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!

View the full 2024 menu here.


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

Share

Guide to Setting up your VFN Account and Using the Member Portal and Directory

By jessie • November 15, 2024
In case you missed it...VFN has a new website! Thanks to some funding from a Specialty Crop Block Grant through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, we've been working hard to make our online presence better match the vibrancy of Vermont's food and farm community. Check out our industry work and public-facing programming , learn about our organization and history , view our events calendar and blog , and explore our member directory ! As a part of this project, we've also implemented a new membership management system, which makes it easier for our members to access VFN resources and benefits, submit events to the industry events calendar, share your news and updates with our team, and more. VFN members - this blog post is intended to serve as a guide to help you set up your account in VFN's new system, and explore and access your members-only resources and the member business-to-business directory.

It's Time for VFN's Holiday Ingredient and Food Finder! 🦃

October 10, 2024
Hey VFN Members - Vermont Fresh Network's Holiday Food Finder is back! This annual project in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture promotes farms and producers who sell ingredients or prepared foods that typically grace a Thanksgiving table. To help folks find the authentic taste of Vermont this holiday season, we'll be sharing this content in: VFN and DigInVT.com digital channels (blog, social media, newsletter) Vermont Agency of Agriculture digital channels A press release distributed statewide via the Agency of Agriculture The next edition of Vermont Agency of Agriculture's Agriview Our content will be broken down into two sections: Turkeys and Other Ingredients Do you raise, grow or sell local ingredients that typically grace a holiday table? (Think turkey, pork, fall and winter veggies, cranberries, grains/flour, etc.). This may include: Farms (and markets/butcher shops) offering locally raised turkeys and meats (fresh or frozen) Farms (and markets/co-ops) offering locally raised seasonal produce Specialty food and beverage producers offering ingredients that grace a typical Thanksgiving table Meals and Prepared Foods Restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving Day Caterers, specialty producers, and markets/co-ops offering prepared foods in advance of the holiday Don't miss this exciting promotional opportunity! If you offer any of the above (or anything else we should know about), please let us know using this form for turkeys and other ingredients , and this form for meals/prepared foods . Also, if you have any Thanksgiving events you'd like to share on the DigInVT events calendar, fill out the event submission form . Gobble gobble! 🦃

Explore the Shelburne Farmers Market with Chef Robert Smith III of Starry Night Café

August 30, 2024
Explore the Shelburne Farmers Market with a Vermont Fresh Network member chef this fall! Experience first-hand how Chef Robert Smith III of Ferrisburgh's Starry Night Café is inspired by local, seasonal ingredients, and how the restaurant works with local farm and producer partners.
Show More
Share by: