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Feast on Art

American Chestnut: Lecture and Educational Tasting

CANCELED DUETO INCLEMENT WEATHER
(to be be rescheduled for later this spring.)

With Steve Conaway of The American Chestnut Foundation, and a Culinary Demonstration and Tasting with Chef Silvia Baldini and Heirloom and Ark of Taste Food Discussion with Analiese Paik, Thursday, March 5, From 6:30-8:30 pm.

This quintessential heirloom American food is a forgotten flavor due to the blight that decimated billions of native American chestnut trees in the first half of the 20th century. Learn about the history of the American chestnut, a Slow Food USA Ark of Taste food, and ongoing efforts to restore the tree to its native habitat from Steve Conaway of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation (TACF).

Conaway is the Conservation & Outreach Director of the Greenwich Land Trust, home of the American Chestnut Tree Sanctuary, and a fountain of information of chestnut growing. Please bring your questions for the Q&A to follow his talk. Next, Chef Silvia Baldini of Strawberry and Sage will discuss how to store, cook, and peel fresh chestnuts, and demonstrate how to prepare Mont Blanc chestnut cakes, a classic chestnut dessert from her native Italy. Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide will inform guests about rare and delicious heirloom and Ark of Taste foods and provide insider tips on sourcing. Immediately following the event, guests are invited to socialize while savoring Chef Silvia’s Mont Blanc chestnut cakes and locally-roasted coffee from Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters. This event is a co-production of Fairfield Green Food Guide and Strawberry and Sage.

 

Learn more at Fairfieldgreenfoodguide.org

Download the Full “Feast on Art” Program

RSVP online at CarriageBarn.org

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We’re honored to be highlighted in this AVLtoday feature on the American chestnut’s story in Western North Carolina.

While the path to restoration is long, moments like this remind us how many people care about bringing this tree back to the landscape it once defined.

Thank you to everyone who continues to help this story grow.

Read the article: avltoday.6amcity.com/chestnut-tree-wnc

Photo curtsey of Audrey Snow Owen of PA/NJ TACF

#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #environment #nature #asheville #chestnuts
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We’re honored to be highlighted in this AVLtoday feature on the American chestnut’s story in Western North Carolina. While the path to restoration is long, moments like this remind us how many people care about bringing this tree back to the landscape it once defined.Thank you to everyone who continues to help this story grow.Read the article: https://avltoday.6amcity.com/chestnut-tree-wncPhoto curtsey of Audrey Snow Owen of PA/NJ TACF#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #environment #nature #asheville #chestnuts

Freedom seekers—enslaved Africans and African Americans who escaped slavery in pursuit of freedom—faced hunger, exposure, and unfamiliar terrain as they journeyed north.

Black History Month provides an important opportunity to honor the past while also recognizing how Black knowledge, leadership, and community continue to shape the present. From histories rooted in land and survival to modern platforms and outdoor spaces where connection and representation matter.

Throughout February, we will share a series of four stories that explore Black relationships to land, legacy, and community, looking at both historical foundations and contemporary expressions.

Read more about Freedom Seekers: tacf.org/black-history-and-the-american-chestnut/

#BlackHistoryMonth #americanchestnut #explorepage #chestnuts #BlackHistoryMonth2026 #restoration #conservation #history
... See MoreSee Less

Freedom seekers—enslaved Africans and African Americans who escaped slavery in pursuit of freedom—faced hunger, exposure, and unfamiliar terrain as they journeyed north.Black History Month provides an important opportunity to honor the past while also recognizing how Black knowledge, leadership, and community continue to shape the present. From histories rooted in land and survival to modern platforms and outdoor spaces where connection and representation matter.Throughout February, we will share a series of four stories that explore Black relationships to land, legacy, and community, looking at both historical foundations and contemporary expressions.Read more about Freedom Seekers: https://tacf.org/black-history-and-the-american-chestnut/ #blackhistorymonth #americanchestnut #explorepage #chestnuts #blackhistorymonth2026 #restoration #conservation #historyImage attachmentImage attachment

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

Hopefully they will be developing a mold resistant tree.

That's a really interesting perspective. I think a lot of woodcraft and other types of knowledge about the natural world, like astronomy, had to be shared. Also, marine skills.

Chestnuts?

January might feel like the quiet season, but at our research farms it’s already time to get growing. This month, we’re sowing chestnut seeds that will be used in upcoming research and breeding efforts. Starting seeds in January gives us a valuable head start on the growing season, allowing seedlings to establish early and be ready for genotyping in the spring and summer. Each seed represents an important step forward in our research, helping us better understand growth, resistance, and performance across chestnut species and hybrids. #AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress

#ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ChestnutSeedlings
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Does everyone's staff retreat include fungus, tree bark, and chestnut beer... or just ours?

#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #chestnuts #worktrip #staffretreat
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2 CommentsComment on Facebook

how do we get american chestnut seedlings to plant?

Great video!!!

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