Summer officially ends on Sept. 22nd. Here’s some worthy culinary destinations you should try to check out and several important early fall harvest season food festivals, too. COOL JAZZ AT ALVIN & FRIENDS, NEW ROCHELLE! Proprietor, artist, model, and consummate host Alvin Clayton is approaching his 10th year in New Rochelle with solid doses of American Soul Food, a taste of the Caribbean, and spirited jazz sessions. Alvin & Friends Restaurant has a sophisticated Manhattan vi

It’s probably a pretty safe bet that you’ve got a list of restaurants that want to try one of these days, right? Ramon Pinero, owner of CE Avengers and creator of the Hudson Valley Gold Rewards, understands that and wants to make it easier for you to actually try them by introducing a new program to the Hudson Valley — Try Something New. The first on “Try Something New” dinner is just around the corner, on Wednesday May 1st from 5:30-7:30. The featured restaurant is Café Con

If your perfect day consists of basking in the sun, listening to live music, and quite literally taking a bite out of life, then we’ve got the perfect Hudson Valley event line-up for you. Revel in this list of more than 25 of the Hudson Valley's biggest and best food and drink festivals. Sink your teeth into some juicy steak at the Hudson Valley Rib Fest, or lick frosting off your lips at the Cupcake Festival in Gardiner. Check out sangria festivals to add some buzz to your

All of your senses will be ignited. You’ll smell the earthy smoke, see the beauty of the shale quarry, hear the hiss of the oil on hot steel, and taste the woodland inspired fare. Wilderness, art and food will merge. COME INTO THE WILD! Field Venture is a collaboration between Chef James Gop of Heirloom Fire and Magdalena Mieczkowska of Magdalena Events. The couple encourages their guests to leave society behind and join them for a thoughtful and interactive four course fea

The Premier Cares Foundation is holding its 7th annual “Challenge Your Colon” Chili Festival on Sunday, March 25 from 12-3 at the Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd. Wappingers Falls, NY. This yearly event is a great chance to taste chilis from restaurants throughout the Hudson Valley as well as supporting local charities that offer services for patients with gastrointestinal diseases including colorectal cancer. HudsonValleyEATS.com has a pair of free tickets for a lucky reader.

There’s always something pleasurable about watching someone really good at something doing that thing. Butcher, author and instructor Thomas Schneller is one of those people, and you’ll have the chance to watch him in action at the 4th annual Snout to Tail Event at Kesicke Farms in Red Hook. It’s a 2-Saturday event, March 17th and 24th from 9-3, put on by, and to benefit Slow Food Hudson Valley. The first Saturday, you’ll have a chance to watch Tom break down, or butcher a pi

La Paulée is a celebration of the grape harvest in Burgundy. This year Daniel Johnnes is partnering with The Amsterdam to bring you an eveni

Are you hunting for a weekend adventure filled with lively music, fitness, films, speakers and yummy food? Well, look no further than the Hudson Valley Vegfest, a major expo and festival devoted to vegan living. The event will highlight game-changing vegan businesses, world- renowned speakers, musicians, filmmakers, plant-based chefs, health & fitness gurus and all-around innovators. They come from as far away as Ethiopia, California, Colorado, and our very own Hudson Valle

Come on, admit it, if you had a chance to see where Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen were going to be living in the Hudson Valley (and perhaps bump into them), and have a great brunch for a good cause, you’d jump! My big chance to see what was going on with Silo Ridge in Amenia was a recent Chef & Farmer Brunch to benefit the North East Community Center in Milllerton NY. We tried to get tickets as soon as we found out about it in the spring, but they were sold out months before

These days, it’s quite impressive to be able to stay in business for 28 years, especially when it’s in the restaurant business. Bruce Kazan, owner and operator of Main Course Catering and Events and Main Course Marketplace in New Paltz, has taken impressive to a whole new level, as he’s not just being in business for 28 years, but for 24 years running he’s been voted “Best Caterer in the Hudson Valley” by the readers of Hudson Valley Magazine. Now, you may be thinking 24 year