Press Release: Saratoga Performing Arts Center Announces CulinaryArts@SPAC Fall Series

August 15, 2023

“Our latest CulinaryArts@SPAC series will fuse expert-led conversation, responsibly sourced food and drink, and a completely unique experience for our community to explore both the ‘joy’ of oysters and the many fascinating and delicious facets of fungi,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “Our hope is that these events will introduce new communities to SPAC’s ethos of connecting deeply to art, culture, nature and one another.” 

On The Mushroom Experience, Avery Stempel, Founder of Collar City Mushrooms says, “We are just beginning to understand the true potential of the fungi kingdom to provide sustenance, nurture healing, and repair many of the environmental harms humans have brought on. From food to textiles to art, we have developed the capacity to shape mushrooms into tools that will help build sustainable pathways into the future. Collar City Mushrooms is excited to be partnering with SPAC to provide this Mushroom Experience event. Bringing together local mushroom farmers, culinary artisans, and a myriad of creatives, the evening will entice the senses and transport our guests.” 

CulinaryArts@SPAC: The Joy of Oysters 

October 13, 2023 

6 p.m. – 9 p.m. 

A “cook the book” styled-event, The Joy of Oysters will feature cocktails, culinary delights including oysters prepared a variety of ways, and conversation with food writer and author of The Joy of Oysters Nils Bernstein and WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s Joe Donahue, and live oyster shucking by Chef Megan Diehl. 

Preceding the conversation, guests can enjoy bites from the book including a Raw Oyster Bar, Oyster Po’ Boys Remoulade, Baked Oysters with Cider Cream, and Chocolate Mousse served in Oyster Shells, along with charcuterie and hors d’oeuvres. Non-oyster food options will also be available. Specialty cocktails, wine, beer, and sparkling wine by chëpìka will be served. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch and learn from Chef Megan Diehl, Event Manager for Pop-up Oyster Bar Company, who will be performing live oyster shucking onsite. 

Following the tastings, WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s Joe Donahue will lead a conversation with Bernstein to discuss sustainability, how to select and serve the freshest, tastiest oysters, techniques for broiling, frying, roasting, steaming, pickling, and poaching, and the oyster’s reputation as an aphrodisiac. A book signing with the author will immediately follow the talk. 

Tickets to attend The Joy of Oysters are $95 and include drinks and tastings along with admission to the conversation. Attendees can also purchase a copy of the book for the special event pricing of $25 onsite or pick up from The Savory Pantry (retail: $30), located at 486 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Seating is on a first come basis. Visit spac.org for details. 

CulinaryArts@SPAC: The Mushroom Experience 

November 4 , 2023 

5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. 

A multi-sensory experience spotlighting the beauty of fungi through a mushroom forward gourmet dinner, mushroom-infused cocktails, thematic music and visual art displays, and a “Mushroom Marketplace,” all produced in partnership with Collar City Mushrooms. 

Preceding the dinner, guests can enjoy mushroom-infused specialty cocktails or Lion’s Mane Cold Brew coffee while marveling at the organisms through visual art displays by photographer Carol Bell and glass mushroom sculptures by Adam Parsley of AmpGlass. Ambient musicscapes of fungi, and a “Mushroom Marketplace” featuring fresh mushrooms, and mushroom-infused salts, chocolates and coffee will be part of the evening’s offerings. Experts on mycelial growth and mushroom cultivation will also be on hand to talk with dinner guests. 

Following cocktail hour is a seated, multi-course dinner created by chefs David Chaiken and Corinne Carey of Collar City Mushrooms. The menu will include “Mushrooms Five Ways” with a “Lion’s Mane Lobster Salad” and “Jerk Mushrooms Chimichurri,” an appetizer featuring “Rissole of Black Pearl and Chestnut Mushroom with Mushroom Caviar,” and a main course of “Braised Smoked Short Ribs with Shitake Beret,” finishing off with a dark vegan chocolate dessert. Additional vegetarian selections will also be available. 

Tickets to attend The Mushroom Experience are $125 and include the multi-course supper, drinks and gratuity. Visit spac.org for details. 

Beyond its amphitheater stage, SPAC has become a year-round gathering place celebrating the artistry of food in building community while empowering individuals to understand how what we eat influences our communities and our planet. The CulinaryArts@SPAC initiative, founded in 2020, combines culinary excellence and education with exquisite meals that emphasize socially conscious cultivation and consumption, local procurement, and fair wages. 

CulinaryArts@SPAC is produced by Kim Klopstock of Lily and the Rose and Pam Abrams, with Tiina Loite. Additional support is provided by The Savory Pantry, an artisan food gift and cookbook purveyor, and Four Seasons Natural Foods, an independently owned health food store in downtown Saratoga Springs. 

About Nils Bernstein 

Nils Bernstein is the food editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine and has written and developed recipes for such publications as Bon Appétit, Epicurious, GQ, New York Times, Cooking Light, and Men’s Journal. He traded an illustrious career in the music industry, running the publicity departments at independent record labels Sub Pop and Matador for a career in food, drink, and travel journalism. He is the coauthor 

of The Outdoor Kitchen by Eric Werner and Made in Mexico by Danny Mena. Bernstein splits his time between Mexico City, the Yucatan Peninsula, and New York City. 

About Collar City Mushrooms 

Collar City Mushrooms is an indoor urban vertical mushroom farm, mycological education center, art gallery, and small event venue in Troy, NY. 

Saratoga Performing Arts Center 

Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, is one of America’s most prestigious outdoor amphitheaters. Its tranquil setting in a 2,400-acre park preserve surrounded by hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs draws lovers of arts, culture and nature for performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, and concerts by Live Nation. SPAC also hosts imaginative programming such as Caffè Lena @ SPAC and initiatives in culinary, literary, healing and visual arts. 

SPAC is a 501c3 charitable organization. Donations and proceeds from fundraising events benefit the Center’s thriving education program, community outreach efforts, and the vibrancy of its programming. For more information visit spac.org.