Someone pinch me, I think my dreams are coming true! For the past few years I’ve been a member of Trillium Haven Farm’s CSA program. At all of the cooking classes and events, I’ve always come away wishing for a restaurant that would offer that kind of food: pure, fresh, and delicious. And it’s coming!

OK well, maybe in my dreams it would be in Jenison or Grandville (WE ARE DESPERATE FOR NON-CHAIN RESTAURANTS ON THIS SIDE OF TOWN, PEOPLE!). But Eastown isn’t so bad.

Here’s the scoop:

T r i l l i u m H a v e n: A Farm-owned Neighborhood Eatery
History/Location
Anja Mast and Michael VanderBrug have a long history with Eastown, both having lived in the neighborhood during and after their time spent in school at Calvin College in the late 80s to mid-90s. (Michael spent hours at Kava House having conversations and working on his writing!)

Before starting up Trillium Haven Farm, in Jenison, MI in 2001, Anja and Michael bought their first house on Carlton, right around the corner of the Kingsley building. After moving to Jenison to farm, Anja and Michael continued to stay close to their Eastown neighborhood through their farmer’s market booth at the Fulton Farmer’s
Market. In addition, the core supporters of their CSA came from the Eastown and Uptown neighborhoods.

Food/Menu
For 11 years we have devoted ourselves to growing a wide variety of fabulous vegetables, marketing them to a diverse population of consumers, and educating our community on how to cook and prepare healthy vegetable dishes.

Our restaurant will obviously fall into the “farm-to-table” category of eateries, with the focus primarily on the freshness and quality of the vegetables. Over the years we have made many great contacts with other quality growers, and our menu will highlight the best that our region has to offer.

In addition, Trillium Haven Farm has always focused on training the young farmers of the future: four former interns of ours are now operating CSA farms of their own, and we feel that our restaurant will provide the opportunity for us to mentor and train other young farmers interested in growing for restaurants.

We believe that Trillium Haven restaurant will be able to genuinely promote and celebrate MI farms and farmers based on our experience as passionate organic growers. We will highlight the beauty and flavor of all our favorite vegetables, and offer vegetable focused dishes, but we won’t forget to add dishes highlighting some of the best local meats being grown using ethical and sustainable practices.

We plan on having a reasonably priced lunch and dinner menu, with the opportunity to indulge on special occasions with tasting menus and special farm dinners.

Atmosphere
The Kingsley building’s 6’ ceilings and large windows naturally give the space an open and airy feeling. There will be trees and potted herb planters in the main dining room, connecting diners to the beauty of nature.

The kitchen will be open, allowing patrons to see how it all comes together, with the focus on raw ingredients delivered right from the farm. The handcrafted nature of both the ingredients, and the food will be symbolized by the wood-fired oven in the center of the kitchen.

The rustic nature of the huge concrete pillars, old brick walls, and handcrafted barn-beam tables will evoke a natural, yet non-sentimental rustic vibe. We want to connect our customers to the natural elements of wood, stone, living plants and light. Everything will be simple, clean and authentic; reminding people of the timeless quality of the seasons, but also looking forward to a healthier, greener future—what life could be as opposed to what is.

Drink
Beer: A wide variety of local beers, and a few kitchy American Classics

Wine: Local wine, grower-produced new world wines, as well as grower-produced old world wines, about 1/3 each, most of them priced within reach. All wines will be chosen for their affinity for food.

Spirits: the classics, with some top shelf options, plus some garden inspired seasonal drinks, like heirloom tomato bloody marys

Special Events
Wine dinners– Customers will get to know their local MI growers and have a chance to buy directly from the vineyards. Promoting what we’ve got right here is the point!

Farm dinners—We’ll highlight times of the year when the farm and produce is at its best. Customers can visit the fields to see where the vegetables come from and learn about what it takes to get them to the plate.

Cooking classes– Seasonally focused classes that will highlight seasonal cooking techniques to make the most out of what the farmers’ market has to offer.

Monthly Seasonal Celebrations–The firsts of the season will always be celebrated all over the menu, whether the first asparagus, heirloom tomatoes or peaches.

No scheduled opening date yet, but if you’d like to get a CSA-type of “share” in the restaurant, they are offering Farm Memberships and Restaurant Memberships.

Microbrew lovers across West Michigan eagerly await the late February Winter Beer Festival at Fifth Third Ballpark all year long, marking their calendars for when the tickets go on sale. This year’s festival sold out in record time. Luckily, there is plenty of fun for everyone with the Inaugural GR Beer Week!

From the Press Release:

With a cold bite in the air and a cold pint in hand, beer lovers from all over Michigan and surrounding states will descend on Fifth Third Ballpark just north of Grand Rapids on February 25 for the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival. This year, craft beer fans will have an even better reason to spend an entire week in Grand Rapids.

GR Beer Week makes its debut this year, during the week leading up to the Winter Beer Festival. Events will take place over the course of 5 days at locations in and around Grand Rapids. Beer dinners, rare beer tastings, tap takeovers and other unique events are being planned.

While the focus is on Michigan beer as a whole, GR Beer Week is a time for Grand Rapids breweries to shine. With seven established breweries within the city limits, (Schmohz, Hopcat, B.O.B.’s Brewery, Founders, The Hideout, and Brewery Vivant), and several more on the horizon for 2012 (Harmony Brewing and Elk Brewing to name two), Grand Rapids is quickly becoming a destination for craft beer culture.

Detroit-based Liquid Table Beverage Solutions is producing and marketing GR Beer Week. Liquid Table began Detroit Beer Week in 2009 in cooperation with the Michigan Brewers Guild, piggybacking the Detroit Fall Beer Festival. This concept will be brought to Grand Rapids for the first time this year, in conjunction with the Winter Beer Festival.

“Liquid Table has proven to be uniquely qualified in the organization and promotion of craft beer events,” stated Eric Briggeman, President of the Michigan Brewers Guild. “This partnership will continue to further The Guild’s mission of promoting a healthy beer culture in the State of Michigan.”

GR Beer Week events and information will be constantly updated on Facebook. “We have several large events planned for each night of the week,” stated Barry Johnson, West Michigan Liaison for Liquid Table. “The wholesalers, breweries, retailers and consumers have been extremely helpful and supportive of our cause. Everyone understands the importance of such a vibrant, growing industry, especially in a down economy – everyone loves beer.” Head towww.facebook.com/grbeerweek for details.

GR Beer Week culminates with the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival, held Saturday, February 25 at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park. Roughly 6000 tickets for the event went on sale December 1, 2011, and sold out in a record 3 weeks! In addition to the other GRBW events taking place, two charity ticket auctions are scheduled for Thursday, February 23. Head towww.mibeer.com for details.

Act now if you’d like to try a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, this summer. With Trillium Haven Farm, one of the largest area CSAs, taking a sabbatical this year, many are expected to fill up fast.

Chances are, if you have participated last year, you already have a down payment on the upcoming season. But if you haven’t taken the plunge yet and have been thinking about it, now is the time to give it serious consideration. Not sure if a CSA is right for you? Check out the Top 10 Questions to Ask Before Joining a CSA.

In West Michigan, we are blessed to have so many great choices. In fact, I started making a list and realized it would be way easier to just link to websites that have the lists already put together.

These include:

Eat Well Guide: Nice website, not real complete for West Michigan though.

Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council: Download the West Michigan Fresh Local Food Guide, which includes a list of farmers’ markets, farm stands, grocers and specialty stores carrying local food, as well as restaurants. It was last updated in 2011 and includes some of the smaller places not on Local Harvest.

Local Harvest: Seems to be the most up to date and reliable. Bills itself as America’s #1 organic and local food website, which includes “a definitive and reliable ‘living’ public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Our search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. Our online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area.”

Various smaller websites exist but those are the ones I’ve found that have the most complete West Michigan info.

How about you? Are you involved in a CSA? Which would you recommend?

It’s that time of year again to order rhizomes! Whether you’re a homebrewer, herbalist, or just want a beautiful addition to your garden, consider planting hops this year!

Sicilianos Market is now taking orders for hops rhizomes, $5 each. Order by Sunday February 25 by emailing greg@sicilianosmkt.com.

They’re fairly easy to grow (speaking from experience). Plant by the end of May and they will grow like a weed. Harvest in late August or September. They don’t need constant watering. For more growing info, check out these websites:

http://www.freshops.com/

http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2008/04/10/growing-hops-in-the-garden-how-to-grow-beer-hops/

http://www.growinghopsyourself.com/

and soon your yard will look like this:

PRESS RELEASE

SBC will be conducting 4 tasting events at the brewery to be held on the last Thursdays of January, February, March and April at 7pm.

The themes will be:

• January 26 – “Different Yeasts/Different Flavors”
• February 23 – “Different Hops/Different Flavors”
• March 29 – “Understanding Beer Styles”
• April 26 – “Specialty Beers”

The tastings will be lead by SBC sales manager Scott Farney and brewer Dexter Gauntlett.  Admission will be $10 at the door ($8 for Pint Club members).

Saugatuck Brewing Co. is a microbrewery with a traditional Irish style pub and upscale banquet room  (The Singapore Room) that features hand crafted beer, wine, food, and service. Fifteen unique beer styles, all brewed in house, plus wine and hard cider are served daily in the Pub.   “SBC” also distributes five styles in 6 and 4-packs throughout lower Michigan.  The brewery also features the only active brew-on-premise facility in Michigan, utilizing five copper kettles and an array of natural ingredients and recipes, for the public to become “Brewmaster for a Day.”

If you’re a foodie, vacations that feature great food and wine are a must. The Homestead recently began offering cooking classes, and its quality of food throughout the resort makes this a great location for a weekend getaway in Glen Arbor, Michigan.

Last weekend my husband (DH) and I headed north for 3 1/2 hours to experience The Homestead (Glen Arbor, MI) firsthand. The reception upon arrival was very friendly, although I felt we could have had a  more thorough orientation to the weekend’s available options. There were a few events that we learned about later, that were not included in the newsletter that we were handed. Plus there is very poor Wi-Fi/cell reception throughout the property so it’s not like you can just jump on the website for updated information. Of course, we did arrive around 9 PM, so perhaps the reception was a bit tired.

We checked in to our Little Belle Suite and, while not luxurious, was clean and comfortable. DH said the property reminded him of an Alpine Village. It was still decorated for Christmas and quite charming.

We headed to Beppi’s for some late night beverage before they closed at 10 PM. I was pleasantly surprised that they featured northern Michigan wines by the glass – a red and a white – as well as four local brews, two from Right Brain, Oberon, and an imported Italian lager. The staff was pleasant and the wine very good – and only $5 a glass. I saw on the menu that they offer tableside S’mores, which looked fun but it was getting late.

The next morning we headed to CQ’s Cabin for the buffet breakfast ($12). It was Philly eggs, bacon, sausage, hot cereal, and they also had a selection of pastries. It was very fresh and tasty–surprising for a buffet.

After breakfast, DH hit the slopes (it’s been warm, but they made enough snow to open about half of the runs) and I headed to Nonna’s for the cooking class.

Chef John Piombo was an absolute joy to watch. Full of humor, wit, and knowledge (and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just the affect of the champagne we received at the beginning of the class). It was so fun to learn from an actual Italian Chef. It was a cooking demonstration (as opposed to hands-on, which they also offer), which was kind of nice as I could sit back and learn and drink champagne. We received recipe handouts and were able to learn about and taste the various ingredients. At the end, we received samples of the finished dishes. This particular class was for baked pastas, and they were all EXCELLENT. One was a bit overcooked, and I was thrilled that Chef made it again so that we could taste one that was cooked properly. Aside from being very filling (as most Italian cuisine is), everything was delicious.

After the class, DH met up with me and we headed to Cavanaugh’s Deli & General Store so he could refuel after all that skiing. He ordered a club sandwich and chicken enchilada soup. He declared it very good. I started to rethink my position on “typical resort food.” Since I was still full from the cooking class, I ordered a coffee, which was fresh and just as good as I’ve had at any coffee shop. My only disappointment was that although Bailey’s was on display, they could not add it to my coffee since they do not have a liquor license. As I did not want to buy a whole bottle, I opted for cream and sugar instead.

We explored the resort for the rest of the afternoon and then headed to Nonna’s for dinner. The waitress offered a complimentary taste of the wine that was on special for the evening and we were hooked after the first sip. As I was still full from lunch, DH and I ordered the crab cakes and scallops (appetizer portion) to share and DH ordered the lamb. Everything was excellent, cooked perfectly, and the waitstaff were extremely attentive. I had to break it to DH that unfortunately, the scallops were even better than his version that he makes at home. For dessert DH ordered the flan and I ordered a poached pear with chocolate sauce, finishing with a nice 10 year port. Sigh.

It was a perfect evening, and we stopped at the General Store for some additional beverages to enjoy back at the room.

The next morning, we headed to the buffet again and this time they were featuring breakfast burritos. Again, we were not disappointed. We had considered holding out until the Sunday brunch started, but we had consumed enough calories for a few days. On the 3 1/2 hour drive back to reality, we decided we’d love to return.

If you go:

Be sure to check out the $5 Happy Hour menu Thursday-Saturday 5-6 PM

Date Night, Thursdays, $49 for dinner for two plus a bottle of wine

Cooking Classes, select Saturdays winter 2012

Sunday Brunch 11 am – 2 pm

Disclosure: I received a complimentary media weekend. All opinions are my own.

PRESS RELEASE:

In what has become a wildly-popular winter/spring tradition, West Michigan’s Salt of the Earth announces its third-annual monthly Michigan Wine & Beer Dinner Series at its downtown Fennville rustic American eatery, starting on January 11 and running through June 20.

Chateau Chantal Oak Aged Brandy, Cinq a Sept

Chateau Chantal announced today the release of their first oak-aged brandy. If you can’t make it to Traverse City, Troy Hammond, award-winning home brewer and beer afficionado, has some local microbrew recommendations to make your holidays merry.

Cinq à Sept

December 21, 2011 Traverse City, MI: Old Mission Peninsula winery and inn, Chateau Chantal, released their first production of an oak aged brandy.  The brandy has been given the French name “Cinq à Sept” (sank-ah-set) literally, “five to seven,” a French Canadian term for Happy Hour.  In France, this phrase was originally used as a description of the time of day a Frenchman would visit his mistress, perhaps with a gift of Brandy in tow?

Distilled from fermented Northern Michigan grapes on location at Chateau Chantal, this Brandy spent five years mellowing in a French oak barrel, gaining a golden color and rich caramel flavor.  Displaying notes of honey, spice, and butterscotch, this sipper is best served in a Brandy snifter, or other wide bottomed glass, to promote the release of the fine aromas. Serve at room temperature or over ice to create your own delightful gathering.  $39.99 for 750 ml, 40% alc.

Cinq à Sept is available only at the winery, which is open daily except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.  The brandy is now available for sampling at the winery for a fee.  Further information about the tasting room can be found online at www.chateauchantal.com.

And now for the beer . . .

These picks are not for the faint of heart, but they should make any family get together more bearable, and would also be perfect for sipping in front of a roaring fire with your significant other. In no particular order, here are Troy’s picks for this holiday season:

New Holland Brewing

Dragon’s Milk (10% ABV, Oak Aged Stout)

Imperial Hatter (9.4%, Imperial IPA)

Night Tripper (10.8% ABV, Imperial Stout)

Founders

Breakfast Stout (8.3% ABV, Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout)

Dirty Bastard (8.5 % ABV, Scotch Style Ale)

Double Trouble (9.4% ABV, Imperial IPA)

Dragonmead

Final Absolution (8.5% ABV, Belgian Style Trippel)

Under the Kilt (7.8% ABV, Wee Heavy)

What will you be drinking this season?

(please drink responsibly)

Photo from http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

If you’ve watched Food, Inc. or read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, or even if you’ve been in the foodie crowd long enough, you’ve probably heard of Joel Salatin, the alternative farmer from Virginia. In January, you can hear him in person.

He’ll be speaking at Calvin College’s January Series on January 17, 2012, beginning at 12:30 PM. As you may know from previous January Series events, parking can be a challenge, so arrive early. Or, you can attend at one of the several live streaming sites around West Michigan (and beyond).

For those wanting to get a little more up close, Nourish Organic Market is hosting a booksigning with Salatin the evening before (January 16–time to be announced).

Don’t forget, you can find more great events like these at the Eat Local, West Michigan! calendar.

Great Lakes Wassail. Photo courtesy of Eat Drink and Be Michigan

If you seek a pleasant holiday cocktail, look no further than Michigan’s own spirits.

That’s the philosophy of Angie Jackson, mixologist and founder of Eat Drink and Be Michigan.

“We believe in educating the public about these artisan-crafted distillates via properly balanced cocktails using seasonally-fresh and locally sourced ingredients through cocktail demonstrations, spirited dinners, Mixology classes and events at restaurants, bars and tasting rooms throughout the State of Michigan,” writes Jackson.

Her recipe for Great Lakes Wassail is the perfect example:

• 10 small apples
• 10 teaspoons brown sugar
• 5 teaspoons Great Lakes Tea and Spice Company’s Vietnamese Saigon Cinnamon
• 1 bottle St. Julian Founder’s Pride Red Dessert Wine
• 1 bottle New Holland Artisan Spirits’ Freshwater Michigan Amber Rum
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cloves
• 6 allspice berries
• 3 inch stick cinnamon
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Core the apples and fill each with a teaspoon of brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of Vietnamese Saigon Cinnamon. Place apples in a baking pan and cover the bottom with 1/8-inch of water. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes, or over medium heat in a slow cooker for 1 hour or until tender.

Combine the Founder’s Pride Red Wine, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, sugar and water in a large, heavy saucepan (without letting the mixture come to a boil). The Cocktail Cottage used a vintage coffee carafe with a candle heating element during a punch and wassail demonstration. Leave on very low heat.

Strain the wine mixture, add the rum, and pour into a metal punch bowl.

Remove the apples from their liquid and float them on top of the Wassail.

Serve in 8-ounce mugs or punch cups.

For more Michigan-inspired cocktail recipes for the holidays, be sure to visit Eat Drink and Be Michigan.

For a listing of Michigan Distillers, click here.

Interested in taking a class? You might want to check out the following:

• December 8, 2011: Drinks class at The Mercantile ($50, Kalamazoo)
• December 12, 2011: Cocktail class at Food Dance ($40, Kalamazoo)