Published in Newsday: Feed Me / Lifestyle / Restaurants
By Erica Marcus, E: erica.marcus@newsday.com
Lauryn Mitchell, 10, left, and sister Kayla, 13, watch Lauryn claim the title of champion on Food Network's "Chopped Junior" on Tuesday, June 5, 2016. Photo: Randee Daddona.
Yaphank, NY, August 3, 2016 - It’s sister vs. sister at Grown on Long Island’s annual Seafood Throwdown in Yaphank on Friday. The two fierce competitors are Lauryn and Kayla Mitchell, both of whom have distinguished themselves on the national culinary stage: Lauryn, 10, won “Chopped Junior” in July; Kayla, 13, competed on “MasterChef Junior” in 2015.
At the contest, scheduled for 11 a.m., the girls will be confronted with a mystery ingredient from the sea and, using local produce and their own wits and skills, will have to prepare a judge-worthy dish.
The Seafood Throwdown is only one of the activities at “Celebrate Grown on Long Island Day” at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors can purchase produce from local farmers, taste local food and wine, hang out with farm animals, explore a century-old working farm and see the 4-H youth Livestock Showmanship competition. Kid-specific activities include wagon rides ($2) and a scavenger hunt.
The event, sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Long Island Farm Bureau and New York Sea Grant, is free, but visitors are encouraged to buy produce and donate it to Island Harvest, a food rescue organization.
The Suffolk County Farm is at 350 Yaphank Ave., Yaphank. For more information, call 631-727-3777 or visit celebrategrownonli.com.
More Info: Grown on Long Island Day & NYSG's Seafood Throwdown
"Grown on Long Island Day” is a celebration of the area's local produce.
Long Island is home to 35,000 acres of working farms growing over 100
varieties of products. The local greenhouses, farm fields and vineyards
are what make this region so special and the investment into our own
community is vital for our region to flourish.
To find a Farmers Market nearest you, check out the map feature on Grown on Long Island's Web site.
For more on this year's seafood throwdown, which will be held during the day, see New York Sea Grant's related news item, Fifth Annual Seafood Throwdown at "Celebrate Grown on Long Island Day." Included in this news item are photos and video clips featuring this year's two contestants.
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.
New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the
Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego.
In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University
and Stony Brook Manhattan, in the Hudson Valley through Cooperative
Extension in Kingston and at Brooklyn College.
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 its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published several times a year.
