Back in October, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) held its inaugural Chef’s Table Harvest Dinner, the first in a series of foodie-focused events the nonprofit arts organization is hosting under its umbrella CulinaryArts@SPAC program. (Saratoga Living is a paid partner of SPAC.)
Now for the second and third courses. This Monday and Tuesday, November 16 and 17, SPAC will be hosting its second and third feast, this one entitled, “Seneca in the Park: Cooking Over Coals,” which this time will be an indoor dining experience, showcasing the culinary brilliance of husband-and-wife chef duo, Mike and Shelley Spain, of Saratoga Springs’ restaurant Seneca. All proceeds from the event will benefit the participating chefs, farmers and local culinary community who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The culinary experience will take place on both nights on the second floor of SPAC’s new Pines building from 5:30pm–8:30pm, and feature a rustic, five-course dinner with locally sourced ingredients cooked over a fire, along with cocktails, wine and beer. The menu includes wood-grilled shrimp with green apple ponzu and braised grass-fed beef belly with a hazelnut romesco. Seating will be limited to 40 guests each night (or 25 percent capacity).
“Community engagement has always been part of SPAC’s mission, and nothing brings a community together like food,” says Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC’s President and CEO. “CulinaryArts@SPAC was created to provide a platform and income for our local culinary talent, chefs and food providers who have been hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. But it also offers opportunities for safe, communal gathering in a time when the community most needs it.”
Once again, SPAC will be partnering with Kim Klopstock, owner and operator of Lily and the Rose Catering, as well as food writer Pam Abrams, for the event, which costs $125 per person (reservations can only be made for parties of four, six or eight). Tables will be spaced a minimum of six feet apart, and the doors adjacent to the Pines Terrace will be open, weather permitting. Cancellations will only be accepted up to 48 hours prior to the start of the reservation.
