September is the harvest month, and this year there are several delicious ways to celebrate Idaho’s bounty.
The month kicks off with the multi-course local food Harvest Moon Dinner at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 in The Grove plaza.
This year’s chefs include Alex Cardoza of Red Feather Lounge, Andrea Maricich of Salt Tears Coffeehouse & Noshery, Richard Langston of Cafe Vicino and Mathieu Choux of Le Cafe de Paris, who will handle dessert.
The menu comes together pretty last minute when the chefs know what will be available, says organizer Karen Ellis. The produce and wine come from the purveyors at the Capital City Public Market, which presents the event as a fundraiser.
The entertainment will include The Fool Squad’s Tom Willmorth and the Ben Burdick Trio.
Dinner is $100 per person at the Market booth on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Downtown Boise, at SeeYouAtTheMarket.com or by calling 345-9287.
The Boise Urban Garden School Harvest Grill Dinner is one popular meal.
The folks at the school, which also is called BUGS, teach kids and their families about the environment and nutrition through organic gardening.
Red Feather’s Cardoza and Christine Reid of Locavore will cook up the fresh produce from the BUGS garden. Dinner is at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 at the school, 4821 W. Franklin Road, Boise. It’s $60 per person. To reserve a spot email erin@boiseurbangardenschool.org.
The largest harvest celebration is the Sun Valley Harvest Festival, Sept. 22-25.
The whole thing kicks off with a new Opening Night Dinner, 7 p.m. Sept. 22 at Elkhorn Springs Restaurant, 97 Badeyana Road, Elkhorn Village. New York chef David Martin will team with Ketchum’s Brent Barsotti for “A Carnivores Dream” ($75 per person, not included in the festival pass.)
The rest of the festival includes the Restaurant Walk in downtown Ketchum, 5 p.m. Sept. 23 ($25), chef demonstrations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24 at Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge ($20 each) and Grand Tasting from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 25 at Dollar Mountain ($50), which benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Idaho.
Another new feature is the River Guide Cooking Competition. Four river guides will vie for top honors in Dutch pot and barbecue categories at 10 a.m. Sept. 25 outside Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge. Free.
All festival pass: $185 (does not include the opening night dinner or grand tasting); all demonstration pass: $100. To buy tickets and find a full listing of events, go to SunValleyHarvestFestival.com. Individual tickets go on sale Sept. 17.
CLOSING AND OPENING
• Caruso’s Sandwich Company, 130 N. 8th St., is closed. The franchise out of Coeur d’Alene opened last November in Boise.
• Jamba Juice moved last week from its Overland Road location to its new digs at 132 N. 8th St. in the former Hal Davis Jewelers space Downtown. Hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. Phone: 658-1765.
• Kneaders Bakery and Cafe, a franchise out of Utah, opened in Meridian last week at 3450 N. Eagle Road.
Kneaders specializes in gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries and breads baked daily in the on-site hearthstone oven. There are 14 Kneaders in the West. This is the first in Idaho. It’s open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Phone: 884-4600.
COOKING WITH LAMB
If you love lamb, then put the Trailing of the Sheep festival on your radar for Oct. 7- 9. They have the Art and Lamb Foodie Fest, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7, where you can sample lamb dishes at Ketchum restaurants. But if you’re a real lamb fan, then don’t miss Ketchum Grill’s Scott Mason and his cooking with lamb class at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at the restaurant, 520 East Ave. N. in Ketchum. It’s $50 and space is limited. Call (208) 788-2033 to register.
OWYHEE PLAZA HOTEL TO CHANGE CHEFS
Chef Mark Owsley will leave the Owyhee Plaza Hotel at the end of the month to become the executive chef at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Twin Falls. Owsley began working in the kitchen at the hotel and its Gamekeeper Restaurant at 16 and worked in nearly every job in the kitchen, becoming the executive chef in 1990 at 26.
Chef Matt Villegas will take over the executive chef position. He has worked at the Plaza for 11 years under Owsley.
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