This series sold out in less than an hour!

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A Big FUSS is a new, annual event designed to raise funds for a local farmer in need.

While WNY is home to over 7,500 farms, very few of those farms sell their product directly to the consumer, and fewer still go to the trouble of becoming suppliers to Buffalo’s restaurants. Those who have proven to be dedicated and talented folks, ensuring that Buffalonians enjoy fresh-from-the-farm veggies, meats, and eggs while dining at Buffalo’s finest establishments.

Several local restaurants have embraced the local food movement and offer their guests delicious menu items featuring sustainably raised food year round.

Over the last few years, chefs have donated their efforts to a variety of causes connected to Buffalo’s burgeoning local food scene, but none may be more important than lending aid to a small farm that is one of their chief suppliers.

Buy tickets here (or at the door), or click through below for more information.

Join us on February 8th as we come together over good food and drink to celebrate and support the beautiful bounty of WNY and those responsible for it.

Chefs include:

Chef/Owner Steven Gedra of Bistro Europa in Buffalo
Chef/Owner Adam Goetz of Sample in Buffalo
Chef/Owner Jim Guarino of Shango Bistro in Buffalo
Chef/Owners Chris and Pete from Lloyd Taco Truck
Excutive Chef Kate Elliott of Merge
Executive Chef Ross Warhol of Chautauqua’s Athenaeum Hotel
Sous Chef Bruce Wieszala of Carmelo’s in Lewiston

Also participating:
Nickel City Cheese & Mercantile
Tuscany on Main

With donations from:
Promised Land CSA/Oles Family Farm
Unfinished Farm
Painted Meadows
T-Meadow Farm

Food from each chef and participant, a cash bar (with all profits going to our farmer friend), and an auction should help us raise enough funds to put this farmer in a good spot. So, come commune with fellow foodies, chefs, and farmers from the WNY … it’s going to be A Big FUSS!

**Tickets are non-refundable but fully transferable. Guests must be 21 or over, I.D. required.

Tickets cost $30. Purchase tickets here (or at the door.)

Pick your copy up at a local bookstore or boutique or buy it online. Stay tuned for book signing dates!

Our annual Feed Your Soul farm tour is SOLD OUT!

Our farmer-led field walks, in-field sampling, and chef-prepared local-centric lunch are just a few of the reasons this event is so popular. If you have a group of a dozen or more, we are happy to arrange a private farm tour just for you–email us at NickelCityChef@gmail.com with inquiries.

Click here for tickets! (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/185206)

Featured in The Buffalo News, Buffalo Spree magazine and Artvoice, Feed Your Soul’s annual farm tour is always a great time full of unique experiences. This year we’ll venture to the south of the city for a visit to several of our most interesting farms. This event is sponsored by the local heroes who operate the Lexington Co-operative Market!

We’ll visit Patrick Lango of White Cow Dairy, the little dairy that could. White Cow, a small artisan dairy brand hailing from Blue Hill Farm in East Otto, has been recognized (by Saveur, the New York Times, and countless others) for its ability to produce amazing European-style yogurt, rich in flavor and boasting a unique terroir imparted by the diet of grass its small herd grazes upon. Lango will lead a field walk, introduce us to his favorite cows and show us his remarkable creamery.

We’ll also visit Deb & Stew Ritchie of Native Offerings, one of the WNY area’s first farms to embrace organic growing methods and the Community Supported Agriculture model. Careful to use only sustainable growing practices, the Ritchie’s have cultivated a passionate following of foodies and chefs who appreciate the large variety of greens and vegetables raised on their Little Valley, NY farm.

A third farm is on the roster. Details pending.

We’ll also enjoy a delicious local-centric lunch prepared for us by one of Buffalo’s most well-recognized chefs, Chef Bruce Wieszala. In his career, Chef Wieszala has made a long-term commitment to sourcing local food year-round. He studied in Atlanta, G.A. for 10 years, working in the kitchens of that city’s best dining destinations: Emeril’s, The James Beard award-winning JOËL, Woodfire Grill, the 5-star Mobile-rated Seeger’s, and James Beard-nominated Restaurant Eugene. While working at Restaurant Eugene, Wieszala had the opportunity to compete on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America”, and has also appeared on Alton Brown’s “Good Eats”. Today he can be found in the kitchen of Carmelo’s in Lewiston, NY.

As Feed Your Soul’s staff, this farm tour is really the highlight of our year, and we hope you enjoy yourself as much as we do.

——IMPORTANT DETAILS:

Tickets are non- refundable, but fully transferable.

Please be forewarned that we use a school bus to avoid issues with getting stuck in ruts, etc. We have had that happen in the past, so we now forgo the luxury of the passenger bus and use a utilitarian school bus, made to endure snow, sleet, rain, and mud.

Be sure to give us a proper email address when ordering your tickets so that we can send you an itinerary one week before the tour.

Feed Your Soul’s 2011 Foodie-to-Farm tour includes:

*Transportation to and from area farms

*Farmer-guided tours

*Opportunity to speak with farmers and ask questions

*Water and sampling along the way

*Local-centric picnic lunch prepared by Chef Bruce Wieszala

*Take home packet loaded with information about local agriculture

*A super cool EAT LOCAL BUFFALO reusable tote bag

*Bathroom stops!

Feed Your Soul is proud to present a variety of culinary competitions and expositions at the Taste of Buffalo presented by TOPS. Taste of Buffalo is the second largest food festival int he United States. Come down and visit us and you may be selected to participate as a judge!

Meet some of Buffalo’s best chefs, witness exciting competitions and learn how to prepare some delicious dishes! It’s like watching Food Network live!

Click through for a full schedule.

Saturday, July 9th 2011

Noon-1pm  Sous Chef Battle
Featuring James Gehrke of Sample versus Ryan McNeela of Creekview

Chef James Gehrke of Sample (Buffalo) and Chef Ryan McNeela of Creekview (Williamsville), will compete to complete the best dishes in 45 minutes. Each dish must feature a secret ingredient! This should be a fierce competition, as a restaurant’s second in command is rarely given the opportunity to show their culinary ability in a public forum. Judges for this event include: Chef Mike Andrzejewski of the critically-acclaimed Sea Bar, Alan Bedenko, food critic for Buffalo Spree magazine, Kevin Telaak, vice president of Artisan Kitchens & Baths, and one lucky audience member.

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2pm-3pm  Nickel City Chef Presents Battle: Taco
Featuring Krista Van Wagner of Curly’s versus JJ Richert of Torches

There are a thousand ways to make a taco, but which one is best? Nickel City Chef Krista Van Wagner of Curly’s (Lackawanna) will compete against Nickel City Chef JJ Richert of Torches (Kenmore) to win the hearts of our panel of judges with their best interpretation of the humble taco. Judges for this event include: Musician and foodie Nelson Starr, chef and cookbook author (Mexican Flavors, 2010) Laura Anhalt, food blogger Don Burtless of BuffaloEats.org, and one lucky audience member.

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4pm-5pm  Adam Goetz, Buffalo’s Most Versatile Chef presents Cooking on a Shoestring

Using just a few “leftover” ingredients, Chef Adam Goetz of Sample (Buffalo, NY) will show you how to prepare a delicious, nutritious and fresh meal for your family.

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6pm-7pm  Blue Light Lime Culinary Challenge presented by Tops Markets

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Sunday, July 10th 2011

11am-11:30am  Flapjack Fun
Featuring Marco Sciortino of Marco’s versus Tucker Curtin of Lake Effect Diner

A panel of kid judges pick the perfect pancake. Marco Sciortino of Marco’s and Tucker Curtin of Lake Effect Diner flip their favorite flapjacks in hopes of being crowned the Prince of Pancakes.

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Noon-1pm  All Prepped Out!
sponsored by CUTCO
Featuring Brett Brennan of Sea Bar, Ken Foland of Merge, and  Hanna Youngling of Toro!

Chef Brett Brennan of Sea Bar (Buffalo), Ken Foland of Merge (Buffalo), and Chef Hanna Youngling of Toro (Buffalo) are vying for a trophy and bragging rights with this exciting competition. Speed, dexterity, and skill are required as these chefs race through a series of timed heats based on basic kitchen skills (i.e. chopping onions, separating eggs, julienning carrots, breaking down chickens). In this competition, precision and technique are as important as finishing first. Judges for this event include: Chef Mark Mistriner and Chef John Matwijkow of Niagara Culinary Institute, and Chef John Santora of Alfred State College.

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2pm-3pm  Nickel City Chef Presents: Battle: Street Food
Featuring Adam Goetz of Sample versus Mary Ann Giordano of Creekview

Street food is all the rage, and in this exposition, Nickel City Chef Adam Goetz of Sample (Buffalo) will compete against Nickel City Challenger Mary Ann Giordano of Creekview Restaurant (Williamsville) to win the hearts of our panel of judges with their best savory street food item. Judges include: Pete Cimino and Chef Chris Dorsaneo, founders of Buffalo’s first food truck, Lloyd, well-respected local chef, James Roberts of Park Country Club, and one lucky audience member.

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4pm – 5pm  Fresh Cooking with Chef Kate Elliott of Merge Restaurant
sponsored by Independent Health
Learn techniques for preparing healthy meals for your family with Merge’s own Chef Kate Elliott. Whether you are looking to learn about vegan, vegetarian, or raw cooking, Chef Elliott has the answers when it comes to preparing delicious and nutritious fare. This demonstration is presented by Independent Health.

Congratulations to our winner, Chef Ellen Gedra of Bistro Europa!

Nickel City Pastry Chef celebrates two of our area’s best pastry chefs, providing them with an arena in which to showcase their abilities.

The event took place in one of the city’s best kept secrets, a fully restored turn-of-the-century warehouse on Buffalo’s West Side. Completely outfitted with two competition-worthy kitchens, the unique setting was an ideal location for our guests to enjoy light snacks and drinks while they experienced our one-of-a-kind cooking competition first hand.

Nickel City Pastry Chef featured 

Chef Ellen Gedra of Bistro Europa

versus

Chef Paul Piorkowski of Black & Blue Steak & Crab.

The audience watched as our two pastry chefs and their assistants created the three best dishes in an hour. Both chefs employed classic and modern techniques in order to showcase their skills and the secret ingredient, which was housemade brown sugar from Five Points Bakery.

Our judges determined which pastry chef prepared the most technically perfect, creative and delicious dishes. The judges were:

Barbara Accogli, baker and decorator, Toronto’s Cake Star, “the Duff Goldman of Canada”
Paul Jenkins, chef and managing partner, Tempo
Carolyn Panzica, owner, Chocolate Bar
Joanna Pasceri, television personality, WKBW

This event was sponsored by: Artisan Kitchens & Baths, Buffalo Spree, Cutco, and Sarah Walley Events.

Click here for details.

This series is SOLD OUT!

–Buffalo’s top cake decorating challenge, featured in American Cake Decorating Magazine!

Read all about it on the Nickel City Cake Challenge website, www.NickelCityCake.com.

–Exciting food adventures with farmer-led field walks, tasty sampling and a catered lunch! Take the tour over 50 of Buffalo’s top chefs have taken!

We love that what started three summers ago as a way to connect chefs to our local harvest has become an annual series well-attended by our region’s top chefs, but also by foodies, health practitioners, nutritionists, culinary students and everyday people interested in seeing another side of Western New York. It is no surprise that Western New York’s 8,000 farms (most of which are small and family-owned) are a major contributor to our regional and national food supply. In addition to a large dairy, maple and produce industry, we are also home to two wine trails, talented artisan foodmakers and farmers raising a variety of livestock. Each of our farm tours include, farmer-led field walks, sampling, a remarkable local-centric chef-prepared lunch and lots of food talk.

Watch a video from WKBW about our July 2010 Urban Farm Tour here.