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Food For Thought's annual Green Cuisine is a celebration that seeks to bring more awareness to local food and sustainable business practices. Green Cuisine is held annually the third Wednesday in July (next Wed - July 14) from 5-8 PM at the Food For Thought Farm, 10704 Oviatt Rd. Honor, MI 49640. Visitors will be able to sample some of the best products of local food and beverage artisans, tour Food For Thought’s organic farm and green buildings as they socialize, learn and have fun in a beautiful setting.

Green Cuisine is free BUT YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER - Register online here.  Children are welcome! For more information, please call 231-326-5444 or visit the Food for Thought web site.

FOOD/BEVERAGE VENDORS La Becasse Oryana Higher Grounds Trading Co. Chateau Chantal Black Star Farms Cherry Republic Ciccone Vineyard and Winery Shady Lane Vineyards Trattoria Stella Short's Brewery Light of Day Organics L. Mawby Vineyard Shetler Dairy Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery Honor Family Market Good Neighbor Organic Winery and Vineyard Stone House Bread Naturally Nutty Nut Butters Cook's House Bel Lago Vineyard Right Brain Brewery Siren Hall Lori's Salsa and Hummus Del Sol Land of Goshen 45 North Winery

GREEN LIFESTYLE / AWARENESS Green Island / Eco Lunch Gear Wings of Wonder Salon Verve Deep Wood Press Indira Skin Products Run Across Ethiopia Recycle Chicken Bay Area Recycling 9 Bean Rows CSA Providence Farms CSA Ware Farm CSA

Once again the Grand Traverse Lighthouse and the Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce are joining together for the Northport Lighthouse and Maritime Festival on Saturday, June 19 in Northport. The festival celebrates the lighthouse and Northport's maritime history and will be held at Haserot and Marina Parks from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. A few of the highlights of the festival include Nautical Silent Auction & Flea Market, maritime historical displays, a nautical arts and craft show, Model Sailboat Making & Pond Races, Historic Boats on Display, Northport Weather Tower Interpretation, and more. A memorial bench dedication will take place at 12 noon in honor of Northport Boat Builders, including Bill Livingston, Ted Craker, and Chris Telgard.

Also back for the festival is the annual Fish Boil dinner. Fresh whitefish, from Carlson's of Fishtown, is simmered with redskin potatoes and onions. Also available is slaw, corn on the cob, rolls, pie, and beverages. Dinner will be available from noon to 6:00pm for $15/person. New this year - you can buy a glass of wine or beer for $5 from the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum volunteers to enjoy with your meal.

Inland Seas Education Association will be offering 2 hour schooner cruises focusing on maritime history of Northport guided by the ship's crew and a guest faculty of local historians. The cost is $30 per person the day of the cruise or buy one get one at 50% off pre-paid by June 18th.

Photo: We'll keep a light on for you ~ by KT of Lake Orion

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is proud to announce its biggest fundraiser of the year; Taste of Grand Traverse! Taste of Grand Traverse is a food and beverage tasting event, much like Taste of Chicago or Taste of Cincinnati, only on a much smaller scale. Approximately 19 restaurants and 5 beverage companies will be offering small samples or “tastes” of their finest food and drink. The Taste of Grand Traverse will be held Sunday, April 18th 2010 at the Great Wolf Lodge. There will be two tasting sessions to choose from, 500 admissions per session: 11 am -1:00 pm or 2pm - 4:00 pm. Adult admission is $15 at the door donation to the WRC. Admission includes 3 food tickets. Additional tickets are available for $1. Samples will be between 1 and 3 tickets and adult admission fee includes 3 free sampling tickets) Children 5 - 12 are just $1 and children under 5 are admitted free.

Photo: Truffles (from Grocer's Daughter) by farlane

Food and Beverage Participants include:
Betsie Bay Inn
Cook’s House
Corky’s
Epicure Catering
The Fusion
Fustini’s
Great Wolf Lodge
Great Northern Roasting Company
Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate
House of Doggs - TC’s place for Coneys!
Lil Bo Pub & Grille
Lulu’s Bistro
Morsels - Bite-sized bakery and gourmet coffee.
Munson Medical Center / Sodexo Foods
Northwoods Soda
TC Red’s BBQ
Siren Hall
Sparky’s Diner
Turtle Creek
Zakey Middle Eastern Cuisine

We look for certain signs of spring in Leelanau. But one of the biggest signs that Spring is here, is the opening of the Cheese Shanty in Fishtown. So Friday, head over and grab your first North Shore of the season!

Photo credit: Opening Day at The Cheese Shanty. Hooray! by Trish Petrat

Livability, which touts America's most livable cities and explore the best places to live, work and play picked their list of 10 Surprising Food Cities. At the top of the list was a photo of a Leelanau winery and...

1. Traverse City, MI

Known as the Cherry Capital of the World, the Lake Michigan resort town of Traverse City does a pretty good job with other foods, too. With plenty of award-winning restaurants, wineries, farmers markets and dairies, Traverse City has been called “a new foodie haven” by The Huffington Post, and Midwest Living magazine recently named it second on its list of the region's “best food towns.” At the heart of the accolades is an emphasis on the farm-to-table philosophy. At Trattoria Stella, where chef Myles Anton was nominated for a 2010 James Beard Foundation award, the menu of Italian fare takes care to note ingredients from local farms and dairies. For wine lovers, the city's Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula wine regions lie along the 45th parallel— the same latitude that gives the Bordeaux region of France its famous reputation. Get started with a self-guided foodie tour.

We offer congratulations to Myles but feel compelled to point out the two more Beard Award nominees from the Leelanau Peninsula: Randy Chamberlain at Blu in Glen Arbor and Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse near Maple City!!

MyNorth.com reports the 3 area chefs have been named semifinalists for the 2010 James Beard Foundation Awards. Leelanau County's Randy Chamberlain of Blu restaurant in Glen Arbor, Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse in Burdickville and Myles Anton of Traverse City's Trattoria Stella in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category:

Selected from thousands of online entries, the prestigious group of semifinalists in the 19 Restaurant and Chef categories represents a wide variety of culinary talent, from legendary chefs and dining destinations in 10 different regions across the United States, to the nation’s best new restaurants and rising star chefs.

Read more of the article online.

Photo: Compliments of blu

The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's Taste this Passion is this weekend, Feb 5 & 6. The LPVA reports that ticket sales have been great, but there are still tickets available for this fun event that combines Wine, Chocolate, and Fun! The weatherman is calling for partly cloudy skies and warmer temps, so get out of the house this weekend and support our local Vintners. Tickets are available online at lpwines.com/taste.

For those of us that can't get enough of Leelanau Peninsula wine, be sure to attend the Winter Wine and Art Fest, which will be featuring not only Leelanau wine, but Old mission wineries, as well. Again, tickets are still available for this event and are available online.

Black Star Farms announces the opening of Hearth & Vine serving dinner to the public Wednesday through Sunday evenings.

Suttons Bay, MI February 1, 2010 - - A new star is born. Black Star Farms, already well known for its award-winning wines and cheeses, is now serving dinner in Hearth & Vine, a vineyard café, at the Suttons Bay farm featuring wood-fired fare in a rustic yet elegant atmosphere, The weekly menu draws on ingredients produced on the farm, including pork and lamb, fresh eggs, 9 Bean Rows hoop house vegetables and hearth baked breads, and of course, Leelanau Cheese Co. cheeses and Black Star Farms wines. It’s truly a celebration of agriculture.

Hearth and Vine is now open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday from 5pm to 9pm. Seating is limited and reservations are appreciated. For reservations, please call 231.944.1297

From late spring through fall, Hearth & Vine is open daily serving delicious wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches as well as soups and salads. Black Star Farms wine is available by the glass or bottle along with soft drinks, coffee and tea. Lunch and snacks can be enjoyed out on the terrace or indoors in the cozy cafe.

On the market side we’re all about local. Black Star Farms farm-fresh eggs and fruits and vegetables from our and neighboring farms are offered seasonally. Pastries, cookies and 9 Bean Rows hearth-baked breads, Black Star Farms maple syrup, verjus and kettle cooked jams and preserves, and the best of other locally produced items are also available.

Black Star Farms is a unique agricultural entity that features two winery production facilities, their adjacent tasting rooms, a distillery, Inn, café, and equestrian facility. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary and are proud to represent the viticultural diversity of Northwest Michigan and its proximity to the 45th parallel that runs through so many of the great wine regions of the world.

Photo: KAScott_20090627_6186 by Ken Scott

Since Leelanau is home to so many great restaurants, Leelanau.com would like to start a monthly feature or review of the local restaurants. Since the Leelanau.com staff is too busy during the summer to actually enjoy dining out, we thought we'd start with the place where we probably eat at the most this time of year....The Cheese Shanty in Fishtown. We eat here not only out of convenience, as our office is walking distance, but also for the same reason everyone else does.....the highly revered pretzel bread.

In mid April, as spring fever hits Leelanau, one of the main questions asked is: When is the Cheese Shanty going to open for the season?  The Cheese Shanty frenzy continues all summer, as tourists and locals alike flock there for such favorites at the North Shore or the Lake Street.  With their unique combination and flexibly to build your own sandwich, The Cheese Shanty has something for everyone.

But The Cheese Shanty isn't just about the sandwiches, they offer award winning Leelanau wines, a large selection of beer, local products, and over 60 imported cheeses!  Quick tip before visiting:  Check out their menu online, then call ahead to place your order!  And don't forget your punch card!

Photo: Opening Day at The Cheese Shanty. Hooray! by Pentax K1000 Gal

If you are interested in having your restaurant featured, please contact Laura at info@leelanau.com

Those folks,  lucky enough to live in northern Michigan, are accustom to all of the wonderful local fare that the area has to offer.  From our community farm markets and roadside stands to the fabulous restaurants, that also incorporate local products in their cuisine.  However, thanks to this article from mlive.com, the secret is out.  The rest of Michigan and the region will know that Traverse City is an "up-and-coming foodie haven."  As John Flesher, of the Associated Press, points out:

Long a top Midwestern tourist draw for its lakes, rivers, forests, beaches-and the orchards that inspire the self-proclaimed moniker "cherry capital of the world"-the Traverse City area is now home to an increasingly varied and sophisticated culinary culture with a strong emphasis on local ingredients.

The Lake Michigan resort town is awash in award-winning restaurants and wineries, artisan bakeries, dairies and farm markets. Midwest Living magazine recently placed Traverse City second on its list of the region's best "food towns."

In the article, Flesher spoke with celebrity chef and summer resident Mario Batali, who says the area food scene "has just exploded."   A couple of restaurants that he mentions by name, include Trattoria Stella and Suttons Bay's own, Martha's Leelanau Table.

Northern Michigan has so many great places and ideas for foodies, here are a few that Flesher didn't have room to mention. For a truly unique culinary experience, check out Learn Great Foods.  Leelanau Cheese is producing award-winning traditional European style cheeses at Black Star Farms.  The Leelanau Peninsula Vintner's Association offers many wine trail events that pair local fare with some of the area's best wines.   For a list of Leelanau Restaurants, visit the Leelanau.com dining page.

Photo: ~ Stone House Bread ~ by KT of Lake Orion