Imagine gooseberries grown on a farm in Afton appearing in a photo in New York magazine, or Norwich-made cheese and mustard as part of an article in another prominent downstate publication.
These are just some of the food items produced in Chenango County that are gaining in popularity. And not only in the media, but on diners’ plates at some of the city’s fanciest restaurants.
Fantasy Fruit Farm, owned by Steve and Linda Dygert of Afton, supplies fruits in season almost daily to green markets in and around Manhattan as well as to the chefs who shop them. Downstate gourmets and restaurant representatives for the past 20 years have mulled over Fantasy’s specialty strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, black and red currants and Champaign grapes.
The farm’s award winning gooseberries are featured in a menu created by chef Bill Telepan of Telepan’s on 72 West 69 St. The restaurant, which paired the gooseberries with a pan-toasted cornbread and creme fraiche dessert, was voted the best newcomer in this year’s well-known Zagat Survey.
The gooseberries appeared in the July 30-Aug. 6 issue of New York.
Time-Out New York magazine’s Sept. 6-12 fall preview edition showcased an article about small markets in and around Manhattan. The Evans family’s Farmhouse Creamery “Chenango Cheddar” and Patsy Smith’s Schoolhouse Kitchen Bardshar Chutney figured prominently in photos of Marlow & Sons and the New York Little Piggy markets, both of Brooklyn.
Smith said the article in the trendy weekly was a complete surprise. While her SweetSmoothHot Mustard, Bardshar Chutney and Balsamic Vinaigrette Basico have been selling well, she didn’t know her chutney would be featured in the publication.
“Wow! This came out of the blue,” the Norwich and Cooperstown philanthropist said. (SchoolHouse Kitchen donates l00 percent of its profits to educational organizations.)
Chenango Cheddar is just one of the many products that has been produced and distributed from the Evans’ Family Farm in Norwich since 1999. Sue Evans said she had actually lost touch over the years with who ends up getting the dairy farm’s cheese, yogurt and milk.
