Event pairs farmers, chefs to help March of Dimes

A popular northern Delaware fundraising fete, "The Farmer and the Chef," recently made its first appearance in Sussex County, bringing together the Cape Region's top food producers and culinary experts to raise nearly $17,000 for the March of Dimes.

Nearly 150 tickets were sold for the event, held at the Cordrey Center in Millsboro. The March of Dimes paired 13 chefs from restaurants across Sussex County with 13 lower-Delaware food producers in a gastronomical face-off featuring some of the state's freshest ingredients and most creative preparations.

Five years after the event kicked off in New Castle County, March of Dimes State Director Aleks Casper said the time had come to give southern Delaware chefs a shot by holding the event in Sussex County, where a majority of the state’s farms are located.

“We have some of our great farmers and great farm relationships here, so it just made sense to bring it down here,” Casper said.

What didn’t make sense, she said, was to leave food lovers downstate out of the loop.

“This event really caters to our foodies,” Casper said. “You can’t beat the freshest ingredients available, and chefs get a chance to experiment with some unique ingredients. People really love to eat fresh local food and support their local economy.”

Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee contributed produce to the event. “Don’t miss the Sussex County pole lima beans, produced by me,” Kee said.

Bringing the state’s leading food producers and preparers together helps bridge the gap for consumers and allows residents to more fully enjoy the bounty of agricultural products here in Delaware, he said.

“Understanding where it comes from, that’s the agriculture,” Kee said, “from the farm to the restaurant to the consumer. Taking that raw product and making something special – and the end result is the consumer eating that food.”

Fresh, local, healthy food also plays a big role in the March of Dimes mission to promote healthy pregnancies and babies, he said, bringing the focus back to the fundraiser’s cause.

“In the end it all comes together to support a great organization which supports healthy moms, healthy pregnancies and healthy babies,” Kee said. “A lot of good decisions go into a healthy pregnancy, and one of those is eating right.”

Chef Josh Wiggins of Blue Water Grill in Millsboro said he regularly works with local farmers and many of the weekly specials he offers are a direct result of the fresh, local produce they have available.

“We try to keep as much as we can local,” Wiggins said. “The community supports us, so I think it’s important to support the community. Plus it’s a fresher product and a good cause.”

Chefs from Rehoboth's a(muse.), the restaurant at Baywood Greens and Abbotts Grill took top honors with crowd favorites such as smoked local potato soup with Lewes Dairy cream,  pulled lamb tacos with roasted peach and tomato salsa and rainbow trout arrabiata.

The next Farmer and the Chef benefit for March of Dimes will be held Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Chase Center in Wilmington. For more information, go to www.thefarmerandthechef.com.

1st place: Tie

Chef Hari Cameron, a(muse.)

Smoked local potato soup, with Lewes Dairy Cream, house-made bacon and micro-chives.

Lewes Dairy

Chef Michael Clampitt, The Restaurant at Baywood Greens

Pulled lamb tacos with roasted peach and tomato salsa and shaved radishes

JenAmy Farms, Fifer orchards

2nd place

Chefs Paul Gallo and Kevin Reading, Abbotts Grill

Rainbow trout arrabiata, sweet pepper and basil housemade pork sausage on a crostini with tomato and fennel jam, micro-watermelon salad, eggplant caponata, golden tomato whip

Bob and Barbara Russell Produce