IlluMyFi

Jan. 13 -- SUTTONS BAY -- Gilchrist Farm Winery opened in September 2023 and this month, presented a new menu for visitors. George Brittain, business manager, said the farm and vineyard started in 2018 in Leelanau County. The winery, located in downtown Suttons Bay, is the newest endeavor for the family-owned operation. "We are a farm-to-table winery and restaurant," Brittain said. "We want to be as focused on food as we are on wine. Everything we do is locally sourced and seasonal, all made in house." The new menu for winter includes a variety of "sharing plates" so "everyone can try a dish," Brittain said. Dishes include an ancient grain salad (root vegetables), winter daal (lentils with rice and squash) and shepherd's pie. The pie is made with beef, potatoes and Leelanau Cheese raclette. "Every dish is intended to highlight multiple farms or at least one," Head Chef Deanna Mikalauskas said. "The shepherd's pie is entirely local. That's really cool and you don't see that a lot." The menu will change seasonally and some items may be limited. Mikalauskas said they source from small farms in the area. So, if they run out of something, they will change the menu. For example, in the fall, local pears trees stopped producing fruit so they had to take that off the menu. "We use what is produced here," Brittain said. "It's giving people the most authentic taste of Leelanau." In addition to Leelanau Cheese, Gilchrist Farm Winery receives supplies from Up North Heritage Farm, Second Spring Farm, Lakeview Hill Farm, 9 Bean Rows, Light of Day Organics and Oleson's Bison Farm. Mikalauskas is one of four chefs at Gilchrist Farm Winery. She moved to the area after working as a therapist and then pastry chef in New York. She said the chefs work together to create the menu and enjoy learning new cooking skills from each other. "We're all super passionate about it," she said. "We're trying now to figure out the best way to preserve the produce we're getting." In the spring, the chefs are planning to visit and forage for produce like ramp at Gilchrist Farm. The items they can harvest will help determine the menu for that season. Gilchrist Farm Winery's lunch service opens at 11 a.m. and dinner begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at 417 N. St. Joseph St. In addition to the tasting menu, weekend specials are available. To make a reservation, visit www.gilchristfarmwinery.com or call 231-916-3902.

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13.01.24 11:18

by news.yahoo.com

Admirers of nautical icon Anna hope to prevent her final bow

Jan. 13 -- CAPE VINCENT -- The Anna, a nautical icon beloved by its legion of fans, is on rocky ground after the owner of the 30-foot Block Island trawler expressed some interest in selling the boat, or at least parts of her. In early December, Ronald J. Trottier, owner of Anchor Marina, 583 E. Broadway St., where Anna has been "on the hard" for about two decades, tasked Marcie Travers-Barth with selling Anna. Tavers-Barth owns The Coal Docks Restaurant & Bar, across the street from the marina. The restaurant building itself is owned by Trottier, who is not involved in the establishment's business or management. "The owner has asked that I put it up for sale and handle all offers," Travers-Barth posted on Facebook on Dec. 10, noting that the transaction would not result in any money for her. "Buyer(s) must remove it at their own cost. Let's get her sold and keep her part of the Cape Vincent community." That post set off alarms on the "The Anna" Facebook group page, which says the boat "has become an 'unofficial' beloved icon of the Cape Vincent community." Group members sought ways to save her. Posted ideas ranged from creating a GoFundMe account, setting up a nonprofit, gauging interest from the Mystic Seaport in Stonington, Connecticut, to placement of Anna on the National Register of Historic Places. On Jan. 3, in a "Letters From the People" submission to the Watertown Daily Times, Cape Vincent resident Victoria Sperry wrote that Anna is a vital source of tourism with a potential of doing much more. "There are a couple of places in the village where Anna could be displayed (with the cooperation of local authorities) if enough people come together and work to make this happen," Sperry wrote. "It's a romantic thing on my part, Sperry said on Tuesday. "Anna is beautiful. And so many old boats fade into obscurity. But she really is an attraction. People come here to paint and draw her. It's an incentive for people to come to the cape." Cape Vincent Mayor Jerry D. Golden said the village would have no means to undertake a restoration project involving Anna and finds the arguments to save her don't hold much water. "It's definitely gotten some attention. It's cool looking. I have a picture of it, as do so many other people. There are people out there who think something different, but to me, there's just no value in trying to restore that or have it on display." He said the ship has been a topic at village meetings, and at one, a question was asked. "Somebody mentioned, 'If some private investor bought it, restored it and made it pristine and gave it to the village -- would they take it?' I'm like, that's a lot of hypotheticals there, but I said you could always present something to the village if that were the case, and we could make a decision at that time." He added, "If somebody said, 'Hey, you could buy the Anna for $20,000 if the village put up the money,' I would say we wouldn't be interested." A restored Anna would face another issue in the village. "Where would you put i...