Rocktown Kitchen To Highlight Local Farmers With Valley Dish
March 06, 2019
By SHELBY MERTENS
Daily News-Record 3/6/19
HARRISONBURG — Shenandoah Valley Organic is collaborating with Rocktown Kitchen to host a multicourse farm-to-table dinner to showcase local farmers and businesses.
SVO’s sixth Valley Dish will be held on March 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Rocktown Kitchen, located at 217 S. Liberty St. in the Ice House complex.
The dinner will also pair beer and wine from Pale Fire Brewing Co. and CrossKeys Vineyards, and incorporate ingredients from Shenandoah Growers, a family-owned herb farm in Rockingham County, and Mainstreet Farmstead, a dairy farm in Stuarts Draft. The first Valley Dish was held in 2016.
“It was started as a way to bring local producers together and also to provide a collaborative dinner from where the chef of the restaurant can show off a little bit and produce something that’s not necessarily on the menu and be a little bit more creative with the dishes that are served,” said Laura Thompson, Shenandoah Valley Organic’s marketing manager.
Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza hosted the first three dinners, and the last two were held at Food.Bar.Food. Thompson said Rocktown Kitchen was chosen because of its strong ties to local farmers and vendors.
“They are one of the restaurants in town that carries our chicken on their menu regularly,” she said. “We try to find a farm- totable restaurant that works with as many local producers as possible.”
Kristo Papa, the owner and executive chef of Rocktown Kitchen, said he wants to introduce his customers to the restaurant’s local vendors.
“I think it’s important for our customers to see where our food comes from,” Papa said. “I wanted [our vendors] to have some recognition for their hard work. I think it’s important for local businesses to support each other.”
The dinner will begin with hors d’oeuvres featuring deviled eggs and an artisan cheese and fruit plate, sourced from Mainstreet Farmstead, paired with beer from Pale Fire. Microgreens from Shenandoah Growers and a poached pear salad paired with CrossKeys’ Fiore Rosé will be served as the next course.
“It’s a very nice and colorful salad that’s also going to be very tasty,” he said.
Dinner guests will then be served grilled Sriracha- crusted chicken risotto that features SVO’s chicken. Papa said the chicken will be “a lot more moist than usual. Tender and delicious.”
CrossKeys’ Chardonnay will be paired with the dish. For dessert, guests will be treated to sticky toffee cake with CrossKeys’ Ali D’Oro wine.
SVO provides the type of chicken cuts requested and gives Rocktown Kitchen the creative freedom to craft the menu around the local ingredients.
The collaborating producers will each have a chance to give attendees more information about their business and highlight their products.
“Overall, it’s going to be a nice dinner featuring some of our local vendors who will also be there to talk about their businesses and their farms to educate people, in a sense, about what goes on in their business behind the curtains,” Papa said. “I think that’s going to make it fun.”
Valley Dish serves as part of SVO’s mission to make locally grown, organic chicken more available to the community.
“One of our missions is to provide healthy food and make it accessible to a greater population of people; so, this is one of the ways we can show people what we do and give them an idea of the quality of our product,” Thompson said. “I just hope that it might make them think a little more about choosing local producers when they’re at the grocery store or farmers market.”
The collaboration dinner is also an opportunity for SVO to bring awareness to its ethical methods of raising poultry and the quality it brings.
SVO is certified organic through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as certified humane raised and handled by Humane Farm Animal Care, a nonprofit that certifies farms for their animal welfare practices. SVO is also in the process of acquiring an animal welfare certification through Global Animal Partnership.
“We’re on a mission to educate people on the ethical decisions [of raising farm animals],” Thompson said. “We’re trying to make the standards that people raise animals a little bit higher.”
Tickets are $55 per person. Call Rocktown Kitchen at 540-217-2425 to reserve a spot. The restaurant will be closed for the event that evening.
Thompson said SVO hopes to start hosting Valley Dish dinners twice a year.
Daily News-Record 3/6/19
HARRISONBURG — Shenandoah Valley Organic is collaborating with Rocktown Kitchen to host a multicourse farm-to-table dinner to showcase local farmers and businesses.
SVO’s sixth Valley Dish will be held on March 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Rocktown Kitchen, located at 217 S. Liberty St. in the Ice House complex.
The dinner will also pair beer and wine from Pale Fire Brewing Co. and CrossKeys Vineyards, and incorporate ingredients from Shenandoah Growers, a family-owned herb farm in Rockingham County, and Mainstreet Farmstead, a dairy farm in Stuarts Draft. The first Valley Dish was held in 2016.
“It was started as a way to bring local producers together and also to provide a collaborative dinner from where the chef of the restaurant can show off a little bit and produce something that’s not necessarily on the menu and be a little bit more creative with the dishes that are served,” said Laura Thompson, Shenandoah Valley Organic’s marketing manager.
Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza hosted the first three dinners, and the last two were held at Food.Bar.Food. Thompson said Rocktown Kitchen was chosen because of its strong ties to local farmers and vendors.
“They are one of the restaurants in town that carries our chicken on their menu regularly,” she said. “We try to find a farm- totable restaurant that works with as many local producers as possible.”
Kristo Papa, the owner and executive chef of Rocktown Kitchen, said he wants to introduce his customers to the restaurant’s local vendors.
“I think it’s important for our customers to see where our food comes from,” Papa said. “I wanted [our vendors] to have some recognition for their hard work. I think it’s important for local businesses to support each other.”
The dinner will begin with hors d’oeuvres featuring deviled eggs and an artisan cheese and fruit plate, sourced from Mainstreet Farmstead, paired with beer from Pale Fire. Microgreens from Shenandoah Growers and a poached pear salad paired with CrossKeys’ Fiore Rosé will be served as the next course.
“It’s a very nice and colorful salad that’s also going to be very tasty,” he said.
Dinner guests will then be served grilled Sriracha- crusted chicken risotto that features SVO’s chicken. Papa said the chicken will be “a lot more moist than usual. Tender and delicious.”
CrossKeys’ Chardonnay will be paired with the dish. For dessert, guests will be treated to sticky toffee cake with CrossKeys’ Ali D’Oro wine.
SVO provides the type of chicken cuts requested and gives Rocktown Kitchen the creative freedom to craft the menu around the local ingredients.
The collaborating producers will each have a chance to give attendees more information about their business and highlight their products.
“Overall, it’s going to be a nice dinner featuring some of our local vendors who will also be there to talk about their businesses and their farms to educate people, in a sense, about what goes on in their business behind the curtains,” Papa said. “I think that’s going to make it fun.”
Valley Dish serves as part of SVO’s mission to make locally grown, organic chicken more available to the community.
“One of our missions is to provide healthy food and make it accessible to a greater population of people; so, this is one of the ways we can show people what we do and give them an idea of the quality of our product,” Thompson said. “I just hope that it might make them think a little more about choosing local producers when they’re at the grocery store or farmers market.”
The collaboration dinner is also an opportunity for SVO to bring awareness to its ethical methods of raising poultry and the quality it brings.
SVO is certified organic through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as certified humane raised and handled by Humane Farm Animal Care, a nonprofit that certifies farms for their animal welfare practices. SVO is also in the process of acquiring an animal welfare certification through Global Animal Partnership.
“We’re on a mission to educate people on the ethical decisions [of raising farm animals],” Thompson said. “We’re trying to make the standards that people raise animals a little bit higher.”
Tickets are $55 per person. Call Rocktown Kitchen at 540-217-2425 to reserve a spot. The restaurant will be closed for the event that evening.
Thompson said SVO hopes to start hosting Valley Dish dinners twice a year.
