PROGRAM CELEBRATING NEW JERSEY FOOD TO MARK THE OPENING OF THE METUCHEN FARMERS MARKET
On Friday, June 14th, the public is invited to celebrate the return of the ever-popular Metuchen Farmers Market with a program entitled Celebrating New Jersey Food, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Old Franklin School House in Metuchen. The program is sponsored by the Metuchen Farmers Market, with the gracious support of the Borough Improvement League and the Metuchen Chamber of Commerce.
The program begins with How to Start an Organic Farm from Scratch, a dialogue with Helen Chandler, a young farmer whose Whistling Wolf Farm in Hunterdon County has its first harvest this year. Ms. Chandler is a Rutgers Ecology graduate turned farmer. She is working to foster an understanding of the natural world and our place in it through a closer connection with our food source. Whistling Wolf Farm is one of the Metuchen Farmers Market’s newest vendors.
At 7:45 p.m. Diane Pinder will offer a presentation entitled Making Some of the World’s Best Chocolate in New Jersey. Ms. Pinder is the owner and chocolatier of Donna & Company Chocolates. Her handcrafted artisanal chocolates are inspired by the chocolate masters of Tuscany and are guided by the Slow Food commitment to quality, community and the environment. For instance, she exclusively uses honey from NJ apiaries as a sweetener and one of her confections is licensed by the Department of Agriculture as a “Made with Jersey Fresh” product. The recipient of many awards, she was recently named one of 2013’s Best Chocolatiers by the International Luxury Chocolate Salon.
At 8:30 p.m. there will be a cookbook signing with Teresa Politano, author of Celebrity Chefs of New Jersey. Ms. Politano is an adjunct professor at Rutgers University and an award-winning journalist who is the restaurant critic and food writer for The Star-Ledger and Inside Jersey Magazine.
The evening will include chocolate tastings for $5 and cookbooks will be on sale.
The Old Franklin School is located at 491 Middlesex Avenue (Route 27) in Metuchen, right next to the Metuchen Fire House. Parking is available along Middlesex Avenue or across the street at Borough Hall.
The Metuchen Farmers Market officially opens at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 15th in the Pearl Street Parking Lot, corner of New and Pearl Streets, located in the heart of downtown Metuchen. This year’s Market promises to be bigger and better than ever. Stay tuned for a full list of 2013 vendors and events to be announced soon at www.metuchenfarmersmarket.com.
