Yaphank, NY, Monday, August 4, 2014 - On Friday, August 8, 2014, come “Celebrate Grown on Long Island Day” at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank from 10am to 2pm. Kicking it off at 10 a.m. will be New York Sea Grant’s Third Annual Seafood Throwdown, a fun and exciting competition in which Chefs Kyle Romeo of Jedediah Hawkins Inn (S. Jamesport) and Steven Amaral of North Fork Chocolate Company (Calverton) and Black Tie Caterers (Wading River) will go “saucepan to saucepan Iron Chef-style," as described by Eileen M. Duffy, Edible East End editor who will be one of the seafood throwdown judges. Sitting next to Duffy at the judges table will be Prof. Richard Freilich of Suffolk County Community College’s SCCC Culinary Arts and Hotel Resort program and Robin Lee Simmen, a horticultural specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension.
The chefs will receive a mystery seafood and local produce item courtesy of local farms and fishermen. The chefs will also have a little time for a mad dash to the onsite farmers market to buy other grown on Long Island ingredients to round out the dishes to present to the judges.
This event is used to educate the public about the health benefits of a seafood diet and the importance of buying local food to support small family owned and operated fishing and farming businesses.
“Fishermen have much in common with small farmers. We are working with fishing businesses to help establish community supported fisheries (CSF) programs similar to the more familiar community supported agriculture (CSAs)," said New York Sea Grant's fisheries specialist, Antoinette Clemetson.
The seafood throwdown was adopted from similar events being conducted by the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA) in New England fishing communities.
It was a close one, but with the play-by-play emceed by on-air host Bonnie Grice of WPPB Southampton (pictured above, at far right), both chefs came out winners at New York Sea Grant’s second annual Chef Seafood Throwdown last August at Grown on Long Island Day at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center. Photo: Barbara A. Branca
More: Long Island Farm Day
Last year about 1,500 cars parked in the lot for the Grown on Long Island event; even more are expected this year. Expect a wide range of products available for purchase from Divine Brine Pickles, Andrews Family Farm, Patty’s Berries and Bunches, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, Farm Credit East, Seemore Carnivorous Gardens and others. Island Harvest will also be collecting for the food insecure. Photo: Edible Long Island
The Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank will host the annual Long Island Farm Day, at which you can purchase local in-season “Grown on Long Island” produce from local farmers, enjoy wagon rides and other kid-friendly and sample roasted corn and local wines. Admission to the event is FREE.
Long Island Farm Bureau promotions coordinator Natasha Beccaria says the event began four years ago to promote island agriculture. “The group wants to spread the word that we have a vibrant agricultural community. We want to show that it is important to buy local in order to support Long Island as an agricultural region.” She adds that there are about 600 farms on 30,000 acres of land, about 15,000 of which are preserved.
The Suffolk County Farm is right off the LIE at Exit 67 South. For more information, visit www.celebrategrownonLI.com or call the Long Island Farm Bureau at 631.727.3777.
To find Farmstand and Farmers Markets near you, visit any of the following Web sites:
More Info: New York Sea Grant
New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University
and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based
programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP
engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting
scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed
to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our
aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated
services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental
sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great
Lakes resources since 1971.
For updates on Sea Grant activities:
www.nyseagrant.org has RSS,
Facebook,
Twitter, and
YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via
www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for
NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, which, in 2014, merges with the program's e-newsletter,
Currents.
NY Coastlines is published several times a year.
