Chef Mitch Arens serves up food at last year’s Farm to Fork event, featuring products from the Covington Farmers Market.
Covington Farmers Market fundraiser puts local food in chef’s hands
COVINGTON, Ky. - It’s perfectly all right to admit it:
You’re enthralled with the summer squash, mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, and other fresh produce you buy at the Covington Farmers Market every Saturday, but once you bring the plentiful bounty home, you’re unsure how best to prepare it.
If you love to buy local and fresh but suffer from rudimentary kitchen skills, the Farm to Fork Brunch on Aug. 23 will intrigue and educate. (Of course, if you’re pretty fabulous at the stove, you might like the brunch even more.)
The annual fundraiser for the Covington Farmers Market serves up a tasty menu created by an expert chef using food sourced by the Market.
A ticket includes not only unlimited brunch, a seasonal cocktail, and pastry pairings but also live music and a “mini market” full of farm and artisan vendors' goods. Parking is included, and there will be a cash bar.
“You can always count on our Farm to Fork event to be the best meal of the year,” said Alexa Abner, who manages the Farmers Market for Renaissance Covington. “We decided to take a fresh direction by hosting a brunch instead of a traditional dinner, and we’re scaling down the number of guests to safely accommodate everyone outdoors.”
The brunch takes place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 23 on the Butler’s Pantry patio outside the Towers of RiverCenter at 50 E. Rivercenter Blvd., where tables will be set up in a socially distanced manner. (Note that masks must be worn when not actively eating.)
Tickets cost $40 in advance (or $50 at the door) and can be purchased
HERE.
Brunch will include four unique food stations featuring meat- and vegetarian-based dishes created by Chef Mitch Arens, with pastry pairings from North South Baking Co. and Rose & Mary. Each dish's ingredients have been sourced from the farmers, growers, and purveyors of the Covington Farmers Market.
Abner noted both the importance of the event and that it is held in an environmentally friendly manner.
“This year's fundraiser is more important than ever, as we have incurred extra expenses to operate the weekly farmers market with the health and safety of our vendors and visitors as our top priority,” she said. “We pride ourselves on hosting an event that is kind to the earth, while providing an experience that is as beautiful as it is delicious. The brunch is ‘Zero Waste’ AND Instagram-worthy.”
About the Market
- The year-round Covington Farmers Market takes place 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday at Third and Greenup Streets (May through October), and moves inside in cooler months.
- Typically, over 20 local farmers and artisans are on site selling produce, meats, eggs, flowers, honey, baked goods, natural beauty products, prepared and fermented foods, and more.
- With permission from Gov. Andy Beshear, the market has kept going through the pandemic by incorporating safety protocols.
- In 2019, vendors collected almost $200,000 in gross sales, a 110 percent increase from the year before.
- The market is a registered Kentucky Proud organization, meaning it’s officially sanctioned by the state Department of Agriculture.
- To help provide fresh produce to low-income families, it uses a grant from theCommunity Farm Alliance to offer Kentucky Double Dollars for participants in the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC FMNP (Women, Infants and Children Farmers Market Nutrition Program) and S FMNP (Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program).
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