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Member-organized event - 2006 Heartland Gathering

tammylc

By tammylc
in The Heartland: Dining

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tammylc

tammylc

Posted
Posted

Last year 26 enthusiastic eGulleteers and friends descended on Ann Arbor for the 2nd ever Heartland Gathering. We had so much fun, we'd like to do it again. You can read about last year's event here. The idea of the Heartland Gathering is to bring together members from our geographically dispersed forum area to celebrate the height of the Heartland growing season - a time that is all too fleeting in our northern climes!

This year's Gathering will be held the weekend of August 4-6. The main event will be Saturday, August 5. The plan so far is that we'll meet at the Farmer's Market in the morning for some impromptu menu planning and shopping, based on what's in season and looks good. There are plenty of lunch options around the market. Then we will head back to the common house of my cohousing community to start cooking and prepping for dinner, hanging out and chatting, and generally having a good time.

Mid-to-late afternoon we'll take a break from cooking to have some fun with food and wine. Sommelier Ric Jewell has enthusiastically agreed to put together a fun and educational event for us. Ric was the sommelier at Tribute in Detroit until a year or two ago, and since then he has been the FOH manager for Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor. I've had the pleasure of talking about wine with him on many occasions, and tasting his great selections for the Roadhouse monthly special dinners. Ric has an incredible breadth and depth of wine knowledge, especially wine and food pairing. He's also got a knack for hunting down some rare and unusual wines that are hard to find and not easily available to consumers. So while I'm not sure about the details for this part of the program yet, I know it will be fabulous!

After the wine tasting, we'll finish up dinner and sit down for a feast! Attendees will be asked to contribute $20 towards the purchase of food for dinner. There may be a small fee for the wine tasting portion of the event - $5, maybe? I'll post those details as soon as I know them.

While part of the fun will be to prepare our dinner based on what we can forage, other contributions are welcome! We all remember fondly the amazing Musician's Tarts that SamIam brought last year! Beverage contributions, alcoholic or otherwise, are particularly encouraged.

For those who are interested in making a weekend out of it, and to make it even more enticing for those of you who would be coming in from some distance, we've got a couple other things lined up. Friday afternoon will be a group excursion to the Longone Culinary Archive at U of M. Friday night, dinner out, at a restaurant TBD, followed by an excursion to Zingerman's Deli for some shopping at a time when we can avoid the Saturday crowds. Sunday morning, my husband Eric will be leading a trip to Zingerman's Coffee Company, where managing partner Andy will give a tour, demonstrate his coffee roasting equipment, and lead a "cupping" of some of Zingerman's coffee offerings.

There are three hotels very near to my house.

Weber's Inn

Best Western Executive Plaza

Super 8

If enough people are coming in from out of town and staying over one or more nights, I can try to to make arrangements for a discount hotel rate.

Kids are welcome, although we don't have any particularly kid-friendly activities planned. We do have a large kids play room in the common house, and a play structure outside. My two year old will be around, but mostly with a friendly neighbor or babysitter.

As you can tell, some of this is still evolving, but we wanted to get the word out so folks could get things on their calendars. If you're planning or even just hoping to come to any or all of the activities, please chime into the thread so we can have some idea of numbers. The common house can seat at least 64 for dinner (more in a pinch) so we don't anticipate having any capacity concerns for Saturday. But we do need to know who's coming so we know how much food to buy. And how many people are interested in the wine tasting. Sunday's coffee tour will be limited to about 20 or 25 people, so please comment to this post to reserve a spot - we'll take reservations in first posted, first reserved order.

Look for more details and planning to come! Ideas and suggestions are very welcome.

This event has been organized through the eG Forums by members but is not sponsored by the Society or its eG Forums. The event is open to all participating eGullet Society members, contributors and their guests. By participating in this event, you confirm your understanding and acceptance of the eGullet Events Policy, to which all eGullet Society members have already agreed.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted

I will be there!!

I am currently planning to be there Friday to Sunday, though I will have to leave earlish on Sunday as I have a family reunion at noon in Cleveland.

I am really looking froward to it! :biggrin:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

ulterior epicure

ulterior epicure

Posted
Posted

Alas, this comes all too late... I'm leaving the Detroit area very soon and by the time August rolls around, I'll be on the other side of the globe... sigh... I will be with you in spirit! Sounds like such a great event! :sad:

Ric, if you're reading, we miss each other again!

Regardless, I can't wait to read (and see *hint*) all about it! :raz:

u.e.

“Watermelon - it’s a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.”

Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921)

ulteriorepicure.com

My flickr account

ulteriorepicure@gmail.com

jsolomon

jsolomon

Posted
Posted

Get me into med school, and I'll be there!

I always attempt to have the ratio of my intelligence to weight ratio be greater than one. But, I am from the midwest. I am sure you can now understand my life's conundrum.

NancyH

NancyH

Posted
Posted

This sounds wonderful - please count me in (and hopefully my hubby Bob too, if he isn't too busy gardening)!

"Life is Too Short to Not Play With Your Food" 

My blog: Fun Playing With Food

Palladion

Palladion

Posted
Posted

I'll definitely be there if I can manage it. I missed out last year because I was out of the country. It sounds great already!

-------

Alex Parker

torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted

Wow! It is great to see all of the Clevelanders going!! (Edsel I am counting you as a Clevelander) :biggrin:

Alex, I haven't seen you around for a while I hope life it treating you well.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted
If at all humanly possible, I'll join again this year. I'll start watching the airfare deals now.

Yeah! :biggrin:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted
Wow! It is great to see all of the Clevelanders going!! (Edsel I am counting you as a Clevelander) :biggrin:

Alex, I haven't seen you around for a while I hope life it treating you well.

Very well, and thanks for thinking of me. I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Will you be bringing any family or friends this year?

Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged.  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

No amount of belief makes something a fact.  -James Randi, magician and skeptic

torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted
Wow! It is great to see all of the Clevelanders going!! (Edsel I am counting you as a Clevelander) :biggrin:

Alex, I haven't seen you around for a while I hope life it treating you well.

Very well, and thanks for thinking of me. I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Will you be bringing any family or friends this year?

Alex (whose name isn't really Alex.... :angry: ) I am really hoping my brother and possibly his girfriend can join me this year. If not I will probably be coming up alone. I will give a definite head count in a couple weeks.

Can you tell I am really excited about this event? I had a really great time last year. :biggrin:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

slbunge

slbunge

Posted
Posted

I'm definitely tentative.

I'll know more sometime in the next three to four weeks. Sounds like fun.

If I make it, I will no longer have to hang my head in shame that I've never been to Ann Arbor.

Thanks for planning this.

Stephen Bunge

St Paul, MN

Palladion

Palladion

Posted
Posted

Hi Kristin, I've been catching up with other things for the past few months, but have started browsing eGullet again daily. I ate at Lolita a few months back, but I'm not sure I can remember enough about it for a good discussion. I ordered the beet salad again (because the last one was so good) but it was much different this time around - the beets were soft, rather than crunchy; the truffle honey wasn't nearly as pronounced; it used a different cheese (which I'm forgetting right now); and it also included pancetta. I vastly perferred the version that we had at the eG meet last summer.

Getting a little off the topic here...

I hope you and your family have been doing well. Have you done a foodblog recently?

I'll be looking at carpooling (if anyone from the area [or passing through] is interested), particularly given the dire warnings that have been sounded for gas prices this summer.

torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted

I hope you and your family have been doing well. Have you done a foodblog recently?

I'll be looking at carpooling (if anyone from the area [or passing through] is interested), particularly given the dire warnings that have been sounded for gas prices this summer.

I not sure if I am supposed to divulge the actual dates :biggrin: but I will be foodblogging for one week of my summer trip to the US. Hopefully we can get it to coincide with a Cleveland eGullet get together....

I, too, will be interested in carpooling if I can't get my brother to go with me.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

tammylc

tammylc

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Alas, this comes all too late... I'm leaving the Detroit area very soon and by the time August rolls around, I'll be on the other side of the globe... sigh...  I will be with you in spirit!  Sounds like such a great event!  :sad:

Ric, if you're reading, we miss each other again!

 

Regardless, I can't wait to read (and see *hint*) all about it!  :raz:

u.e.

Uh-huh. We know the truth. You're fleeing the area just in time so you won't have to reveal your true identity...

Sorry to hear you won't be around!

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

ulterior epicure

ulterior epicure

Posted
Posted (edited)
Alas, this comes all too late... I'm leaving the Detroit area very soon and by the time August rolls around, I'll be on the other side of the globe... sigh...  I will be with you in spirit!  Sounds like such a great event!   :sad:

Ric, if you're reading, we miss each other again!

 

Regardless, I can't wait to read (and see *hint*) all about it!   :raz:

u.e.

Uh-huh. We know the truth. You're fleeing the area just in time so you won't have to reveal your true identity...

Sorry to hear you won't be around!

Doh! Sylvia outed me! :wink::laugh:

Thanks tammylc... I was not dishonest in my response - I indeed would love to attend, but unfortunately will not be here, as you read. I actually haven't read the article yet... :shock: I'm meeting a friend for lunch and we're reading it together.

However, I do expect to read all about the gathering that you're putting together!

u.e.

Edited by ulterior epicure (log)

“Watermelon - it’s a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.”

Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921)

ulteriorepicure.com

My flickr account

ulteriorepicure@gmail.com

tammylc

tammylc

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)
Doh!  Sylvia outed me!  :wink:  :laugh:

Thanks tammylc... I was not dishonest in my response - I indeed would love to attend, but unfortunately will not be here, as you read.  I actually haven't read the article yet...  :shock:  I'm meeting a friend for lunch and we're reading it together.

However, I do expect to read all about the gathering that you're putting together!

u.e.

For those, like me, who were wondering what the heck u.e. was talking about:

The article

Very nice.

Edited by tammylc (log)

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

Shannon_Elise

Shannon_Elise

Posted
Posted

I would love to join you guys! I'll be coming by myself. I need a break from the food-hell that is Columbus. We have a few good places, but considering we are/were a fastfood test market (one of the first in the nation to get the McGriddle)...It will be my early 24th birthday present to myself (August 7). Can't wait!

my new blog: http://uninvitedleftovers.blogspot.com

"...but I'm good at being uncomfortable, so I can't stop changing all the time...be kind to me, or treat me mean...I'll make the most of it I'm an extraordinary machine."

-Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine

Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted

Here's our roster to date:

tammylc & Eric

Alex

daniellewilley (& Michael?)

Sam Iam & Joyce

torakris (and family?)

ronnie_suburban (and family?)

cbarre02 & guest

Elrushbo

NancyH & Bob

Palladion

Shannon_Elise

edsel

Fat Guy (tentative)

slbunge (tentative)

ulterior epicure's spirit

Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged.  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

No amount of belief makes something a fact.  -James Randi, magician and skeptic

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