“Edible art” is a term that’s bandied about quite a lot these days. Few, however, come as close to the concept as the trustees of Olana, the sprawling, architecturally beguiling estate that Hudson River School painter Frederick Church built for himself in 1870, set majestically on a sylvan hilltop right outside of Hudson. For their Olanafest Gala on October 7, the organization’s most important fund raising event of the year, organizers wanted to go a step further than usual. They have looked towards the most important aspect of any such gathering, in addition to the cause being supported —the food served— and have asked 10 chefs from area restaurants to pick a Church painting and come up with a dish that is inspired by, if not literally replicative, of it. The thinking here is bold and clever: people paying top dollar are always curious about what’s on the menu, and making the menu relevant to the occasion is a novel step; guests can have their art and eat it too, celebrating the hero of the occasion as they are nibbling away (or scoffing down, in this culturally-minded but always hungry writer’s case).
"Clouds Over Olana" by Frederick Church
To the talented chefs from Dutchess and Columbia Counties who have volunteered to step up to the palate, including Gigi’s Trattoria (Rhinebeck), Oliver Kita Chocolates (Rhinebeck), The Artist’s Palate (Poughkeepsie), The Crimson Sparrow (Hudson), and Mexican Radio (Hudson), this is an opportunity to strut their stuff as well as give a comestible nod to the still visionary work and life of the artist himself. It’s also a chance to present their thinking about creative uses of local food, much in the spirit of Church, who was something of a locavore. "Olanafest celebrates not only the great artwork of Church but also his love of food, cooking and agriculture, says Olana Partnership President Sara Griffen. “Church designated a significant portion of Olana’s 250 acres as a working farm, expanding his apple orchard to include plum, peach and cherry trees, planting a massive kitchen garden of plants and flowers and raising beef and dairy as well as chicken and game birds.” Mark Prezorski, Olana’s landscape curator, says that, in addition to being the nation’s favorite Hudson River School painter at the time, Church was also one of the area’s “first second homers, and enjoyed weekend entertaining” -- almost as much as painting, for which “he always served food from his own farm.”
Laura Pinsiero, owner of Gigi's, with a grilled maple pumpkin polenta rendition of a Church painting.
The restaurants' chefs/owners are generally not doing exact copies of the paintings as much as expressing the works’ coloristic feeling, much like painters themselves. The chef of Gigi'sTrattoria, Wilson Costa, is working off of "Clouds Over Olana,” making a vegetable hash over grilled maple pumpkin polenta. Gigi’s owner Laura Pinsiero says, "It’s not a literal version of the painting, just inspired by it. It’s a very colorful palate that will go with the back drop of the setting and will look a fall day. What we’re tying to do is grab the season and bring that into the food, which this painting seemed to represent best. We’re using Hudson Valley ingredients: New York State maple syrup and polenta from Wild Hive Farm and Store, in Clinton Corners, which we grill and then top with pumpkin from Mead Orchards, in Tivoli, as well as carrots, turnips. squash, and celery.”
Working with "Sunset, Bar Harbor," Mark Ganem, chef/owner of Vico, in Hudson, is preparing a fritti di zucca: fried pumpkin ravioli in a butternut squash-sage cream sauce (left). He chose the painting, “mostly because I was hoping for something that would be a sunset shade because our restaurant is painted red, orange, and yellow. The colors appealed: They remind me of fall, pumpkins, and gourds. Very autumnal. I wanted it to look like a Tuscan sunset-- not that anyone will get that, but that was the idea.” Rei and Kim Peraza of Panzur in Tivoli are taking a more carnivorous route with a beef tartar based on "The After Glow," as will Café Perche’s chef, Robert Pecorino, who will be creating a cider glazed pork belly with braised kale and an apple butternut squash puree, inspired by the Perche region of France known for apples and cider production. “We immediately connected with the painting 'Apple Blossoms at Olana' and knew that we could depict a dish that will reflect the work in addition to our concept,” says Perche manager Jennifer Houle.
"Evening Clouds Above Olana" by Frederick Church
On the dessert side, Oliver Kita of Kita Chocolates is whipping up an assemblage from his Hudson Valley Estate Homes collection called “Moroccan Orange Olana,” basing it on Church’s "Evening Clouds Above Olana." John McCarthy and Benjamin Freemole of The Crimson Sparrow, working off of “Storm in the Mountain,” painted during one of Church’s visits to Jamaica, are doing a cocktail and dessert: apple cider, pears, brown butter, and whiskey and some blue calvados, and a bright white dessert of spice cake with caramelized white chocolate and pear meringue. “One’s kind of stormy and one’s kind of light and fluffy with bluish gray," McCarthy says. “We’re trying to take the painting rather literally,” he adds. At this point, as you are savoring this culinary extravaganza/ nonsectarian Holy Communion for the heavenly artist, you might occasionally forget whose work they were inspired by. If so, just cross yourself, say “Body of Church” and a couple of mea culpas as you’re mingling about. “He” will no doubt forgive you. — Scott BaldingerOlanafest 2012Sunday, October 7, 5:30- 8 p.m. Olana's East Lawn Honarary Chair: Ruth Reichl Non-Member Ticket: $115.00 Olana Member Ticket: $90.00
