MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Fall 2017

FALL 2017 ML BLUE 103 words & photo :: Allison Kennedy Davies A beautiful sunny day after a summer of rain, an orchard filled to the brim with ready-to-pick apples, a table for 225 of your closest friends, and a meal packed with local ingredients prepared by the area’s best chefs and accompanied by a variety of local beer, wine and cider. This was the scene at the Community Longtable Dinner at T&K Ferri Orchards, near Ravenna this September. This sold-out event not only brings community members together to share a meal in an epic setting; it also raises money for local charities. Organizers were able to raise $10,000 which will be channeled back into the community by the Thornbury Clarksburg Rotary Club and the Blue Mountain Village Foundation. That’s what the event is all about, explains The Cheese Gallery’s Casey Thompson. “It’s local supporting local,” she says. And this vibe infused every aspect of the event, from the food and drink, the chefs, the apples lining the table, the flowers used to make over 90 crowns, and even the decision to host the dinner on a Sunday night, which drew a largely homegrown crowd. This year the dinner had a list of regional sponsors as well: Sapsucker, Black Angus Meats, T&K Ferri Orchards and The Cheese Gallery. Add some amazing bands, playing before dinner and after for the barn dance, handmade marshmallow treats to roast over the post-meal bonfire, a ride to and from the Beaver Valley Community Centre on a school bus, and this event has a vibe all its own. Guests choose their own seats at the table, making new friends in the process. They carry their china plates to the buffet and to the rinsing station after. This is a community meal, not a fine-dining experience; one that is truly about breaking bread. The organizing committee—Catherine Smart, Karen Ferri, Casey Thompson and George Matamoros—relied on a crew of 20 dedicated volunteers. With the work only just complete for this year, Thompson says the only plans so far are to “see you next year.” For details about the 2018 Longtable, visit communitylongtabledinner.com or @communitylongtable LOCAL SUPPORTS LOCAL: LONGTABLE DINNER IN THE ORCHARD FOOD