Successful Meetings
profiles "locavore" Christopher Harkness, executive chef of New York-based Great Performances, who caters events exclusively with farm-fresh local produce."When I first started training to be a chef, it was all about how far away you could get your ingredients; lamb from New Zealand, vanilla from Madagascar, cheese from France. I thought using these products made you worldly, sophisticated, and talented," Christopher Harkness, executive chef at Great Performances, explains.
Not anymore. His new emphasis is on products he can get close to home. Great Performances, a New York event and catering firm, is a partner with CPS Events at The Plaza, manager and operator of The Plaza Grand Ballroom.
Together, they have created the "100 Mile Menu" that features just that, ingredients sourced within a 100-mile radius of New York City. Harkness, a self-proclaimed locavore (the New Oxford American Dictionary's word of the year for 2007), says the concept behind this menu is "field to fork." Not only is this environmentally friendly, as shipping food over shorter distances means using less fuel for transportation, thus lessening the carbon footprint, local products taste better, he says.
"Once you start getting the ingredients locally, and you experience the benefits, it becomes an addiction. The food is so good, so perfect. Plus, the farmers are harvesting the best products they possibly can. It's a labor of love," says Harkness.
Great Performances has taken the "locavore" movement one step further by acquiring its own 60-acre organic farm in Kinderhook, NY, called Katchkie Farm. Some 29 different varieties of vegetables, from arugula to winter squash, as well as a selection of culinary herbs, are harvested there. When preparing a menu, Harkness consults with Farmer Bob Walker, who not only manages and farms the property, but lives there, to find out what is in season.
Not only does produce from the farm make its way into the ballroom, but so do wildflowers, sunflowers, and even locally made whiskey and vodka.
A recent 100 Mile Menu featured Country Pizza with Spring Onions and Ricotta, Fried Green Tomatoes with Aioli, Farmer Bob's Chopped Salad, Hand-sheered Greens and House-made Red Wine Vinaigrette, and Maison Chop Farm Rosemary-studded Leg of Lamb with an Arugula and Garlic Scape Coulis, with the majority of the ingredients coming from Katchkie. The 100 Mile Menu is available for all types of events, including breakfast, breaks, lunch, receptions, and dinners.
"The Plaza Grand Ballroom is the first major venue in the country to incorporate the 100 Mile Menu concept into its menus," says Mike Warren, director of catering for CPS Events at The Plaza. This new standard in catering was introduced at the Grand Ballroom when it reopened in January, with menus featuring ingredients that appear on the ballroom's tables within 36 hours of being harvested.
"We wanted The Plaza, with its legendary ballroom that has received New York City landmark status, to reopen with creative, cutting-edge cuisine, and we have," says Warren.
MENU CARD WITH MILEAGEHawthorne Valley Sauteed Rainbow Trout, Roxbury Farm Smoked Sweet Corn Brulee, Fresh Pea Tendrils, and Warm Tomato Vinaigrette: 90 miles
Striped Bass Escaviche with Pickled Beets: 95 miles
Long Island Oysters "Casino" Style: 40 miles
Peach and Thyme Cake with Caramel Chantilly Cream: 95 miles
Ideal size for the Grand Ballroom: 300 to 500 guests
Cost per person: $275 to $325 per person, including open bar, plus 23 percent service charge and 8.375 percent NY State sales tax
For a recipe that brings out the flavors of local produce, click here.Originally published Oct. 1, 2008For more ideas, tips, and tools for better meetings and events,
get Successful Meetings' weekly e-newsletter delivered to your inbox.