Five Ways to Eat Your Way Through Western Massachusetts
Good Stock Farm, Hatfield | Photo by Kevin Miyazaki
New restaurants, Restaurant Week, and agricultural fairs are just a few of the ways you can eat your way through western Massachusetts as this summer comes to a close. We hope you’re not too hungry when you start reading through this list because it’s sure going to make you!
Catch a special meal or deal at local restaurants
Every August, CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) organizes Local Hero Restaurant Days. On Tuesday, August 19 and Wednesday, August 20, you can enjoy special dishes featuring locally grown products at 54 participating restaurants in western Massachusetts.
Have you been waiting to try a new restaurant in Northampton, Mass.? This year's much-anticipated Northampton Restaurant Week (previously in June) is the week of September 7 to 11. Participating restaurants will have three-course pre-fixe menus for $20 or $25, offering the opportunity to try a little bit of everything—most importantly, dessert!
Go to cooking school
After 24 successful years in the Milwaukee restaurant business and countless accolades, including a James Beard award and having the privilege to cook for Julia Child on her 80th birthday, Chef Sanford D’Amato and his wife Angie have shifted gears and moved to Hatfield, Mass. where they run a small cooking school at their homestead, Good Stock Farm. The intimate and informal cooking classes are for everyone from the beginner to the most experienced chef. Three cooking experiences will be offered: Hands-On, Demonstration, and Demo-Dinners. Good Stock's large custom-designed kitchen, where the classes will be held, includes a wood-burning pizza oven, a Tuscan-style cooking fireplace and a 48-inch BlueStar eight-burner range. Just under two acres of land will help supply the classes with vegetables, fruit and berries. Check out the full schedule of classes through November.
Attend an agricultural fair or festival
When late summer rolls around, agriculture is booming in western Massachusetts, and the annual fairs are a great opportunity to celebrate and sample the bounty. First up is the 146th Cummington Fair August 21-24 at the Cummington Fairgrounds. Have you ever tried maple cream? How about maple cream ON fried dough? Keep doing the rounds at this fair until you find the vendor that will serve up this treat.
Labor Day weekend, don’t miss the Three County Fair in Northampton, the longest consecutive running agricultural fair in the country. Of course there’s more than just food at the fairs, from monster trucks and racing pigs to classic cars and draft pulls. The newest event this year is the Three County Fair Fest: two stages featuring 13 local music acts on Monday, September 1 (free with fair admission).
See also: Red Fire Farm’s Tomato Festival August 23 in Granby and the Belchertown Fair September 19-21 on the town common.
Go on a tasting adventure
On Tuesday, August 26, you can enjoy a thoughtful pairing of dishes from 30Boltwood’s local farm-to-table with a sampling of unique New England beers crafted in Plymouth, MA. The first of many beer dinners 30Boltwood plans to do, the dinner in August will feautrue beers from Mayflower Brewing Company. Check out the menu here and make your reservations at 30Boltwood.
The Northampton Jazz Festival will be home to the 4th Annual 12 Mile Meal Chef Battle again on Saturday September 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef teams from Sierra Grille in Northampton, Galaxy in Easthampton, and Viva Fresh Pasta in Northampton will battle to prepare the best appetizer, entree and dessert from foods all sourced from within a 12 mile radius of festival. The goal is to impress the panel of blue ribbon judges and delight a dozen Diner Donors at each restaurant’s VIP table. A limited number of Donor Diner tickets are available directly from each of the 12 Mile Meal participating restaurants
Dine at a new restaurant
Something about Amherst makes it the destination for new restaurants, with two having just opened in July. El Rinconsito Cuscatleco brings authentic Salvadorian food to the heart of Amherst. A Salvadorian menu would not be complete without pupusas, and El Rinconsito’s take on these tortilla-like pancakes filled with beans, pork or jalapeno and cheese are a must-try.
The Taste Thai Cuisine is the newest restaurant by owners of Shallot Thai Cuisine in West Springfield and the only Thai restaurant in Amherst. Among the popular dishes are spicy lime pork, papaya salad, and country-style pad thai. The Taste not only serves up authentic Thai food but is also decorated with objects from the owners’ homeland.
After a fire back in October closed several favorite food spots in western Massachusetts, several businesses have happily found new homes. Gregory’s Pastry Shop is open at 195 Russell Street in Hadley; Bahn Mi Saigon will open in Northampton the week of August 25; and Mi Tierra will open soon at 48 Russell Street in Hadley, Mass. but their tortillas can be found at various local markets.