2010 Vineyard Farmer's Market
Events:
Chefs at the Market | Christmas at the
Market | Oh Spear Me!
Peach, Peach, Peach | Gumbo Throwdown
2009


Judges Choice: First Place -
Cracked Pepper Bistro

Judges Choice: Second Place - Max's

Judges Choice: Third Place -
Trelio
AND
Peoples Choice: First Place - Trelio

Peoples Choice: Second Place - GiGi's
Cucina Italiana

Peoples Choice: Third Place - Elbow
Room
For Immediate
Release
Vineyard Farmers Market
presents:
Chefs at
the Market: Gumbo Throwdown!
10 AM to 1
PM • Saturday February 6, 2010
$8 for a Sample Ballot • $ 5 for a bowl (available after 11:30AM)
Participants Include: Cracked Pepper Bistro, Elbow Room, Erna’s
Elderberry House, GiGi’s Cucina Italiana, Max’s Bistro & Trelio!

The slightly damp crowd got
on their feet for Lonesome Jem & the Lunatics.
Fresno, Ca.
– January 14, 2010 -
Mardi Gras comes
to the Vineyard Farmer’s Market at Blackstone & Shaw with a Gumbo
Throwdown, live Cajun music and bead sales! The Vineyard Farmer’s Market
has invited some of its “Market Chefs” to “Throwdown” in a head to head
competition of culinary skill. Among the competitors is the Cracked
Pepper Bistro’s, Vatche Moukhtarian, , Pino Borrelli of GiGi’s Cucina
Italiana, Scott Sauer of Max’s Bistro, Michael Shackleford of Trelio and
new to the competition this year, Karsten Hart of Erna’s Elderberry
House and Roy Harland of the newly revamped Elbow Room in Fig Garden
Village.
Although this is Chef Roy Harland’s first year as an official
participant in the Gumbo Throwdown event, his son Malachi Harland won in
2008 for the Elbow Room’s previous Chef’s Table restaurant and he was a
behind-the-scenes contributor to former Bentley’s co-worker Justin
Shannon’s win in 2009. “Looks like I'll be trying to follow in my son's
footsteps,” said Harland, “He's not an easy act to follow, same for
Justin.”
For an eight-dollar ticket you will enjoy gumbo from six of
Fresno’s most innovative chefs and get into the Mardi Gras spirit with
bead sales, a beer garden, and live Cajun music by Lonesome Jem & the
Lunatics featuring Jemmy Bluestein.
This year there will also be a judges panel on hand to give out a
“Judges Choice” award.
How it works: For $8 attendees receive a ticket/ballot
good for one sample of gumbo per booth. The ticket/ballot will list each
of the participating restaurants, and is marked off at each station.
The ticket/ballot will have a space on the bottom to indicate a
favorite.
Once the attendee has sampled each gumbo they drop off their
ticket/ballot in a centrally located ballot box.
10 to 11:30 AM: Gumbo Throwdown: each chef serves up
samples of their best Gumbo. There are six restaurants participating.
11 AM to 12:30 PM: Lonesome Jem and the Lunatics perform
in our own Bourbon Street inspired Beer Garden.
11:30 AM to 1PM: End of voting. Any remaining gumbo will
be sold for $5 a bowl. Sorry, no bowl sales until 11:30.
12PM: Gumbo Throw Down Winner is announced and does a
victory lap around the market, trophy held aloft! Well OK, sometimes it
is hard to get the Chefs to run, so please be there to cheer them on!
A limited number of advance tickets will be available for sale at the
market beginning Wednesday January 27, 2010 from 3 to 6PM.
See
www.VineyardFarmersMarket.com for more details.

(see more event pictures here)
Vatche Moukhtarian wins First Place
for Vegan Asparagus Soup w/Coconut Milk
at
Oh Spear Me!
Asparagus
Celebration!

Erna's Elderberry House's
Marinated Asparagus Salad
Saturday
April 4, 2009 - 10 AM to 12 PM
$5 a Ticket,
Tickets
available at the "door"
Participants Include:Bistro Rustico, Aqua Shi,
Cracked Pepper Bistro, Erna's Elderberry House, GiGi’s Cucina Italiana and Trelio!
Spargelzeit* comes to the Vineyard
Farmer’s Market at Blackstone & Shaw with Oh Spear Me! Asparagus
Celebration!
While they have to wait until late spring to start celebrating in
Germany, April will provide plenty of the green stuff for our local
celebration.
The Vineyard Farmer’s Market
has invited six of its Market
Chefs to create asparagus inspired dishes in a delightful morning
display of culinary skills. Not only will you get to sample asparagus
creations from six of Fresno’s most innovative chefs but also get into
the Spargelzeit spirit with live music by the Dalton Mountain
String Band, a coloring contest for the kids, recipes and lots of
asparagus fun.
How it works:
For $5 attendees receive a ticket/ballot good for one sample of an
asparagus dish per booth. The ticket/ballot will list each of the
participating restaurants, and is marked off at each station.
The ticket/ballot will have a space on the bottom to indicate a
favorite.
Once the attendee has sampled each asparagus dish they drop off their
ticket/ballot in a centrally located ballot box.
All proceeds will benefit the Vineyard
Farmer’s Market Association, a non-profit corporation.
See www.VineyardFarmersMarket.com for more details.
*Spargelzeit = Asparagus time
Spargel: German name for asparagus
Zeit: German for time

2nd Place
Bistro Rustico
Marinated
Asparagus over Crostini
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3rd Place
Erna's Elderberry House
Marinated Asparagus Salad
___________________
Chefs at the
Market: Gumbo Throw Down!

1st Place -
Bentleys Bistro
Justin Shannon Chef

The winning gumbo

Chefs at the
Market: Gumbo Throw Down!
Saturday
February 21, 2009 10 AM to 1 PM
$8 for a Sample
Ballot, $8 for a Bowl
Participants
Include:
Chefs Table,
Bistro Rustico,
Cracked Pepper Bistro, GiGi’s, Bentley’s Bistro and Trelio!
Mardi Gras comes to the
Vineyard Farmer’s Market at Blackstone & Shaw with a Gumbo Throwdown,
live music and bead sales!
The Vineyard Farmer’s Market
has invited six of its Market
Chefs to “Throwdown” in a head to head competition of culinary skill.
Not only will you get to sample gumbo from six of Fresno’s most
innovative chefs but also get into the Mardi Gras spirit with bead
sales, live Cajun music by Lonesome Jem & the Lunatics and a beer
garden.
How it works:
For $8 attendees receive a ticket/ballot good for one sample of gumbo
per booth. The ticket/ballot will list each of the participating
restaurants, and is marked off with a sharpie at each station.
The ticket/ballot will have a space on the bottom to indicate a
favorite.
Once the attendee has sampled each gumbo they drop off their
ticket/ballot in a centrally located ballot box.
10 to 11:30 AM: Gumbo Throw Down:
each chef serves up samples of their best Gumbo. There are six
restaurants participating.
11:30 AM to 1PM:
Remaining gumbo is sold by the bowl until gone or 1PM, whichever comes
first.
We have no control over the time-gumbo ratio gods.
12PM: Gumbo Throw Down Winner announced and does a victory
lap around the market, trophy held aloft!
All proceeds will benefit the Vineyard
Farmer’s Market Association, a non-profit corporation.

2nd place winners
The Chefs Table

3rd place Trelio
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