For the fourth year running now, we’ve attended a Plated Landscape dinner put on by Chef Ben Bebenroth and Spice of Life Catering. This year’s event was made special by the fact that, not only was it the first dinner of the season, but it was the first one ever held at the Bebenroths’ new farm in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, christened Spice Acres.
Beautiful, and no artificial colors!
S and I were joined by most of our mushroom-hunting group from last year, as well as about 60 others. Pre-dinner festivities involved a beet-infused vodka cocktail, cucumber gazpacho, and mushroom-pork pot stickers, all enjoyed while resting on velvet couches placed upon a carpet of needles within the cozy confines of a small stand of old pines. With live music to boot.