to capture it in my camera before everyone started digging in .. so much so that I did not even realize until much later that I was probably a total nuisance to the staff trying to set everything up. But no one said anything to me. They just smiled and let me do my thing while they did theirs. I LOVE THEM FOR IT!!! Thanks Team-Whelk!
