So what’s better than local corn, peaches, apples and watermelon? One might say nothing, but pairing them with a variety of local Dogfish Head beer takes them to a new level. And at The Farmer and The Chef South event Thursday night at Baywood Greens, each local chef did just that.
Pairing Festina Peche, Tweason’ale, Theobroma and Red & White with pork, shrimp, tuna, crab, lamb and local produce made for refreshingly delicious pairings. Some highlights included Dogfish Head’s crab and watermelon salad with grilled scamorza cheese and Theobroma gastrique; cornbread topped with a dried apple slice, shredded pork and peach sauce from Chef Mike Clampitt of Baywood Greens, who partnered with T.S. Smith & Sons; ceared ahi tuna over a corn salad with a grilled Brussels sprout and beet salad from chef Doug from SoDel Concepts. There wasn’t a bad dish in the house, all of which would have been impossible without our local farms—a concept lost on no one enjoying this bountiful feast.
Even though I was incredibly stuffed, I couldn’t pass up the Hopkins Farm Creamery stand. I sampled the “Delaware Fruit” flavor, a peach and blueberry mix, but also tasted apple pie, a recommended favorite. You could taste why this was a crowd favorite, with crumbled graham cracker pie crust, cinnamon and sliced apples, all blended in a sweet cream base.
Celebrity sightings included Sam and Mariah Calagione and 2013 Mar-Del Watermelon Queen, Chelsey Procino. Sam Calagione made his way from station to station, shaking hands and chatting with every chef about their dish and how they incorporated his local brews. It was amazing to sit back and watch the community of Delaware and some Maryland organizations mix and mingle, creating sustainable relationships between the farmer and the chef, all to raise money for the March of Dimes.
I can’t wait to do it all over again on Sept. 19 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. Click here for more details.
