THAW Fest Workshop To Focus On Eating Local

Winter is coming to an end and the Hamptons are defrosting!

The Hamptons Arts Network’s THAW Fest weekend (Friday, March 22 through Sunday, March 24) is the perfect way to enjoy the pending warm weather, enjoy local food and celebrate our history.

As part of THAW Fest 2019, Amagansett Food Institute and the Southampton History Museum will co-host “Live Food, Local Food with Amagansett Food Institute,” a hands-on workshop with Chef Jack Formica, who will focus on foods regionally available, with an emphasis on living/raw foods. Formica is a chef, farmer and forager who shares AFI’s mission to create a more sustainable and equitable local food system. He previously served as the chef at AFI’s South Fork Kitchens Café and has participated in many other activities related to AFI’s mission.

“Jack Formica is a skilled Chef and opened up the South Fork Kitchens Cafe at the Amagansett Food Institute. He now runs the kitchen for our friends at Amber Waves farm and has a sincere and studied commitment to local food and sourcing,” Heather Meehan, Program Coordinator at AFI, relayed. “We’re excited to partner with him and with the Southampton History Museum to offer this workshop during THAWfest. This workshop will provide insight into the wild and edible plants that are a natural part of our landscape, and guide us towards a deepened understanding of what ‘eating local’ can mean.”

The workshop will take place on Saturday, March 23. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. attendees can enjoy a cooking workshop and presentation. Following this, there will be a tasting and discussion from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. “Live Food, Local Food with Amagansett Food Institute” activities will take place at Rogers Mansion in Southampton. The admission ticket is $10.

The Museum is also offering free admission to the Rogers Mansion, a 20-room historic house museum managed by the Museum, on both Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It was the summer residence of philanthropist Samuel L. Rogers who converted a smaller whaling captain’s house into Gilded Age mansion during is occupancy 1899 to 1932. The period rooms reflect the peak of his era 1910 to 1920. The self-guided tours are complimentary during this weekend.

THAWfest Weekend was created by the Hamptons Arts Network, which include 19 cultural organizations on the South Fork of Long Island, to promote off season events.

Rogers Mansion is located at 17 Meeting House Lane in Southampton. For more information, visit www.hamptonsartsnetwork.org.