If food is love, and music feeds the soul, then you owe it to yourself to plan a trip to New York’s Sullivan Catskills for Catskill Cuisine on Saturday, May 13, at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.
The Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association and Bethel Woods have teamed up to curate a first-of-its-kind food festival that will expose visitors to the beauty of the Sullivan Catskills while showcasing gourmet goodness prepared with local farm-fresh ingredients by celebrity, acclaimed, and local chefs.
The day-long event will blend food, music, and family entertainment and feature cooking demonstrations, tastings, live music on the Great Lawn, a marketplace, book signings, and a kids’ zone.
All Stars Chefs appearing at the Sullivan Catskills Cuisine
A star-studded lineup of chefs will be on hand. You’ll recognize some of the names from the Food Network, including Alton Brown, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marcus Samuelsson, and Geoffrey Zakarian. Also on hand will be:
- Melissa-Ben Ishay, CEO of Baked by Melissa
- Ayesha Nurdjaja (Shuka and Shukette), a James Beard nominee
- Saul Montiel, executive chef at Cantina Rooftop in New York City
- Dale Talde, Top Chef winner and judge and owner of Goosefeather in Tarrytown, New York
- Joel Trocino, Executive Chef at Bethel Woods, two-time Best of the Hudson Valley Award Winner, and Chef of the Year at Legends Hospitality
- John Carrino, executive chef at Old Stone House Inn in Warwick, NY, with a focus on elevating local ingredients.
- Max Sola, the highly regarded Argentinian chef/owner of the former Passion restaurant in Playa de Carmen and winner of the World Luxury Restaurant Award
- Bob Ambrose, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and owner of Bella Bella Gourmet Foods, that represents a group of Sullivan Catskills farms growing heritage breeds of chicken, partridge, quail, rabbit, and duck.
- Federico A López, Founding Chef and Organizer as Executive Chef of the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine and Food Fest Cancun and Mexico City.
Dale Talde, Top Chef winner and judge and owner of Goosefeather in Tarrytown, New York
The Sullivan Catskills has a diverse and ever-growing foodie scene— from roadside barbeque, nine-course tasting menus, and everything in between. A handful of talented local chefs will be on hand with all-day tastings from their kitchens, including Seminary Hill Executive Chef Jack Tippett; Jean-Paul Medina of Callicoon Hills; Neversink General Store’s Jamie Stankevicius; Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark Executive Chef Kevin Mcafee; Dan Gonzalez and John Botti of The Eldred Preserve, and Resorts World Catskills Executive Chef, Ted Iwachiw. You can also expect appearances by chefs from Foster Supply Hospitality’s restaurants, Kenoza Hall and The DeBruce (2023 James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards Semi-Finalist, Outstanding Restauranteur). By day’s end, you’ll no doubt be making your next dinner reservation at one of their delightful restaurants.
Melissa-Ben Ishay, CEO of Baked by Melissa
Not to be outdone, the craft beverage scene in the Sullivan Catskills is plentiful, and many of the breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries are award-winners. Sip, sample, and purchase spirits from Catskill Provisions and Do Good Spirits; sweet and semi-sweet hard cider from Seminary Hill Cidery and Forthright Cider and Mead; or get hoppy with a brew from Roscoe Beer Company, Catskill Brewery, Shrewd Fox, and others.
Sullivan Catskills Food+Drink
After the demonstrations and tastings, you may feel inspired to create a new recipe for family and friends. Be sure to visit the marketplace makers and artisans throughout the Bethel Woods grounds for ingredients, accessories, and more. Now while you’re busy tasting and shopping, your little ones can pet an alpaca at the Kids’ Zone. Local non-profit A Single Bite will be on hand to teach kids what it means to make healthy food choices, and Kittatinny Canoes will have a variety of activities such as tube racing, water safety, ring toss, and other family-friendly games.
Anticipation is high. The VIP and Super VIP tickets are already sold out. General admission tickets for adults and children ($76 and $25 respectively) are on sale and include entrance to the festival, access to chef demos and samples, access to celebrity chef book signings, shopping and sampling from vendors, access to the Kids Zone, and live music on the Horizon Stage.
Sullivan Catskills Restaurant Week
The festival runs from 12 to 6 pm on May 13. Get your tickets now for this inaugural foodie event. It’s a great way to spend a spring day in the verdant hills of New York’s Sullivan Catskills. To learn more and find the latest festival updates, visit Catskill-Cuisine.com.
