What a Night! Annual Forum Dinner 2024
July 24, 2024
During one special evening, the Vermont Fresh Network brings together some of Vermont's best chefs, farmers, food producers, and specialty food makers to create a sensational meal at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn, on the shores of Lake Champlain. It is a celebration of the best food of summer, and VFN's largest fundraiser. The Forum allows us showcase the incredible talents of the Network - dedicated food producers sharing and celebrating Vermont grown ingredients.
On Sunday, July 21, we came back for our 26th year. Thank you to each and every one of our participating chefs, artisans, farmers, beverage makers, sponsors, VFN staff members, board members, the Shelburne Farms staff, silent auction donors, prize donors, photographers, volunteers, and guests who made this year's dinner such a memorable and magical evening.
The Annual Forum Dinner is Vermont Fresh Network's largest fundraiser, allowing us to continue our work strengthening Vermont's food system year round. (Members - log into your member account to read our Forum Dinner marketing and impact report!)
Each year, Forum attendees sample through the vast offerings at the Forum Dinner and select their favorites - the Best Bite & Best Sip. They are ALL delicious, but these are the creations the people chose this year:
Best Bite:
Frankie's served the crowd favorite with their pickled shrimp with grilled Pomykala Farm peaches, heirloom tomatoes, and shiso.
Honorable Mentions: Wake Robin, Copper at Dorset
Best Sip:
Barr Hill by Caledonia Spirits won the Best Sip award for their Path of Purpality cocktail.
Honorable Mentions: Mad River Distillers, Tipsy Trout
Thank you to Narin M. Knives and Farmhouse Pottery for generously donating our Best Bite and Best Sip prizes!
Thank you to our chef and producer participants:
14th Star Brewing Company | 5th Quarter Butcher Shop | Alpine Hall, The Lodge at Spruce Peak | Aqua ViTea | Barr Hill by Caledonia Spirits | Birch Hill English Muffins | Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling | Blake Hill Preserves | Bleu Northeast Kitchen | Brio Coffeeworks | CBD Events LLC dba Copper AT Dorset | Eden Specialty Ciders | Ellison Estate Vineyard | Frankie's | Grafton Village Cheese Co. | Green Mountain Blue Cheese | Green Mountain Peanut Butter | Haute and Heady | Highland Lodge | Honey Road | Intervale Center Food Hub | Jasper Hill Farm | Juniper Bar & Restaurant | La Garagista | Lincoln Peak Vineyard | Local Maverick | Luiza's Homemade with Love | Mad River Distillers | Mad River Taste Place | Mares Apiaries/BTV Honey | Monti Verdi Salumi | Palatial Farm LLC | Paprika Empanadas | Shacksbury Cider | Shelburne Farms Cheese | Shelburne Farms Inn | Shelburne Vineyard, Iapetus Wine | Shrubbly | Small Oven Pastries | Snow Farm Vineyard | Sobremesa | Sodexo | Split Spirits LLC | Stowe Cider | Sugar Bob's Finest Kind | The Big Spruce | The Essex Resort & Spa | Thingz From Yaad | Tipsy Trout, The Lodge at Spruce Peak | Two Sons Bakehouse | Vermont Cider Lab | von Trapp Farmstead | VT Specialty Food Association | Wake Robin | Windjammer Restaurant
Silent Auction Donors: Bee's Wrap | Bistro de Margot | Blake Hill Preserves | Bleu Northeast Kitchen | Brio Coffeeworks | Burlington Harbor Courtyard Marriott | CBD Events LLC dba Copper at Dorset | Eden Specialty Ciders | Edson Hill | Ellison Estate Vineyard | Farmhouse Group | Green Mountain Blue Cheese | Highland Lodge | Hotel Champlain | Honey Road | Juniper Bar & Restaurant | Lake Champlain Chocolates | Lily May’s | Mad River Distillers | Odyssey Events | Original Skiff | Palatial Farm LLC | Salt & Bubbles | Shelburne Farms | Shelburne Vineyard | SILO Distillery | The Lodge at Spruce Peak | Sugar Bob's Finest Kind | Sweet Basil Cards | The Big Spruce | The Essex Resort & Spa | The Essex Experience | Trapp Family Lodge | The Vermont Flannel Co. | Upstate Elevator Co. | von Trapp Farmstead
A special thanks to:
- The Cordials for providing our musical entertainment for the evening
- New England Food and Farm Photography
And thank you to our Forum sponsors!
Affiliate Partners: Community National Bank, Farm Credit East, Farrell Distributing, Foley Services, Sodexo/Vermont First
Plate Level Sponsors: ImageTek Labels, The Essex Resort & Spa
Sprout Level Sponsors: Marcum LLP, Vermont Farm to Plate, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets
Seed Level Sponsors: City Market/Onion River Co-op, Local Maverick, New England Food & Farm Photography, Pomerleau Real Estate, The University of Vermont Medical Center, University of Vermont Extension, Wake Robin
Our host for 26 years: Shelburne Farms
