Winners Announced for Finger Lakes Cork & Fork
(Seneca Falls, NY) – The fourth annual Finger Lakes Cork & Fork took place last week on September 20 and 21. The two days of the event included a regional showcase of local foods, wines, beers, spirits and agriculture on Saturday and a culinary competition on Friday which gave awards for Judges’ Choice and Foodies’ Choice that were announced during Saturday’s regional showcase.
During Partners & Pairings, the Friday night culinary competition, teams including chefs, farmers and beverage producers prepared a tapas dish using local ingredients and paired it with a local beverage. Teams were evaluated based on presentation, taste, use of local products and the compatibility of the food with the beverage pairing.
The Foodies’ Choice Award was given to the team that scored highest with the guests on Friday night. The 2013 winner is The Kitchen at Hotel Clarence of Seneca Falls, NY. Chef Art Robinson of Hotel Clarence prepared a “Seneca Cuba” Reuben made with thinly sliced pork shoulder and ham presses with mustard pickles and Red Buddy cheese. The dish was paired with Ithaca Beer Co.’s Partly Sunny wheat beer.
The winner of the Judges’ Choice Award was chosen by a panel of local celebrity judges:
Darrel Aubertine, Agriculture Commissioner, New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets
Dan Eaton, Chef, “Cooking at Home” on YNN
Patrick Taney, Morning Anchor, WHEC-TV Rochester Channel 10
Jim Trezise, President, New York Wine & Grape Foundation
Michael Welch, Editor, Edible Finger Lakes Magazine
The judges selected Warfield’s Restaurant & Bakery of Clifton Springs, NY, for the 2013 Judges’ Choice Award. Chef Brandon Wiggins of Warfield’s Restaurant prepared pork carnitas sliders with pumpkin butter and roasted pepper jam paired with Ithaca Beer Co.’s Country Pumpkin ale.
The two-day event itself was an overall success, selling more advance sale tickets than any previous year. “We are thrilled with the outcome and overwhelming support for this event,” remarks Miranda Polmanteer, volunteer coordinator for the event and director of communications and tourism promotion for the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce. “We would like to extend our most sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of the event sponsors, vendors, chefs, industry and media partners, attendees; and especially to all of the volunteers that come together and dedicate the time and resources that make Finger Lakes Cork & Fork possible.”
The 2013 festival was hosted by the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce and Waterloo Container, title sponsor. Sponsors include Americana Vineyards, Benny’s Welding, Byrne Dairy, Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, Empire State Potato Growers, Empire Tractor, Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty, Finger Lakes Federal Credit Union, Finger Lakes Times, FLH Medical/Dr. Wirth & Dr. Reese, Generations Bank of Seneca Falls, Harris Beach/Senator Michael Nozzolio, Holiday Inn – Waterloo/Seneca Falls, Hotel Clarence, ITT Goulds Pumps, Lyons National Bank, Nugent Hardware, NYS Assemblyman Brian Kolb, NYS Assemblyman Phil Palmesano, Roloson Electric, Savannah Bank, Sinicropi Florist & Gift Shop, The Bonadio Group, Wadhams Enterprises, Waterloo Premium Outlets, Wegmans – Geneva.
