Spring Dinner Pays Homage To Local Ingredients

Slow Food East End and Almond Restaurant are teaming up to present a Spring Market Dinner that pays homage to ingredients native to the East End.

“Long before the East End of Long Island became a place where folks came to honk their horns, it was a place with a multigenerational farming and fishing history,” shared Jason Weiner, Chef/Owner Almond Restaurant. “This 400 year heritage will be celebrated on the 24th.”

The event will be held at Almond Restaurant on Thursday, March 24th at 6:30 p.m. The evening will feature a cocktail reception followed by a four-course, family style seasonal menu curated by Chef Weiner. “The dinner will focus on foods native or traditional to the East End in early spring,” explained Darlene Salatto Rose of Slow Food East End. “Native or traditional foods have nourished our ancestors for generations prior to the industrialization of farming. Traditional foods of the East End include corn, squash, berries, clams, lobsters, fish, duck, apples, and wheat.” Along with pleasing our taste buds, the ingredients have many other benefits. “They pack optimum nutrition and taste since they have not traveled thousands of miles from farm to plate,” said Salatto Rose. “There is a cultural preservation component which sheds light and awareness on foods that are in danger of becoming extinct, such as the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin.”

The Spring Market Dinner will also showcase items from Slow Food USA’s “Ark of Taste” for the Northeast United States. “With this dinner we are going beyond “local” and digging deeper – celebrating foods native to the East End lends actual flavors and textures to our community’s sense of place,” added Megan Schmidt, Leader, Slow Food East End. The Ark of Taste is a living catalog of delectable and culturally important foods that are at risk of becoming obsolete. Slow Food’s initiative helps keeps them in production and introduces the community to them. Since 1996, over 1,100 products from more than 50 countries have been added to the International Ark of Taste.

The meal will also showcase items from Slow Food USA’s “Ark of Taste” for the Northeast United States. (Courtesy Photo)

Slow Food’s pairing with Almond Restaurant makes perfect sense, as owners Jason Weiner and Eric Lemonides are dedicated to serving locally sourced cuisine, which is evident upon inspecting the Bridgehampton eatery’s menu.

Admission is $85 per person for Slow Food members and $100 for non-members.

Almond is located at 1 Ocean Road in Bridgehampton. For more information, visit slowfoodeastend.org.