Over 200 area residents came to The Copperfield Inn on Thursday, Sept. 12th to enjoy the fantastic array of small plates at our first “Farmer & the Chef” food tasting event. With over 40 selections from 18 restaurants to taste, the guests’ biggest problem was pacing themselves so they still had room for yet one more delicious plate as they worked their way around the Copperfield Inn ballroom and enjoyed the open bar.
Our guests voted Rocco’s Brick Oven Pizzeria of Collegeville as their favorite restaurant of the evening. Despite its name, Rocco’s operates as an Italian fine dining establishment with a full menu of Italian classics at amazingly reasonable prices. “The secret to great Italian food is the finest and freshest ingredients,” says owner Chris Ray. “We buy the best and stick to our original recipes, which are personal and family recipes developed over the years by Chris and his business partner, Tom Sullivan. Chris’ wife Kim continues to make all the desserts by hand.
Coming in second and third places respectively were DaVinci’s Pub and The Copperfield Inn, which are under the same ownership and both benefit from the original recipes developed by their talented Executive Chef Massimo. “Massimo has developed different amazing recipes for each restaurant, and we carry the top favorites from DaVinci’s at both,” says Sherri Sautner, one of the four owners.
Fourth was Shagun, Collegeville’s first Indian restaurant that recently opened in the Collegeville Shopping Center. Guests greatly enjoyed five of Shagun’s specialties at “Farmer & the Chef.” “We get authentic fresh Indian ingredients through our New York supplier,” says Manager Happy Grover. “We brought not only our great food to the event but also our great hospitality. We treat each of our customers like royalty, and invite everyone to stop in and try out our specialties at our daily lunch buffet or for dinner.”
Placing fifth in the top five was ICED by Betsy gourmet cupcakes, made with delicious cake, a complementary filling and topped with a generous mound of icing in such flavors as pumpkin cheesecake and peanut butter and chocolate. ICED by Betsy cupcakes are a favorite at the Collegeville Farmers’ Market and can be bought there or at their shop in the former Royersford Train Station.
The event raised over $5,000 for the market. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who came to support our market and the CEDC!