Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine Hosts 5th Annual Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival on Saturday, April 25, at Chicago French Market

Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine Hosts 5th Annual Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival on Saturday, April 25, at Chicago French Market

by | Mar 26, 2015 | IN THE NEWS

Free Event, Co-presented by Chicago French Market and Sponsored by The Specialty Food Association, Will Feature Nearly 100 Artisan Food and Beverage Producers

Chicago, Ill. (March 26, 2015) – Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, together with Chicago French Market and presenting sponsor Specialty Food Association, will host the 5th Annual Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival, one of the largest free events of its kind in the Midwest on Saturday, April 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event, featuring nearly 100 artisan producers dedicated to craft food and beverage production, will take place at Chicago French Market, 131 N. Clinton St.

The 5th installment of the culinary event celebrates nearly 100 talented and award-winning local, national, and international artisan producers of high-quality food and beverages. Participating cheesemakers, charcuterie and confection producers, and other featured purveyors will meet and interact with guests and offer samples of small batch food, beer, spirits, and wine throughout the day. Featured producers at this year’s lineup include:

Food: Many Fold Farm (GA), Meadowood Farms (NY), Brooklyn Brine (NY), Indulgence Chocolatiers (WI)

Beer: Frietkoten Belgian Fries & Beer, a Chicago French Market vendor, will offer Lagunitas on tap

Wine/Spirits: Field Recordings (CA), Ricci Curbastro (Italy), Letherbee Distillery (IL)

 

Guests can also take part in several stage demonstrations during the day:

11:00am, Welcome from Pastoral co-owner/co-founder, Greg O’Neill

11:30am, Cochon 555 and Utah’s Creminelli Fine Meats, “The Husbandry Culture:

Artisan Cheese, Wine and Cured Meats

12:10pm, Black Dog Gelato & Lillie’s Q, “Backyard BBQ Sundaes”

12:30pm, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, “Farmstead Cheesemaking in Wisconsin”

1:00pm, Indulgence Chocolatiers and Candid Wines, “Pairing Wine with Chocolate”

1:30pm, Lagunitas Brewing Company, “The Art of Pairing Craft Beer”

1:55pm, Many Fold Farm, “Grassfarming and Cheesemaking in the South”

2:20pm, RAW., “A discussion and demonstration about RAW food”

For more information about the festival, including a complete list of participants, visit the official APF website #APF2015

Greg O’Neill and Ken Miller, co-founders/co-owners of Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, created the APF five years ago to shine a light on the Chicago French Market and all the great products available all year long from high-quality producers.  Said O’Neill, “the festival is the perfect opportunity for our guests to meet the people who make these amazing foods and libations and to truly understand their stories and the hard work and passion that goes into making them.”

The APF will take donations at the door and online to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Purple Asparagus, a Chicago non-profit that educates children, families, and the community about eating that’s good for the body and the planet.

Chicagoans and visitors are encouraged to make the weekend of April 25-26 a celebration of food with Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival happening on Saturday, April 25, 2015, at Chicago French Market and Cochon 555 on Sunday, April 26, 2015. Cochon 555 is a one-of-a-kind traveling culinary competition and tasting event to promote sustainable farming of heritage breed pigs.

For those unable to attend this year’s festival, Pastoral will make the following gift collections available for purchase online at pastoralartisan.com, in-store or by calling 800.721.4781. A full list of contents in each medley is available upon request.

  • Artisan Producer Festival Pantry Medley ($59.99), a few of the most scrumptious dry goods from the 5th Annual APF
  • Specialty Food Association ‘sofi’ Medley ($49.99), features some of the winners of the prestigious sofi Award, which honors the best of the best in specialty foods and beverages
  • Artisan Producer Festival Tour ($199.99), a grand collection of handcrafted treats from the APF…an indulgent, edible postcard
  • Cheeses of APF ($69.99), a well-rounded selection of traditional, domestic and imported cheeses
  • Wisconsin Cheese Medley ($49.99), a selection of amazing cheeses from America’s Dairyland

WHEN & WHERE

Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival, presented by The Specialty Food Association

Saturday, April 25, 2015, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Chicago French Market, 131 North Clinton Street, Chicago, IL 60661

PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION

Metra will offer an $8 weekend pass that includes unlimited rides for the weekend. Kids under 11 ride free. Parking lot is adjacent to Chicago French Market, with entrances at 164 N. Canal Street and 165 N. Clinton Street. Limited space available.

Pastoral is pleased to have the support of the following key sponsors:

  • Presenting Sponsor: Specialty Food Association
  • Partner Sponsors: Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Lagunitas Brewing Co.
  • National Media Sponsors: Edible Chicago and Culture Magazine

Chicago French Market Vendors:

MetraMarket:

About Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival

Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival is an annual culinary event in Chicago that gives guests the chance to meet artisan producers from around the globe, taste their products, and celebrate small batch food, beer, spirits, and wine. Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival is distinctive from most national and international culinary events of its kind because it is entirely free and open to the public. Pastoral created Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival as part of the company’s mission to make shopping for and consuming high-quality artisan goods enlightening, approachable, fun, and delicious. Many of the products featured at Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival are sold in the Midwest exclusively at Pastoral. For more information on Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival, visit pastoralartisan.com.

About Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine

Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine is a trio of national award-winning neighborhood cheese, specialty foods and wine shop offering the highest quality, cut-to-order domestic and international specialty cheeses, freshly baked breads, perfectly chosen accompaniments and small production wines, along with hand-crafted, cheese-loving beers and spirits. Pastoral also offers custom gift collections, gourmet sandwiches and salads, picnics and catering. Pastoral is committed to

providing the highest level of service and education for customers, striving to make shopping for and consuming artisan goods enlightening, approachable, fun and delicious. Pastoral welcomes customers at three Chicago store locations, and ships nationwide at www.pastoralartisan.com. The company was named Outstanding Retailer of the Year in 2007 and 2012 by the Specialty Food Association. In 2012, the Company opened Bar Pastoral, an award-winning, Michelin Guide recommended cheese & wine bistro serving shareable fare, in a cozy, inviting neighborhood setting. Pastoral will open its newest location in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood in late summer 2015.

About Chicago French Market

Chicago French Market is a European-inspired market that offers an array of local produce, meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheese, wine, chocolates, pastas, artisan-made goods, specialty drinks, flowers, prepared meals, and a seating area for customers. Chicago French Market is open year-round, six days a week, and is located in the MetraMarket at 131 N. Clinton St. (between Washington and Randolph Streets). Chicago French Market offers complimentary garage parking, with entrances at 164 N. Canal St. and 165 N. Clinton St., for one or hour less with a minimum purchase of $20 or more (receipt required). For more information about Chicago French Market, visit chicagofrenchmarket.com.

About Specialty Food Association

The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs who bring craft, care and joy to the distinctive foods they produce. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,000 members in the U.S. and abroad the tools, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

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