Savor St. Mary’s Restaurant Week

Treat your taste buds to local flavor!

JULY 25 – AUGUST 8, 2010

During Restaurant Week, enjoy dishes at participating local restaurants prepared fresh with ingredients from our area’s farms, waterways and vineyards.

Monetary contributions generated by Restaurant Week will go to support our two local soup kitchens, St. Mary’s Caring and Loaves & Fishes, which provide food to our community’s hungry.

Our inventive chefs are proud to present their culinary creations! Click here to find a participating restaurant.

For information on all there is to see and do in St. Mary’s County, visit www.VisitStMarysMd.com.

Gearing up for “Savor St. Mary’s” with Giveaways Great Menus and More!

For release June 24, 2010   –  Local restaurants, caterers and food service providers throughout St. Mary’s County are preparing menus featuring items fresh from local farms, waterways and vineyards in support of the inaugural “Savor St. Mary’s” Restaurant Week, July 25 – August 8, 2010.

“Savor St. Mary’s” is an initiative highlighting a truly local food chain. The local farms are providing fresh seasonal items to the region’s locally owned restaurants who produce tasty dishes for customers to enjoy while making financial donations to help kitchen ministries feed the area’s hungry.

Each participating restaurant is making a financial donation to two area food pantries and kitchens; “St. Mary’s Caring” in Lexington Park, MD and the “Loaves and Fishes” ministry at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Leonardtown, MD, which provide food to the community’s hungry and homeless.

Incentives and giveaways are also a part of Restaurant Week including ticket packages to a variety of food-related events; Taste of St. Mary’s, St. Mary’s County Fair, Riverside WineFest, St. Mary’s County Oyster Festival; a drawing for the “Feel the Local Love” giveaway which includes wine from the Port of Leonardtown Winery, oysters from Circle “C” Oyster Ranch and a series of dinners specially prepared by Chesapeake Cuisine “personal chef”.  There is also a special Leonardtown First “Foodie” Friday with Lucie Snodgrass signing copies of her book ”Dishing Up Maryland” along with St. Mary’s featured chefs and a chance to win the “Portable Feast Giveaway” planned for August 6th.

Details on these incentives as well as profiles on the chefs, featured dishes, the area growers and other food related events and celebrations are found by visiting www.savorstmarys.com.

This comprehensive website will continue to evolve and serve as an ongoing  “Virtual Table” for all local culinary events and activities throughout the year and for the next “Savor St. Mary’s” Restaurant Week planned for Feb 15 – 28, 2011 which will feature the best of local seafood and area wine.

A collaboration between locally-owned restaurants, St Mary’s County Department of Economic and Community Development/Division of Tourism, Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) as well as locally-owned small businesses and community-minded individuals, “Savor St. Mary’s” was conceived in order to offer support to local agriculture, promote the area’s independent small businesses, and give back to the community.

For information on how to participate in “Savor St. Mary’s,” contact
Rebecca Deprey, Tourism Coordinator, St. Mary’s County DECD,
301-475-4200 x 1404 or Rebecca.Deprey@stmarysmd.com

Media Contact: Katherine Stormont of Full Stride Communications at 240.577.2374 or fullstridecom@me.com

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) is looking for artists, farmers, vintners, chefs and owners of eligible local business who would like to be included in the upcoming edition of Southern Maryland Trails: Earth, Art, Imagination, a popular local guidebook featuring things hand made, home grown and authentically Southern Maryland.

The fourth edition of the guidebook will be printed in late summer of 2010 and will showcase the region’s culture, heritage, cuisine and natural beauty. The book features four Trails across the five Southern Maryland counties (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s) and highlights art galleries, art studios, farms, B&Bs, wineries, eateries, lodgings, parks and natural areas along these Trails. It includes maps, photos and detailed descriptions of Trails sites, along with suggested itineraries and a calendar of special events at the sites. It is distributed free at Trails sites, visitors centers, county fairs, festivals and via the Web.

Businesses that feel they meet the Trails criteria may submit an application between now and March 31, 2010. Applications and a list of criteria are available at www.somdtrails.com/partners.html or by calling SMADC at 301-274-1922.

Owners of current Trails sites must submit a renewal form before March 31 to have their listing continued in the new book. There is a fee to apply for or renew a Trails membership. Applicants may submit an application or renewal form after March 31 if they pay a late fee. No applications will be accepted after April 23, 2010.

The upcoming edition of the book will feature, for the first time, full color ads for local businesses and organizations. Those interested in advertising in the Trails book, whether they are partner sites or not, can download the application which has an advertising contract attached.

For more information about the Southern Maryland Trails, visit www.somdtrails.com. Information about all of SMADC’s programs, including the Trails, is available at www.smadc.com.

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) was established to promote diverse, market-driven agricultural enterprises, which coupled with agricultural land preservation, will preserve Southern Maryland’s environmental resources and rural character while keeping the region’s farmland productive and the agricultural economy vibrant.

To learn more about additional programs and resources, contact SMADC, P. O. Box 745, Hughesville, MD 20637; phone: 301-274-1922; fax: 301-274-1924; email cbergmark@smadc.com or visit www.smadc.com.

Not all produce that is marketed as ‘local’ is truly locally grown. In these environmentally conscious times look for the So Maryland So Good logo at a farmers’ market in your neighborhood to be certain of Southern Maryland home-grown freshness, and do your part to reduce the carbon foot print by minimizing the distance your food travels to your plate. Southern Maryland’s markets offer a wide range of produce year round and many more farm raised products including cut flowers and potted plants, fresh eggs, local honey, jellies, jams and baked goods. A trip to a farmers’ market makes a wonderful family outing and is a great way to teach children about healthy eating habits, farm fresh foods and how important farms are to the environment.

The Farmer’s Market Guide is one of many resources created by SMADC in support of regional agriculture to assist local farm-based businesses in their continued growth and commercial viability. A related effort is the upcoming state-wide Buy Local Challenge Week (July 18 – 26). Marylanders are challenged to pledge to eat at least one locally grown item per day for a week. To participate in the Buy Local Challenge, simply visit www.buy-local-challenge.com for more information and links to local farms, farmers markets, menu ideas and shopping tips, and special Buy Local Challenge Week events. Check back regularly as the Buy Local Challenge Web site is being updated so that you can post your own BLC event.

Reasons to Buy Local:

• Exceptional Taste and Freshness
  Local food is fresher and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred for taste and freshness rather than for shipping and long shelf life.
• Strengthen the Local Economy
  Buying local food keeps your dollars circulating in your community. Getting to know the farmers who grow your food builds relationships based on understanding and trust, the foundation of strong communities.
• Support Independent/Family Farms
  There’s never been a more critical time to support your farming neighbors. With each local food purchase, you ensure that more of your money spent on food goes to the farmer.
• Enhance your Family’s Health
  Knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seed in their operations. Buy food from local farmers you trust.
• Protect the Environment
  Local food doesn’t have to travel far. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials. Buying local food also helps to make farming more profitable and selling farmland for development less attractive.

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission was established to promote diverse, market-driven agricultural enterprises, which coupled with agricultural land preservation, will preserve Southern Maryland’s environmental resources and rural character while keeping the region’s farmland productive and the agricultural economy vibrant.

To find out more about the guide or to learn more about additional programs and resources, contact SMADC, P. O. Box 745, Hughesville, MD 20637; phone: 301-274-1922; fax: 301-274-1924; email cbergmark@somarylandsogood.com; or visit these websites: www.somdtrails.com or www.somarylandsogood.com .

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) has just released “Farms for the Future: Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission 2009 Report,” a comprehensive account of the commission’s multi-pronged strategy to support local farmers as they transition away from tobacco into sustainable, economically viable agricultural alternatives.

The report outlines the creation of the commission, which was established in 2000 (in conjunction with Maryland’s Tobacco Transition Program), to support transitioning farmers and promote agricultural land preservation.

“We are proud to say that as of 2009, SMADC has aided many more than the original 900 former tobacco farms and helped preserve more than 22,000 acres of agricultural land, forests and wetlands in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties, the state’s main tobacco transition region,” said Dr. Christine L. Bergmark, executive director of SMADC. “This report examines what we have accomplished so far, and gives some insight on what remains to be done. We hope it may even serve as a roadmap to other areas facing these same challenges.”

The 44-page booklet offers in-depth analysis of SMADC’s role in the region’s efforts to build a strong, tobacco-free agricultural economy, beginning with the commission’s basic agribusiness development and research procedures, which have included forums, feasibility studies and research grants.

SMADC’s strategies to address the needs of the area’s transitioning farmers include ongoing education (seminars, training, consulting), farm grants, branding and marketing support. The report also describes specific programs created by SMADC to encourage the public to support local farms (the Southern Maryland Trails, Annual Buy Local Challenge campaign and the So. Maryland, So Good branding campaign) and tools designed to assist consumers in finding the farms that fit their needs, including a comprehensive farm directory and mini-guides like “Farms for the Holidays” and the “Southern Maryland Equine Guide.”

SMADC has also developed an education component for grade school children featuring “Cornelia and the Farm Band,” a group of cartoon characters who teach youngsters about the value of farms. The Cornelia characters, which are featured in short videos and coloring books, are now being formulated and packaged for use in area classrooms.

In addition to examining SMADC’s programs and procedures, the 2009 Report offers insights from dozens of Southern Marylanders on the transition process and the impact of SMADC’s tools, programs and support.

According to Franklin Robinson Jr. of Serenity Farm in Benedict, “SMADC has had a profound effect on agriculture in Southern Maryland. Not only have they administered the tobacco buyout program, they have created a Southern Maryland “brand” for the region. Through their excellently produced Trails books and farm guides, our business has increased, and dollars that would normally be spent on advertising can go to more pressing farm needs.”

“Ultimately, we have attempted to document the full scope of what the commission is doing to fulfill its mission,” said Bergmark. “And we also hope to underscore how crucial it is to our own health, our economy and our environment that we continue to foster agriculture in our area.”

“We hope readers will come away with a renewed commitment to buy local and support our farms. Once farmland is gone, it’s gone forever.”

To read a copy of the report or for more information on the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, including how to participate in its programs, call 301-274-1922, e-mail info@somarylandsogood.com or visit www.somarylandsogood.com.