On January 19, Spencertown Academy, the venerable Columbia County arts center, held it’s 20th annual mid-winter movable feast; this year's theme, Food, Glorious Food. A cocktail reception at the Academy was a tasty preamble to the dinner parties that followed at fourteen nearby private homes. Matt Rubiner of Rubiners Cheesemongers & Grocers in Great Barrington wielded the knife at a remarkable spread (Neals Yard cheddar; oh my), and Let’s Eat, a volunteer quartet of Academy stalwarts, all coincidentally male, turned out tray after tray of sublime appetizers—mini lobster rolls, guacamole-filled taco cones, tiny B.L.T.s. For all appearances, the 135 attendees could have snacked all night, snacked all night, and still have begged for more. Wrong musical; apt nonetheless. ,
Let's Eat, the Academy's own Order of the Hors D'oeuvres: (front) Steven Cohen, Jerry Berger, Allan Davidson & Michael Chesloff with (back) Jack Shear
Anne Cipkowski, novelist Wesley Brown & playwright Liz Diggs; Academy president Kate Cohen & children's book author and illustrator Emily McCully
Michael Collier & Theatre Development Fund board member Steve Benedict; Barrett & Steve Atkins, Michele Steckler & Academy v.p. Cathy Grier
Jack Krauskopf, restaurateurs Linda Gatter & Max Dannis; Jo-Anne Bilotti, Seth Rapport, Richard Bilotti
Bookstore owners Bob & Kaarin Lemstrom-Sheedy flank Deborah Lans; Jim Winters with Chatham Wines & Liquors's owner Karen Kaczmar
Writers Peter Biskind & Betsy Hess; Jack Weiner & the multi-faceted Judy Grunberg
Matt Rubiner of Rubiners in Great Barrington mans the cheese table.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
