Trattoria Aroma Hosts Celebratory Dinner on Farm

Matt Biddle 7

On Sunday, August 16th, Trattoria Aroma will celebrate its commitment to buying locally grown food -- as well as the farmers who provide these delicious foods -- by hosting a dinner event at the Oles Family Farm in Alden. Breen Shea, the restaurant's general manager, said Trattoria Aroma is dedicated to buying local because it's better for customers' health and the region's economy.

Shea also said Trattoria Aroma works with the Oles Family farm frequently, so it was only fitting that this farm serve as the location of this event. In fact, 60 percent of their food comes from the Oles Family Farm! Furthermore, this farm uses all natural growing practices and no spray pesticides. The farm also practices biodynamic farming, which conceives the farm as a self-contained organism, emphasizing the interrelationship of plants, soil and animals.

The event will begin at 2:30PM on the 16th, with buses picking up participants from Trattoria Aroma's location at 311 Bryant Street in Buffalo. If necessary, a bus would be provided for their second location on Main Street in Williamsville. The bus is scheduled to arrive on the farm at 3:30PM, where farmer Daniel Oles will greet participants and take them through a short tour of the grounds.

Guests will then be treated to wine tasting and a talk from some of the state's wine producers, like Dr. Frank and Lamourex Landing. Lastly, the group will dine under the stars, with courses including roast pork from Blossom Farms, chicken and vegetables from the Oles Family Farm, fruit from Tom Tower's Farm, and local lamb. Shea said Dan Moscob's bluegrass trio will entertain guests during their dinner and throughout the evening.

If this sounds like an event you'd be interested in, hurry and order your seats -- Shea said only a few remain! If needed, a wait list will be started as well. Seats are $125 per person, which includes transportation to and from the farm, dinner, drinks, tax and tip. To reserve your seats, call the Bryant Street location at 716.881.7592. For more information on Trattoria Aroma, visit their Web site or check out our recent post! Rain date, August 23rd.

(Photo: Stock photo.)

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Comments

7 Comments Leave a comment

C.K. Dexter Haven

August 8, 2009 12:58 PM

Now this is the kind of progress you like to read about. Bravo Aroma for sourcing local products. In recent visits to Buffalo, I’ve been to the Bryant St. location a few times and have enjoyed the hospitality, interesting menu and its nice wine list.

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ChristaSeychew

August 8, 2009 1:21 PM

Field & Fork Network is proud to have assisted The Aroma Restaurants in sourcing locally. We connected them with pork and beef farmers, a dairy farmer, and The Oles (to name a few). The owners and staff at Aroma understand and appreciate the value and quality of the ingredients grown and raised here, just miles from their restaurants. Representatives from Aroma even sit on the Advisory Committee for our annual Farmer-Chef Conference, and last year a good portion of the Aroma staff attended a Chef-to-Farm tour (next one is on September 14th- see feedyoursoulbuffalo.com for details).

Field and Fork Network is a non-profit organization that works to connect local chefs, industrial purchasers and consumers to WNY farmers and artisan producers. Our second annual Farmer-Chef Conference will happen in late January. We're thrilled to have helped local restaurants like SAMPLE, the Aroma Group, Lake Effect Diner, Verbena, and Torches (to name a few) also make the local connection. Check us out at FieldandForkNetwork.com.

PaulBuffalo

August 8, 2009 1:58 PM

Christa, are any local farms supplying buffalo mozzarella for local pizzerias?

replied to ChristaSeychew

August 8, 2009 1:44 PM

Yeah, Field and Fork.

August 8, 2009 2:43 PM

We have one very small farm (less than 8 cows) that makes some of the most delicious cheese (the feta is my favorite). Lapp Farm Dairy is located in Cassadaga, NY. We helped connect them to Aroma who they are currently supplying with fresh curd that is stretched into mozzarella. Due to its size, Lapp Farm Dairy has a very limited supply, so working with the Aroma restaurants is a perfect partner for them. Aroma treats them with respect and appreciates the value and rarity of the fantastic product Lapp supplies them with.

There is no farmer utilizing buffalo for milk around here that I know of.

New York's dairy industry is a very tangled, disjointed and messy situation. We need more farmers withe small, grass-fed herds learning to do value added work, like the Lapp's and White Cow Dairy, but it isn't easy and requires serious dedication.