Minnetrista's Orchard Shop Courtyard was transformed into a feast for the fall-lover's eyes - and mouth - with a cornucopia of seasonal decorations, place settings and sustainable gourmet prepared dishes at Minnetrista's first Flavors of Fall outdoor dinner event.
Guests watched and participated as chefs Lois Altman, Lucas Miller and Riley Groover from the American Culinary Federation prepared a fall-focused meal using ingredients from Minnetrista's Farmers Market from 5:30 - 8 p.m. Saturday.
Inspiration for the event came when the Cooking in Courtyard, an interactive dining experience Minnetrista held in the spring, sold out with 48 guests, Amanda Kavars, sales and events coordinator, said.
Saturday's Flavors of Fall event was adapted in presentation from the spring event and was expanded to seat 60 guests, she said.
The multi-course meal featured a starter, entr+â-¬e and finale - all made with locally grown fall-inspired ingredients - complete with wine pairings courtesy of New Day Meadery.
Based in Elwood, Ind., New Day Meadery has been the only Indiana winery that specializes in producing mead - wine fermented with honey - since it first opened in 2004, co-owner Brett Canaday said.
Canaday and wife and co-owner Tia Agnew say what separates them from other wineries in the area is their commitment to local farms and businesses.
"All of the fruits used in our meads are grown within a 40-mile radius of our business," Agnew said. "[Flavors of Fall] was a good way to incorporate our local mead with local meals."
For the starter course Altman prepared a pumpkin soup garnished with cr+â-¿me fresh and lamb pate, a recipe she developed specifically for the event.
"People immediately think pie when they think pumpkin," Altman said. "Our menu is a new twist on using old ingredients, which also helps to utilize as many parts of the vegetable as possible."
All chefs on-hand for the event integrated ingredients that came directly from the Farmers Market. The market, open seasonally from May to October, features fresh vegetables, fruits and savory meats from local vendors.
Altman, program director of the hospitality and food management department, teaches quantity and food production at Ball State and regularly does cooking demonstrations using sustainable produce once a month at Minnetrista, she said.
"[Locally grown produce] is higher in quality, you know exactly where it came from and the vegetables are always fresh and in-season," she said.
Freshman Austin Doll, hospitality and management major, assisted Altman in food presentation and serving guests throughout the evening, which he thought went well, he said.
"I loved seeing people enjoy food that I helped prepare," Doll said. "It was fun to be around people who enjoy food this much to experience new dishes."
As part of the dining experience, guests were encouraged to participate during the demonstration portion of the evening, where they got lessons in picking and preparing produce.
"There's just so much dimension and rich colors during the season," dinner guest John Wagner of Eden, Ind., said. "The chefs did a good job of capturing that element of fall in their dishes."
The menuMinnetrista recipes:
- Pumpkin and root vegetable bisque
- Grilled pork chops with tomato and corn sauces served on top of roasted squash
- Apple compote with a butter rum sauce
- Last Saturday of every month, May to October
- Demonstrations will be presented by the local chapter of the American Culinary Federation
- newdaymeadery.com
- From the first Friday in May through the Sunday before Thanksgiving, open Fridays through Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m.
- From the Friday after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Private tastings by appointment
- Saturdays, June 3 to October 28, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday, June 7 to October 25, 4 p.m. until sold out
- Monday to Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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