Tastemakers: Sleeping Bear gourmet Cherry Festival open space/National Cherry Festival wine pavilion

July 5, 2009

Tastemakers
Rick Coates 7/6/09
Sleeping Bear Gourmet Cherry Festival Open Space
There are many highlights at the National Cherry Festival, and certainly the local restaurants offering their specialties at TC’s Open Space is one of them. This year, look for a unique offering of “organic” foods from a brand new collaborative, Sleeping Bear Gourmet. The brainchild of Melissa Ewing (Yotta Bars) of Maple City, Sleeping Bear Gourmet is comprised of: Food For Thought (preserves, salsas, and mustards), Higher Grounds Trading (coffee), Light of Day Organics (loose leaf teas), Naturally Nutty Nut Butters, and Stone House Bread.
The headlines reporting that “local cherries will not be available at this Festival,” are only partially correct. While cherries from this year’s crop may not be ready, value-added products from the Sleeping Bear Gourmet featuring cherries from last year will be available.
Some of the value-added prepared items include: local, gourmet “PB & J” (butter toffee peanut butter with cherry cabernet preserves on cherry walnut bread); Food Network-featured, organic cherry salsa combined with Michigan-made garlic corn chips; Traverse City-made organic hummus and carrots; and organic cherry iced tea with dried apples, blueberries, currants, and maple syrup bits.
“We are excited about this endeavor and the ability to showcase all of these wonderful products at the National Cherry Festival,” said Melissa Ewing. “Sleeping Bear Gourmet consists of Northern Michigan food manufacturers who strive to create food products that are best in their class and gourmet in attribute. Everyone aims to use locally-grown, preservative-free ingredients and to produce its goods with local labor.”
Be sure to seek them out at this year’s National Cherry Festival in the Open Space. You will also find their products throughout Northern Michigan and even around the state. --Rick Coates



National Cherry Festival Global Wine Pavilion
For years the National Cherry Festival has batted around the idea of incorporating more wine into the Festival. Their Sunday night wine-tasting grew into an afternoon event, Cherries D’ Vine, a few years ago, featuring local wines paired with a variety of small plate items with cherries in the recipe prepared by the culinary team at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute. Cherries D’Vine takes place on opening weekend and Festival organizers wanted another great wine event to close out the week. This year they are introducing The Global Wine Pavilion.
This will be a three-night offering of more than 90 wines selected by Ron Edwards of Petoskey, one of only 100 Master Sommelier’s in the country. The Pavilion will showcase award-winning local, domestic, and international wines covering all major grape varieties and price ranges. In addition, 15 acclaimed craft-brewed international beers will appeal to the hops lover. “This bayside Festival venue will offer the opportunity for wine, beer, and food enthusiasts to enjoy and learn about many award-winning wines including several that are produced right here in Northern Michigan”, said Tim Hinkley, National Cherry Festival executive director.
Complementing the collection of wines, the Global Wine Pavilion will feature several tables of appetizers, artisanal cheeses, cured meats, and other alfresco-style foods hand-prepared by chefs from The Cook’s House, Red Ginger, Trattoria Stella, and Amical, Traverse City’s most high-profile and respected restaurants.
Guests will receive a crystal wine glass manufactured by Stolzle, recognized as Europe’s leading designer of “pulled stem” glassware.
The ‘Global Wine Pavilion’ is produced by Matt Sutherland, co-founder of the Epicurean Classic, one of the nation’s premier food, wine, and cookbook events, drawing thousands of food lovers annually. The Pavilion will be open the final three nights, July 9-11. Tickets for the ‘Global Wine Pavilion’ may be purchased in advance by visiting cherryfestival.org or by calling (231) 947-4230. The $10 tickets will also be available at the event (located at the former zoo site; just ask any Festival Ambassador). --Rick Coates