Celebrate Vermont’s Champlain Quadricentennial with a cross-cultural mélange of local, regional and international flavors during 5 days of fantastic culinary and gustatory events. Enjoy unforgettable meals, markets, presentations and discussions as we celebrate the history and the future of food in Vermont!

 July 8, Wednesday

Vermont–France “Terroir” Exchange
Seminars, tastings and discussions focus on the potential and importance of “origin of product” with experts from Vermont, France, and beyond. This event is part of a series of cultural and technical exchanges between the state of Vermont and France to promote and strengthen traditional agricultural practices. Guest speakers will include cheese expert and microbiologist Sister Noella Marcellino (subject of the PBS documentary The Cheese Nun), French sensory expert Florence Berodier, and professors Amy Trubek of UVM and Pierre Merel of the University of California at Davis, among others. Afterward, enjoy artisanal cheeses & products from both terroirs at a special tasting. Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Second Floor, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Free.

Champlain Forum on the Future:
The Evolution of Sustainable Vermont Agriculture
Fran Stoddard moderates an open lunchtime discussion with guest speakers from the Agency of Agriculture, the Vermont Fresh Network, and other area food institutions. Contois Auditorium, 12:00-1:30 p.m. Free.

Vermont-France “Terroir” Exchange – Tasting Event
A unique educational and cheese tasting event, featuring some of the most prestigious AOC French cheeses and the finest Vermont artisanal cheeses, all paired to perfection with Vermont and French wines and other specialty products from the state.  Experts from France and Vermont will describe the cheeses, the pairings, and discuss the factors that make these products so distinctive and delicious. Guest speakers include Dr. Montserrat Almena from the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese at UVM, Sister Noella Marcellino (The Cheese Nun), Mateo Kehler from the cellars of Jasper Hill Farm, French sensory expert Florence Berodier and many other outstanding cheese experts. Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Second Floor, 7-9 p.m.  Tickets $50, available at City Market, by phone at (802)-264-0766.

 

July 9, Thursday

Native American Community Dinner
Enjoy cuisine inspired by Native American foodways at this community dinner with a menu by chef Shannon Reilly of Magnolia Bistro.  Informed by the history, people and agriculture indigenous to the region, the meal will include Iroquois strawberry bread, wild Mohegan succotash, watercress salad with maple vinaigrette,  maple molasses baked beans, Misty Knoll honey-basted roast turkey breast with blueberry gravy,  and wild rice, with Indian pudding and fluffy cranberry pudding for dessert. Vermont-fresh ingredients will be featured in the charming ambiance of Burlington’s first green-certified restaurant. Magnolia Bistro (set back from the corner of College and St. Paul Streets). Buffet dinner with seatings 5:30-8 p.m. Tickets $35, available at City Market or by phone at (802) 861-9700. (Includes tax & gratuity; cash bar available.)

French Dinner
Burlington City Arts  hosts a Formal French Dinner at The Essex with French and Vermont chefs collaborating on seasonal créations culinaires. An evening event at The Essex Resort and Spa. Reservations required; call 802-865-7158 for more information.

---

July 10, Friday

Franco-American Community Dinner
Magnolia Bistro hosts a Franco-American meal in honor of Québec Day, with live traditional Franco-American music.  Menu highlights include: Poutine with fingerling potatoes, browned rainbow trout with mushroom ragout, roasted leg of lamb, and local organic berries and cream. Magnolia Bistro (set back from the corner of College and St. Paul Streets). Buffet dinner with seatings 5:30-8 p.m. Tickets $35, available at City Market or by phone at (802) 861-9700. (Includes tax & gratuity; cash bar available.)

Québec Blues Cruise
Heartfelt music buoys a floating sunset trip on Lake Champlain; food and wine pair with a stellar performance by Québec blues king Bob Walsh, Huron Indian guitar virtuoso Gilles Sioui, and harmonica master Guy Bélanger. Boards at 5 p.m.; departs at 5:30 p.m. from the Lake Champlain Ferry Dock at the bottom of King Street, returns to shore at 8:30 p.m. Cash bar. Tickets $40 advance, $45 day of cruise, available at the FlynnTix Regional Box Office: 802-863-5966.

July 11, Saturday

City Market Specialty Foods Fair
Taste of Champlain partners with the Burlington Farmers’ Market for a huge open-air showcase of the region’s finest provender, from freshly harvested produce to locally produced honey, cheeses and gourmet prepared foods.  Sample some of Vermont’s best products and meet local food artisans, then enter our raffle to win concert tickets and other prizes! North and south sides of City Hall Park, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free admission.

Strawberry Festival
Sample the season’s height of tart, ruby tastiness—shortcakes and other strawberry confections set off the ephemeral fruit that the German philosopher Goethe believed could only be accurately tasted by “children and birds.” Dip strawberries in a chocolate fountain, or try making your own smoothie in a bike-powered blender. At the Food Festival Tent on Main Street, between St. Paul & Pine Streets, 11:00-5:00 p.m. $5 per dish supports Burlington City Arts education scholarships.

Barry Mossman & Lawson Lane Associates as underwriter/donor.


 

July 12, Sunday

Family Day at the Intervale
The Abenaki Traditional Garden,
at the Intervale

9:30-11:30 a.m. – Wild Edibles
Tour with Nova Kim and Les Hook.
Pre-registration required; please
contact Lisa Coven at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 
802-863-0420.

11 a.m. - 3 p.m. – Visit the Intervale Center’s new Abenaki Traditional Garden for tours, traditional Native American storytelling, and crafts. See a special “wheat to bread” demonstration, then sample freshly baked, local-ingredient flatbreads from an outdoor oven. Archaeologist Charlie Paquin conducts cooking demos in replicas of prehistoric ceramic pots that harken back to Abenaki foodways, and families can round out the afternoon with a walk through the farmland at the heart of the city of Burlington. Intervale Center, 180 Intervale Road. Free event, no registration required.