Buffalo Rising Online

Jul 15th 2008, 1:54am By Eli George

When Christa Glennie Seychew left Buffalo Rising, her YUM! Community and all of Buffalo Rising knew it would not be the last they heard of her. Now, Seychew has ventured off into Feed Your Soul Buffalo – a culinary tourism initiative. Seychew, along with her partner in the endeavor, Sandy Starks, create tours that showcase the wonders our region has to offer.

Together, they have created a unique tour for area chefs, students, diligent home cooks, restaurant owners, and restaurant employees. Those who have a passion for fresh, sustainably farmed produce, dairy products, and heritage breed meat will have the opportunity to join local chefs to visit Erie County farms. The Chef-to-Farm tour will give the chefs and other participants an opportunity to learn about current farming practices and the chance to engage in a one-on-one setting with the producers of WNY’s finest products. There will also be samples of products and produce to try from some of the region’s best farmers.

The tour starts in the morning and once on the bus, the small group will travel to Alden to visit Oles’ Farm, a family-run CSA. From there, the bus heads to Dayton, NY to Blossom Hill, a family farm that raises heritage breed cows and hogs. After a tour of the farm and its facilities, a picnic lunch will be served that focuses on local foods, served by the farms own Jo´el Drajem.

After lunch, the bus heads to East Otto to visit Patrick Lango of White Cow Dairy. This farm has award-winning yogurt and cheese products that have been in many major food magazines and newspapers. And finally, the bus goes to Native Offerings, one of Erie County’s most progressive farms and a popular CSA with weekly drops in the city.

Tickets are only $45 and your ticket gets you a spot on the bus that takes you to and from four area farms, a farmer guided tour of each farm, the opportunity to talk to the farmers and ask them questions, a delicious lunch centered on local foods, and take-home samples of local products. You can call 812-1615 to reserve your seat and pay by check. If paying by credit card, visit this website.

The event does not happen until August 18 and it runs from 9 AM till 5 PM. However, since space is limited, it would be wise to make your reservations now. To stay up-to-date on the happenings of Feed Your Soul, be sure to check their website for new information regularly.