Cinque Terre And Vignola To Host Sixth Annual Harvest Dinner

Cinque Terre and Vignola's annual Harvest Dinner, initially launched in 2005 as a small farm dinner for a group of friends, will celebrate its sixth anniversary this year with a September 12 reception and dinner. The culinary event has grown into an annual tradition celebrating the bounty of the harvest season that hosts more than 60 guests and sells out each year. Hosted by restaurant Co-owners Dan Kary and Michelle Mazur-Kary along with Executive Chef and Co-owner Lee Skawinski, the intimate event will be held outdoors among the gardens at the restaurants' own scenic Grandview Farm in Greene, Maine, owned by the Karys.

A particular draw of this year's dinner will be incorporating the two new, stone hearth ovens recently built outdoors at the farm, according to Skawinski. "Our menu for this year's dinner is inspired by 'al forno' or 'from the oven' cuisine," he explained. "The stone ovens imbue our farm-fresh vegetables and the meats we get from local producers with a robust flavor you simply cannot achieve with other cooking methods. The menu planning has been a really fun process for us this year."

Highlights of the five-course menu include first course appetizers of Maine vegetable antipasti and wood oven flat breads; bicolor corn, Jonah crab and chervil mousse; and Stone Heart Farm lamb tartare with red ace beet chips and salsa verde. The main course will feature tempting options including Berkshire pork loin and belly slow roasted in the wood oven for eight hours; cannelloni made with radicchio di chioggia, lacinato kale, rainbow Swiss chard, sheep's milk ricotta cheese, and sugo of rabbit; and Romanesco zucchini fritters with roasted calabrese pepper sauce.

Skawinski also has planned several vegetarian options including wood roasted acorn squashes; heirloom tomatoes with roasted garlic; and cylindra, chioggia and red ace beets served with shaved fennel, peppers, gorgonzola cheese and pistachio vini. The meal will be complemented by a selection of red and white wines specially paired with each course.

The afternoon-long event will highlight the fresh, seasonal ingredients that are grown on the farm and that supply much of the fresh produce used at both of the Portland restaurants. Prior to the festive meal, guests will enjoy light appetizers and aperitifs while touring the farm and seeing firsthand a clear demonstration of the restaurants' commitment to sustainable agriculture and farm-to-table dining.

DETAILS: Transportation to Grand View Farm is available for guests and will leave Vignola Restaurant (10 Dana Street, Portland), at 12:45 p.m. sharp. Guests can expect to return to Vignola by approximately 6:30 p.m. The cost for the day - inclusive of dinner, wines, transportation, tax and gratuity - is $100. Reservations are required. For further information, or to make your reservation, contact Vignola at 207-772-1330.

About Cinque Terre (www.cinqueterremaine.com)
Known for its authentic, seasonal Ligurian cuisine, The New York Times, Gourmet, The James Beard Foundation, The Boston Globe, and The Portland Press Herald all list Cinque Terre as one of Portland's "Must-Dine" experiences. Situated just steps from Portland's working waterfront, Cinque Terre has been named to the Epicurious list of "Top Ten Farm-to-Table Restaurants in the U.S." and has for several consecutive years earned Wine Spectator's "Award of Excellence" for its impressive, all-Italian wine list.

About Vignola (www.vignolamaine.com)
Portland, Maine's Vignola, located in the heart of the city's historic Old Port neighborhood, has earned a prominent slot on the national culinary map since its launch in 2006. Known for its bistro ambiance and authentic Eur