Dinner Celebration of Lake & Land

Come to Basin Harbor for a culinary celebration of Vermont’s local foods from lake and land! We’ll be highlighting Lake Champlain fish (along with other options) in a family style dinner on the shores of Lake Champlain. Before the dinner, enjoy lake-inspired appetizers created by guest chefs, learn more about the fish of Lake Champlain, and explore the lake waters on the EScape cruise boat. Then enjoy the most beautiful sunset in Vermont as you savor your meal, prepared by Basin Harbor. Event begins at 5:00 pm on Sunday, September 24th.

Guest chefs include Bob Lesnikoski of Bobbers, Doug Paine of Juniper Bar & Restaurant + Bleu Northeast Seafood and Matt Birong of 3 Squares Cafe! Featured farms and producers are Lincoln Peak Vineyard, Champlain Orchards, Golden Russet Farm, Shelburne Farms, Misty Knoll Farm, Red Hen Baking Co. and Ray's Seafood Market.

Dinner Tickets: Tickets are $55 for the general public, $45 for Vermont Fresh Network/Lake Champlain International members, and $30 for children ages 12 and under. Tickets include dinner and boat cruise. There will be a cash bar.

Please contact grace@vermontfresh.net for VFN member code or eric@mychamplain.net for LCI member code.

Stay the Night at Basin Harbor! Stay on after dinner and enjoy a restful night at Basin Harbor. Call Basin Harbor directly at 1-800-622-4000 and mention "FishOn" to receive a special discounted rate of $169.  This rate is good for single or double occupancy and includes breakfast Monday morning.  Room rate does not include a 9% service fee and 9% state tax.

This dinner is the final event of the 2017 FishOn! program of the Vermont Fresh Network and Lake Champlain International. You can read more about this initiative below. 

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Background: As Vermonters advocate for strong local food systems, we often focus on ingredients that come from the land - but what about the ones that come from our waters? And the connections between the two?

This summer, the Vermont Fresh Network and Lake Champlain International collaborated in the FishOn! project to take chefs and farmers out onto Lake Champlain to fish, discuss the lake as a healthy local food resource, and learn more about the challenges facing this resource. Up to a million pounds of fish for commercial sale come from Lake Champlain waters in a year (primarily yellow perch, although other species are commercially viable), along with what is caught by anglers fishing recreationally for their own consumption.

Through the FishOn! boating expeditions with SureStrike and Cloud Nine Charters, we had the opportunity for in depth conversations about how human activities impact Lake Champlain and options for improving lake health. Our goal is to create a culture of stewardship for clean water among Vermont’s food professionals. Fishing provides a unique and compelling physical manifestation of the connection between our food system and our water quality.

The September 24th dinner at Basin Harbor is a way to celebrate Lake Champlain fish, along with local foods from the Champlain basin - stewardship of these lands is vital to the lake’s future. It is also a chance for more people to explore Lake Champlain through half hour long evening cruises on the EScape cruise boat. And it is a chance for FishOn! participants to share what they learned with a broader audience through what we know best - delicious food.

This project has been sponsored by grants from the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the WaterWheel Foundation. Basin Harbor has provided additional support for the final FishOn! dinner.