Like to eat fresh and local?
Twisted Thistle restaurant makes an effort to use local ingredients and support independent farmers — and executive chef Michael “Buzz” Olshansky has prepared a summer farm-to-table menu that does just that.
The entire dinner experience will showcase foods that have been locally sourced, sustainably grown and ethically harvested.
Olshansky has been chef at Twisted Thistle, situated in Leechburg on Market Street, since it opened its doors in July 2012.
Lingrow Farm — sister venue to Twisted Thistle — will host a farm-to-table evening July 31 with dinner paired with wines from Barsotti Wines in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
Tickets are available for up to 50 guests.
“I embrace the farm-to-table concept because it is ethically righteous and supports some of the hardest workers in our little community — the farmers,” Olshansky says.
“We buy from farms that don't douse their crops with pesticides and chemical fertilizers,” says Linda Alworth, who owns and operates Twisted Thistle and Lingrow Farm.
The seven-course supper will tempt diners with meats, vegetables and herbs from local sources.
The menu includes: artisanal cheeses, crested duck charcuterie and heirloom tomato salad, Lingrow Farm; wild foraged mushrooms, Twisted Thistle staff; pork trio: shoulder, belly and ham, Roaring Run Farmstead; lamb trio: chop, kibbeh and dolmades, Angel Lane Farm; stuffed quail and sausage, Keystone Game Birds and Roaring Run Farmstead; and Hungarian blackberry-peach custard pie, Roaring Run Farmstead and Kistaco Farm.
Guests will enjoy an al fresco dinner on the grounds at Lingrow Farm in Gilpin. In the event of inclement weather, dinner will be on the farm's covered porch.
“If the weather is really bad, we will move everyone inside the restored barn at Lingrow,” says Ruth Bender, event coordinator for Lingrow.
“We've wanted to put together a dinner of this type for years,” Alworth says. “Buzz has maintained a garden for years, and this year, some of our Twisted Thistle team members also grew veggies and herbs, and it makes perfect sense to host the dinner at Lingrow. There are so many small farms in our area, these kinds of events are crucial to keep them thriving.”
Joyce Hanz is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.
