Category Archives: Food

Annual Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival

Just because summer’s over, doesn’t mean Martha’s Vineyard has shut down!
Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons on Martha’s Vineyard, the crowds have left, the rentals are cheaper and the sun is still out! But what is there to do? You may ask.

There’s a lot, including the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival.

The MVFWF is an annual non-profit event that promotes local farms and seafood as well as wineries from all over the world. Most of the profits benefit The Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Edgartown. The Festival is October 17-19, 2008.

A few of the events scheduled are:

  • Small Plates from the Grill Grates featuring BBQ masters Andy Husbands and Dante de Magistris.
  • Duckhorn Wine Dinner at Atria hosted by Michael Brehart from Duckhorn Wine Co.
  • Grand Tasting hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum features a variety of island chefs and guests including Kevin Crowell, Howard Imber,  Antonio Saccoccia, Christian Thornton.
  • Chocolate and Dessert Wines hosted by the Christina Gallery Featuring Lee Napoli’s handcrafted chocolates.

So if you love food, wine, chocolate and Martha’s Vineyard, be there! Tickets are on sale now.

For a complete listing of the events and times and to purchase tickets visit the website!

Martha’s Vineyard Fall Festival 2008: Living Local

Every September as the island quiets down, school picks up and the summer folk head to the mainland, the Vineyard community has a fall festival at the Ag Hall and fairgrounds in West Tisbury. It’s a pretty special festival, full of locals. One annual vacation renter told me the following story:

“We switched our vacation rental two years ago from our usual two weeks in June to two weeks at the end of September because our son was due in early July. We loved being on the island at the start of autumn, and our favorite part was the fall festival. There was so much to do and we felt like we not only got a glimpse, but were actually part, of the island’s unique year round community.”

The 2008 festival was called Living Local and featured everything local including: food, farmers, herbs, tonics, teas, tinctures, wool, clothes, furniture, bees, honey and more. There was also tons of information from local and regional providers of alternative energy, alternative waste and sustainability. There were speaker panels, workshops…and loads of great local food!

And, like that renter said, autumn is a special time to be on Martha’s Vineyard. The life of the island is happening, you get to wear wool socks at night and go to the beach during the day! Notably, the rental costs decrease after the peak months of the summer…a great time to book your slice of paradise.

The Private Cooks and Chefs of Martha’s Vineyard

I don’t know about you, but when I’m on vacation, I enjoy taking a break from cooking…and cleaning up the kitchen when the eating is done! But, part of the reason that you want to rent a house on Martha’s Vineyard, is so that you’ll have a kitchen and you won’t have to go out for every meal – as you would if you were staying in a hotel.

Private cooks and chefs are the answer and the Vineyard has some special chefs to offer. You can arrange for them to make a single meal or every meal for your entire stay – just for one, two or the whole family (and your friends). These women specialize in listening to your dietary needs and your taste bud desires!

Nisa Kontje Webster gets right to the heart of a true Vineyard meal. Born and raised on the island, she can turn anything into a gourmet meal and she’s a wonderfully calm and personable addition to any kitchen – you’ll hardly know she’s there and you won’t want her to leave! 508.566.0464

Elizabeth Germain is the slow food aficionado on the island focussing on foods made from scratch with original recipes – the antithesis to fast food (think McDonalds) with emphasis on local, organic and healing recipes. 617.5159279

Laura Silber specializes in coastal fusion pulling from many different coastal cultures uses all local ingredients but with Asian and French flairs. Clean and simple enough that you can eat it everyday.

Heather Gude

A little bit richer and a bit fancier than the rest, Heather’s fusion style has South American and Southeast Asian influences. 508.930.8519