GENESEO – On Saturday Sept. 21, Think Local Geneseo, a food share organization founded by SUNY Geneseo senior Maddy Smith, will host a Harvest Moon Dinner to celebrate local food and farming within the community. The dinner will be held outdoors at the Free Soil Farm at the Hartford House, located at 17 Avon Rd. in Geneseo. Think Local Geneseo encourages the whole community–students, faculty, and local residents–to attend the event.
According to a press release, the price of admission ($20 general, $15 students, and $8 children 12 and under) includes a night off farm tours, a delicious, locally-sourced meal, and music courtesy of the Geneseo string band. Think Local Geneseo will also raffle off prizes such as Once Again Nut Butter, local food cookbooks, and F. Oliver’s oils and vinegars, among other things. All proceeds from the raffle will go toward a local nonprofit, still to be determined. The organization hopes to see least 100 people in attendance.
Catering for the event will be provided by Papa Jay’s Catering, and will include various soups, stir-fry, a chicken barbecue, and an apple and ice cream dessert. The meal will be prepared with ingredients pulled from local sources such as the Free Soil Farm as well as some other farms regularly seen at the Geneseo Farmers Market.
“We’re excited to provide our own vegetables for this dinner, so that people can taste the difference that fresh local produce provides in a quality meal,” said Corrin Strong, owner of the Free Soil Farm.
Gates open for the dinner at 4:30 p.m. and dinner will be served promptly at 5:30 p.m.
The concept of sourcing locally reflects the primary goal of Think Local Geneseo, started this summer by SUNY Geneseo senior Madeline Smith, recepient of the Campus Auxiliary Services Ambassadorship in Entrepreneurship. The Ambassadorship encourages students to plan projects that support and cultivate their local community. Through her work with Think Local Geneseo, Smith strives to bond the college and the community together through local eating, and to educate the community about the benefits of choosing local products; the Harvest Moon Dinner is just one aspect of her ambitious project.
For more information, visit: thinklocalgeneseo.wordpress.com.
Tickets can be purchased at Touch of Grayce, Sundance Bookstore, the Geneseo Farmers Market, or via email: thinklocalgeneseo@gmail.com