I believe in the power of eating together: change can begin at the table, with something as simple as sharing a tart. So, here it is  at last! The video you’ve been waiting for from last November’s event, and a teaser for the harvest feasts to come this Fall.

When was the last time your host invited you to eat with your hands at the dinner table? Tell us in the comments below!

“The event left me feeling energized and it was such a great way to foster communication and friendships. I really enjoyed the active participation and the food was out-of-this-world amazing!” – Tara Flanders-Gross (Health and Nutrition Counselor / Founder of Wholly Greens)

Sense and Savor was a sensational, benefit dining experience where sixteen guests came together for one night to support Gardens 4 Humanity with their forks and their wallets.

Through urban gardening and nutrition education, Gardens 4 Humanity works to create a just and equitable local food system in Tompkins County, New York. As part of Gardens 4 Humanity’s crowdfunding campaign on PEAKS, Sense and Savor was one of four pop-up restaurants that helped the organization raise nearly $6,000 for their change-making programs.

This was the second benefit dinner I hosted with my kitchen accomplice, Nora Hansanugrum (see Harvest Dinner Challenge). This time, we began by transforming her apartment into a makeshift bistro. A unique gathering of new and old friends arrived, including our stellar volunteers, an 11-year old classical violinist, ice cream mongers, business school students, a Persian rug collector, college professors and more.

We crafted a three-course, gourmet meal with last November’s bounty, generously donated by the Finger Lakes’ finest tastemakers (menu below) – present in spirit from the barstools to the bubbling stovetop and into our mouths. Two of the dishes came with an unexpected twist!

With the guidance of our stellar volunteer servers and neatly displayed recipe cards, we invited our guests to awaken their senses and get their fingers sticky by crafting their salads and desserts, right at the dinner table – fancy attire and all. We delighted in watching civilized barriers crumble, giving way to honest conversations amidst harmless banter over the last slices of pear and apple for the Pear, Cardamom and Ricotta Tart and Cranberry-Apple Crumble with Brandy Butter.

We’ll be back soon, to cook for a cause that spreads the celebration of healthy, local and nutritious food to every, single person that eats in our community!

Support Gardens 4 Humanity!

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