Southern Tier Life - May 2021

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Covering Your Friends & Neighbors

LOCAL AUTHOR: CHRIS SHERWOOD ELMIRA LITTLE LEAGUE GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE MINDING YOUR BUSINESS: EXTENDED BEAUTY LASH, BROW + SKIN STUDIO CHEF’S BEST: THE PARK INN

In the Kitchen with Chef Dan

Volume 01. May 2021

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SOUTHERN TIER LIFE MAGAZINE STAFF

Editor In Chief Randy Reid Editorial Assistant Dee Reid Advertising Randy Reid Contributors A’Don Allen, Chris Brewster, Sheri Hughey, Sky Moss, Bob Thomas, Cathy White Contact news@southerntierlife.com Address P.O. Box 704, Elmira, New York 14902 Publisher Reid Media Group, LLC

Reid Media Group LLC is a NYS Certifed Minority Business Enterprise Southern Tier Life is published by Reid Media Group. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Vibing w/ Cat White 06 Minding your business 08 Hot shots 10 elmira little league 12 ExPats - Jason Whong 14 Local Author - Chris Sherwoood

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In the Kitchen - Cover Story

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Chef’s Best - Park Inn

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Upstate Geechie 23 What’s Happening 24

COVER PHOTO CREDIT: Lyndsi Stoltzfus Photography

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Centuries of Experience.

A Name You Can Trust.

thedunngroup.com

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Editorial Happy Spring everyone. We catch up with one of the area’s top chef as he discusses how he came to Hammondsport’s Park Inn. Chef Dan even shares one of his favorite recipes that we can make at home.

As the weather turns warmer, many of us will be at Little League fields, Softball fields cheering on our favorite player. In this edition of Southern Tier Life, we look at Elmira’s Little League program and how they are honoring the past.

We introduce our newest columnist, Cat White who is a former Star Gazette features writer. She was also our March Expats feature. We received great response to her article, we wanted to hear more from her.

We would like to hear your feedback on our magazine so far. Reach out to us at: news@southerntierlife.com.

RANDY REID SOUTHERN TIER LIFE MAGAZINE 2021

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In 2010 I moved to Austin, TX after having lived the majority of my 35+ years in the southern tier. I was born at Arnot Ogden Hospital, grew up on the north side, went to Elmira Free Academy and auditioned for the original Mark Twain musical (the end of my acting career). Early on I worked for several local businesses in downtown Elmira and my last serious gig was as a features reporter for the Star-Gazette alongside such journalistic legends as James Pfiffer (Pfiff-Daddy), and Jeffrey Aaron (aka local blues legend Gerard Burke) and John Cleary (folksy yet reverential Neighbors columnist).

I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled the United States, extensively - from sea to shining sea. Mostly by car, bus or train. Boy do I have stories! I’ve spent short periods of time in southern California, southwestern Montana and visited several southern states, settling in one of the most independent and outspoken territories of the southern United States.

In my February Ex Pats column, I wrote about the similarities between my new and old hometowns. There are some differences, too.

Shortly after I moved to Austin, I recall telling a store clerk who’d asked, that I was from New York. Apparently, she’d noticed my lack of twang, and asked where I was from. Then she asked me if people from New York were “mean.”

Any New Yorker that’s traveled outside the state knows that, everyone assumes if you say you’re from New York, they think New York City. New York is much more than the Big Apple - as exciting as that particular feisty forbidden fruit is.

Vibing w/Cat White

I explained to the clerk that New York State is mostly small town farm country and mountain towns, and that, generally, Western, upstate New Yorkers were a friendly folk willing to help friends and strangers alike. Furthermore, I was sure to let her know that, in general, New York was as friendly as any other state. Just a bit more snarky. Even the small country cities and towns. Especially the small towns.

Snark … with a dash of love.

Southerners have their sly sarcasm, as well. You’re familiar with the term “Bless your/her/his/their heart”? While it sounds nice, there’s a salty tinge to the saying. It took a year of a work colleague saying that to me whenever I asked her how to perform a task for me to realize that I was, politely, being called an idiot. Apparently, I was being told to my face that I was dumber than a bunch of rocks every day for a year while I smiled back, blithely, unaware.

A New Yorker would’ve just asked me what kind of idiot I was point blank.

Actually, as time went on my coworker and I got close and she ended up being one of my first friends in Austin. Also,

she wasn’t wrong - I was an idiot when it came to basic office software programs. I’m sure I asked a lot of stupid questions. I’m sure it was annoying.

And with three little words - Bless your heart - my coworker could insult me to my face in her sweet southern drawl with me none the wiser. Pretty snarky, sis!

Moving to a different region can take some adjusting - perspective, attitudes and cultural mores may be very different. I like learning about all of it and have enjoyed expanding my knowledge and experience of this vast and varied country.

Yet, the southern tier is never far from my thoughts. Even after 10+ years away. Every summer I think of the public parks and camping grounds we’d visit, sunning and splashing the day away, or touring the small-town shops and wineries along the Finger Lakes. I took innumerable trips to the Watkins Glen Gorge to hike or swim, or driving across the New York-Pennsylvania state line into the northern tier to get ice cream or a tasty home-cooked meal at a family-owned restaurant, an endless view of green trees, waterfalls and wildflowers along the highways that

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varied and creative tapestry of humanity that inhabited this region of New Growing up, my Grandmother made us York. visit Mark Twain’s grave in Woodlawn Cemetery every summer. I say “made” Moving to the south, and Texas parbut, if you’ve ever been there you know ticularly, has presented a completely different perspective on many of the that it’s one of the most serene solemn burial grounds in the country. A cultural assumptions I’d held about the national cemetery with quite the who’s south. Yet, I continue to find threads of who of local and national historical no- connection between north and south, tables. I miss strolling the paved paths, small rural farm country and large cooled by large shade trees, feeling the urban centers, in the shared experience history of my hometown. as Americans. connect this lush, enchanting region.

From a young age, I had an appreciation of growing up in the southern tier that only deepened when I worked for the Star-Gazette and got to meet incredible community people from all walks of life, doing extraordinary things in art, entertainment, local business, health and well-being, philanthropy and sports. I wrote about drag queens, musicians and artists, highlighted art receptions, local music concerts and comedy shows. I had the opportunity to learn about the rich,

I’m excited to write this column and share my observations and experiences from the perspective of a southern tier girl on an epic adventure to learn more about her country and her fellow citizens while searching for the issues and experiences that connect us. In addition to the column, I’ll be helping share stories of other southern tier Ex Pats who’ve ventured beyond the border of the Twin Tiers to make their mark and find their way in the world. The southern tier has produced powerful

political figures, sports stars, journalists, filmmakers, fashion designers, writers and artists. I want to explore why they left, what they miss about the region and where their decisions have led them.

Although I’m halfway across the country, the southern tier has never felt so close. I look forward to cultivating that connection while sharing inspirational and interesting stories from myself and others.

“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.” – Mark Twain

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Each month Southern Tier Life highlights a local business. This month we feature Extended Beauty in Elmira Heights.

Why did you start your business?

I wanted to provide an establishment in our community that offered a calm, relaxing atmosphere for luxury beauty services specific to eyelashes, eyebrows, and skincare.

Tell me about your business: Extended Beauty is a multi-service beauty studio and esthetic training facility located in the heart of Elmira Heights, NY. Our lash, brow, and skin services are customized to meet the individual needs of our clients. We pride ourselves in providing services done by trained,

Minding Your Business Address: 273 E 14th St Elmira Heights NY 14903 Website: www.facebook.com/extendedbeautystudio Social Media: http://instagram.com/extendedbeauty_bybrittany # Years in Business: 6 COVID that kept your business alive?

During covid we kept our business alive by customizing home facial kits and marketing our top selling eyelash serum that is known to dramatically

We offer one on one training for lash extensions, lash lifts, brow lamination, and dermaplaning.

We offer LED therapy, a skin rejuvenation treatment using non-invasive, non-ablative red light therapy, blue

Owner Brittany Nelson

certified and experienced NYS licensed estheticians. We have completed thorough training in each service we offer and use only high quality and professional grade products in our treatments.

Who are your customers?

We cater to clients that seek and appreciate a high quality experience with attention to detail.

What did you do differently during

enhance length and thickness to natural eyelashes as well as eyebrows.

light therapy and infrared light treatment for anti-aging skin care, facial wrinkles, acne treatment, and more.

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NEW YORK

Specializing in pre-owned & refurbished Apple Products and windows based computers Apple MacBooks Apple iPhones Apple Desktops Apple Watches Apple iPads

GoodApplesny.com Elmira, NY

All Major Payment Methods Accepted

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APPARATUS Content Coordinator: Steven Bigness

TO W N O F B I N G H A M TO N F I R E CO M PA N Y The Town of Binghamton Fire Company has 10 Apparatus 2 Engines (58-1, 58-2) 2 Tankers (58-1, 58-2) 1 Tower (Tower 58) 1 Squad (Squad 58) This month we feature the Town of Binghamton Fire Company, established in 1950, providing fire service to residents in the Town of Binghamton. Since 1950, the Company has worked closely with those in the community to help others in their time of need. The company’s first truck, a 1932 Pirsch, was obtained from the Broome County Airport in October 1951. Repairs and equipment were required to bring it up to firefighting standards. The truck was in service by November 1, 1951.

In March 1952, a committee was formed for the purpose of purchasing land for a sta-

1 Brush Truck (Brush 58) 1 Utility Truck (Utility 58) 1 Command Vehicle (Command 58) 1 ATV (ATV 58)The

For More information: www.tobfire.org facebook.com/TOBFireCo

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tion. Several sites were considered, but final acceptance went to land on Hawleyton Road donated by Mrs. Veronica Ward. Construction was started in October 1952. Total cost at the time was $5500. The new station was occupied in January 1953 and a 1000-gallon GMS tanker was purchased from Hinmans Corners Fire Company.

In 1957 the name of the fire company was officially changed from Hawleyton Volunteer Fire Company to the Town of Binghamton Fire Company Inc. The stations were changed from the area names to include station numbers under the unified Town of Binghamton Volunteer Fire Co. banner. Hawleyton - Station 1, Pierce Creek Rd. - Station 2, and Park Terrace - Station 3. The Town of Bing-

hamton Fire Company is a 100% volunteer fire company serving the approximate 5,000 residents of the Town of Binghamton in Broome County, New York. With 40 volunteer firefighters responding to any emergency: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Fire Company does a variety of fundraisers, (Covid permitting). In August there is traditionally an annual chicken barbecue. Station 1 hosts spaghetti dinners throughout the year. Station 2 puts on pancake breakfasts and Station 3 has an ice cream social every year.

The Town of Binghamton Volunteer Fire Company accepts new members at each monthly meeting. These meetings general-

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ly fall on the first Monday of every month.

To become a member, click on the following link, https://tobfiretreasurer.wixsite.com/tobfire/join.

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Photograph by. Randy Reid

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Instagram @reidmediagroup

BACK TO THE FUTURE writen by. A’Don Allen As May hits, cities across the country will have a tradition that is second to none in the spring, Little League Baseball! There are over 27, 000 Little League teams in over 5,000 leagues in the United States, including in Elmira, NY. Little League Baseball has been in Elmira since the early 1960’s.

There used to be 2 Little League’s in the city of Elmira, Mark Twain which was located on the Southside of Elmira & Huck Finn which was located on the Eastside of Elmira. Then in 2014, the 2 leagues decided to merge. Terry Greene, current President of Elmira Little League said, “The merger became finalized in 2016, forming Elmira Little League. We wanted to name the league after the city we live and play in. Our league motto is “one city, one league”.

Greene, who has been the President for the past 5 years, oversaw the merger, but also began to see a vision. Normally, each team in Elmira Little League is named after a Major League Baseball team. But Greene was thinking about something different.

“For a couple of years, I had been talking to the board members about having our kids wear the hat and shirts of the Negro league teams to honor them. I remember as a kid listening to my grandfather Bill Bell talk about the Negro league & some of the talent in the league that was better than players in the all-white major league during his younger day before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the MLB in 1947. In 2019, I found out that in 2020 it would be the 100th anniversary of the Negro league and I told my board about it and

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I told them, 2020 is the perfect time to honor the memory of the Negro league and my board was all for it.”

In 2019, Greene, began to make his vision become a reality. “In the winter of 2019 I had spoken to Dan Sowers, co-owner of Pastrick’s Screen Printing in Elmira Heights about my vision. That is where we order all our

uniforms and trophies from. He told me, he couldn’t replicate the hats because he didn’t have the rights to make them so, he gave me the number of OC Sports,” said Greene. “I received a call from Brad Reagan, and I talked to him about what I wanted to do and if he could point me in the right direction. He loved the idea and he told me he would have to talk

to MLB to see if they would give them the rights to make the hats. I had to write a proposal letter to MLB executives about my idea and Brad presented it to them in a meeting. Brad called me after the meeting and told me, the MLB executives loved the idea and they granted OC Sports special permission to make the hats for Elmira Little League only. The MLB executives told Brad; Elmira Little League is the only youth baseball organization to present them with this request in the entire country.”

In 2020, Elmira had a shortened and delayed season due to Covid-19 restrictions. And while 2020 was the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, Greene wanted to make sure the recognition would be used in a more traditional year. But for Greene, this is a dream come true. “I wish we could’ve done this last year on the 100th anniversary but Covid put a halt to our season last year before we got started.

So, 2021 is the actual 101st anniversary of the Negro league but better late than never. If my grandfather was alive, he’d be proud to see the youth of Elmira Little League wearing hats

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and shirts of teams that had most players who never made it to the major leagues, not because of their talent but simply because of the color of their skin. I’m so proud of what myself and my board have done for the youth of Elmira Little League and the city of Elmira. I believe with my vision and the help of others; we have put the city of Elmira on the baseball map.”

With the temperature of the nation rising with civil unrest in the aftermath of last summer’s riots and protests, I asked Terry if he had any trepidation on unveiling this at this moment in history, and it was the furthest thing from his mind.

“Honestly, no I’m not concerned about any backlash from anyone. My mom, may she rest in peace, raised me to stand on my feet and be proud of my race and if I believe in something, give it everything I have to make it come to fruition and I did just that. To me, having the youth of Elmira Little League wearing these uniforms is not a race issue, it’s a baseball history issue. The Negro League will forever be a part of MLB history in my mind,” Greene said.

History is going to look incredibly good on young baseball players in Elmira this summer! The Elmira Little Season will begin On Saturday May 1st.

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FROM THE CHEMUNG RIVER TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

by Jason Whong

Sometimes I wonder if I count as a Southern Tier expat because I was born and raised in Maryland.

Don’t get me wrong — I gave a decent stretch of my twenties and thirties to the Southern Tier, living there from 2004 to 2015. It remains the place where I spent most of my adult life.

It’s where I formed most of my adult friendships. I’ve also lived in Rochester, Dallas and southern California, but those places don’t hold the same significance to me as Elmira.

But can you truly be a Southern Tier expat when you left to return to the state where you were born?

Seeing the Chemung River each day in Elmira reminded me of my connection to Maryland because the water that flowed through Elmira would eventually go there. It would meet the Susquehanna River in Sayre, then continue to the head of the Chesapeake Bay in Havre de Grace. When my son was old enough to speak, I made sure he learned that the water in Elmira also flowed past Nana’s house in Lexington Park, Maryland.

Since moving back to Maryland meant I was uprooting my wife, Erin, from her native New York, we agreed to look for a home near a Wegmans grocery store. We weren’t sure where she would eventually get a job, so we chose a place between Baltimore and Washington: Columbia, which has about 100,000 people and 94 miles of walking paths.

The move brought us some lifestyle changes. Most of my commute was on a commuter bus, so I didn’t have to drive. Erin’s commute time stayed about the same, but her GPS sent her on a different route each day. Columbia’s development began in the mid-1960s, so a lot of our surroundings were newer than they were in Elmira.

Some things are bigger here. The main highway, Interstate 95, has four lanes in each direction.

I worked in a newsroom that was on the 24th floor of a 28-story building. Our Wegmans has a twostory garage, an upstairs dining and meeting area, and an escalator just for shopping carts. One time at Wegmans, I encountered someone who grew up in the Binghamton area. She was excited to learn that I used to live in the Southern Tier. We traded stories, then she said something that made me feel guilty about the prosperity that surrounded both of us: “Congratulations. You escaped.”

I can remember thinking how upsetting it must feel to “escape” from one’s home, and about how external factors affect the relative wealth of American regions.

The Census Bureau estimates that Chemung County had a median household income of $60,782 in 2019. The same statistic for Howard County, Maryland, where I live now: $121,618.

Some geographers would say I’m near the southern end of a supercity that stretches from Northern Virginia to the outskirts of Boston. It’s home to about 17% of the American population on less than 2% of its landmass, and has the world’s largest economic output. New York is the center of this megalopolis. Washington anchors the southern part, providing an outsize share of jobs here.

I wouldn’t say I had escaped, but it was clear my career path would take me from Elmira eventually.

After 10 years of working at the Star-Gazette, there didn’t seem to be any way to move up locally, so I took the step that a lot of the TV reporters did: I went to a larger market. I became a reporter at

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the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, with an hour commute each way. When the company told us our jobs would end, but we were all encouraged to apply for new, different jobs, I figured it was only fair to also apply to a newspaper in Maryland. In that reorganization, I left on my own terms and became digital editor of The Daily Record in Baltimore.

By coincidence, our family also got bigger after we moved. Two of us were born in New York, and now two of us have been born in Maryland. Instead of planning family trips to Maryland each year, we plan family trips to upstate New York. Coming back to Elmira jogs my memory.

For a bunch of the places we pass in the car, I’ll remember the Jason with his wife Erin Cassidy, and their two children Julian (9) and Allison (4) news I covered there. It’s exciting and a little strange to have such vivid memories triggered by driving past otherwise ordinary places.

One of the quotes I remember reporting and pondering back then was from Thomas Meier, president of Elmira College. He said to incoming freshmen: “Mark Twain did his best work here. So can you.”

Back then, I remember thinking I was doing my best work in Elmira. It seemed obvious: Elmira was where I learned the value of doing hard work.

It’s where I learned to love being an underdog.

It’s where I learned how good it feels to work on something that people in the community really care about.

Since returning to Maryland, I’ve hoped to do even better work. After six years as the digital editor at The Daily Record, I’m breaking out on my own. I found an opportunity that doesn’t come along every decade, so I decided to take a risk. I acquired a business. I’m now the editor and publisher of OutLook by the Bay, a magazine aimed at mature Marylanders living in the Chesapeake Bay region.

I’m enjoying bringing my experience in journalism to the magazine, and I am hoping to make it connect with more readers. This magazine will become whatever I make it, and it presents a new

Latest Edition of Jason’s new magazine. Click photo to go to the website.

challenge to me.

Since I’ll be working from home, I’ll finally have a commute shorter than I did in Elmira.

Something that won’t change: each day, from my home office, I can see a stream, an unnamed tributary of the Little Patuxent River. Both of my kids know the water there eventually flows by Nana’s house.

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Collection:

LOCAL AUTHORS Inspiration comes in many forms for local author

By CHRIS BREWSTER One of the most famous quotes on creativity goes like this: “Inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time.”

For Chris Sherwood, much of the inspiration for his first novel, “In Times of Trouble,” came while walking his dog in the Town of Baldwin, where he grew up and still lives.

“I love post-apocalyptic fiction and while walking our dog I’d often

drives a school bus. “I began to think what I would do in such a situation, and over time the idea formed. Funny enough, the very first scenario I ever thought up hasn’t been used ...yet.”

The more Sherwood, who had freelance writing experience prior to trying his hand at fiction, thought of characters and ideas, the more it felt to him like there was a book there.

“A couple friends, both writers themselves, encouraged me to start jotting things down, see what happened,” he said. “Eventually, I found myself immersed in this world filled with fictional characters that are very real in my mind. Sometimes the book just seemed to write itself.”

The result is a book that deals with the aftermath of a horrific event and how residents of the fictional small town of Hammond’s Corners – modeled after Baldwin, Sherwood says – survive.

Author Chris Sherwood think, ‘What would happen to us here in our town if the world as we know it ended?’,” said Sherwood, an Elmira Free Academy graduate and former paramedic and medical professional who now

Sherwood self-published about a year ago to excellent reviews on Amazon (4.9 out of 5 stars on 55 ratings) and is about halfway done with a sequel.

“It’s taking me longer than I’d like,” he said, “but considering the first book took four years from start to finish, I can’t complain.”

His artistic creativity isn’t limited to writing. Sherwood is also a back up singer and guitarist for the Celtic rock group Kilrush.

When asked how his music influences his writing, Sherwood mentioned that it helped him be a little more fearless and a little less worried about making mistakes.

“I’m less afraid to take creative chances than before,” he said. “And when something doesn’t work, its helped me learn to say, ‘eh,’ and move on, not let it bother me too much for the most part.”

That fearlessness also led Sherwood to the decision to self-publish, for a couple of reasons.

“First off,” he said, “I’d read that publishing companies were cutting back what they released. Not good if you’re a complete unknown.

“More importantly, some of my favorite authors in the genre started out self-publishing. A couple of them landed contracts with well-known publishing houses, only to go back to self-publishing once their contracts were up, interestingly enough.”

The decision turned out to be the right one for Sherwood.

“I think it gave me more freedom,” he said. “For example, the town of Hammond’s Corners is based on the

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town where I grew up and live today.

I was able to include a picture of it on the cover, thanks to Juan Padron, the cover artist.

if she was looking for writers. She brought me on and gave me a regular column. I think that’s when things really took off.”

“Self-publishing has been a lot of work, especially when it comes to promoting the book. But it’s been very rewarding.”

Where to find In Times Of Trouble It also helped with the fiction writing Chris Sherwood’s novel can be as well. found online in paperback and e-book exclusively at Amazon.

“Perhaps what I got out of writing the com. “I do occasionally get newspaper column was I learned to requests for signed copies, and see the story hidden anyone wanting one can e-mail in otherwise mundane things,” me at chris@cmsherwood.com,” he added. “I also think it’s where I he said.

Another key in any creative endeavor is imagination, which has been largely inspired by Sherwood’s love of all things Star Wars.

“Think about Star Wars and what it’s become over 40 years after the movie first premiered,” he said. “That fictional universe all started with a ‘big bang’ of its own, in one guy’s imagination.

That’s both amazing and inspiring to me on so many levels.”

Writing has been part of Sherwood’s life for many years, but it’s not something he expected to be doing.

“I think it was something that just happened.” he said. “I always enjoyed English and literature type classes in high school, particularly when it came to the creative writing aspect. In my twenties I did some freelance stuff for a couple magazines and newspapers.

“When the internet and blogging become more popular, I started writing and sharing online. Some of it was God-awful, but some of it really seemed to resonate with the people who read it. All ten of them.

“Then in 2010 I took a chance and asked Karen Frick, then the editor of Broader View Weekly

learned to open up and let it all out. I think if you want to write something that connects with people, you can’t hold back.”

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In The Kitchen

with Chef Dan Eaton Photograph by. Lyndsi Stoltzfus Photography

Photograph by. Lyndsi Stoltzfus Photography

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(Click) Mushroom & Cheese Goat Pate Recipe

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by Bob Thomas “Life is better at the Lake” or so the saying goes. I prefer dry land, so for me, life is better around the lake. For those of us lucky enough to live in the Southern Tier, we have the Finger Lakes, and life is good.

Do yourself a favor and try to take one weekend day per month to visit one of the Finger Lakes. Hike. Bike. Boat.

Swim. Just explore. Taste the food, the wine, the craft beer and the cocktails.

Before you know it, you will be taking a weekend, then a week.

My wife Marisa and I traveled west on I-86 and eight miles north on State Route 54 to Keuka Lake, landing at The Restaurant at the Park Inn for this month’s edition of Chef ’s Best.

www.parkinnflx.com lodging. She assisted with the reservation at the Restaurant and gave great recommendations on places to go along Keuka Lake.

“I highly recommend visiting our winery for a tasting prior to dining,” Wright said.

And so we did.

The Point of the Bluff Vineyards offers wine and cheese as well as wine and chocolate tasting pairings. This is where it pays to have a partner in crime. My wife Marisa chose the

Yes, a restaurant and an inn. Count us in. Dinner turned into a day trip with an overnight at a charming five-room inn right in the center of town.

Before visiting I had a great exchange with Katrina Wright, marketing manager for Point of the Bluff Group.

The Park Inn is part of their portfolio, along with Point of the Bluff Vineyards, Crooked Lake Ice Cream and the Glenn Scott Farm. Talk about a dream job, wine, ice cream, food and

Photograph by. Lyndsi Stoltzfus Photography

cheese and I took the chocolate. We shared tastings and had the best of both worlds.

“A couple of my personal favorite spots are Krooked Tusker Distillery and Keuka Brewing, both of which are just seconds down the road from our tasting room,” Wright said, pointing out a couple of other spots along the way.

With exploring behind us we were ready for another “Chef ’s Best” adventure.

Once at The Restaurant at the Park

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Inn, we were greeted warmly by Jason Ferris, restaurant manager and sommelier. We were seated at a window table overlooking Pulteney Square and encouraged to try one of their featured crafted cocktails (did I mention we were staying upstairs in the Inn).

Not to be forgotten, the wine.

Ferris paired the bruschetta with a Keuka Spring 2018 Gewurtztraminer.

My choice, the “Arrival Thyme” featuring bourbon, with the sharpness of lemon perfectly offset with smooth maple syrup. Marisa opted for the “Amelia Earhart,” a drink she describes as a prelude to summer. The fresh cucumber juice tied this gin and sake cocktail together.

The entrée continued to showcase Eaton’s talents; Pan Roasted Duck

Before rolling through details of an exquisite meal, a word about the chef at the Park Inn. Admittedly I stay out of the kitchen on these “Chef ’s Best” adventures. In my opinion, a chef is working hard enough without having service interrupted with a reporter’s questions or having to visit the table. However, had I known our chef was an Upstate New York celebrity, I would have found a way to say hello.

For years I would pause my channel surfing when I stumbled upon a “Cooking at Home” with Chef Dan Eaton segment, aired on Time Warner Cable News. Eaton created more than 3,000 recipe segments for television over 12 years.

Do not let his TV chops fool you, Eaton is a serious chef, having cooked in

“The grapes baking spice notes pair so well with roasted winter squash.” Ferris said.

prestigious kitchens such as Bouley in New York City and The French Valley in Napa Valley. At the Park Inn, he prepares the menu daily to celebrate all the flavors that the Finger Lakes Region has to offer. The food is complemented by a 200-plus selection wine list directed by Ferris.

My “Chef ’s Best” experience began with Roasted Butternut Squash “Bruschetta”. Squash is not at the top of my vegetable list, (yes, technically it is a fruit).

In this dish the squash was roasted to perfection, caramelized just enough and opposed by toasted pumpkin seeds. The creamy ricotta base absorbed the crunch from the crisp toast.

An earthy kale pesto balanced the bright balsamic reduction.

It truly was a symphony of flavors and textures. The thought was echoed by Eaton in his description of why he chose this appetizer as “the textural and flavor juxtapositions all complement one another.”

Breast.

“The duck was chosen because it utilizes three different parts of the animal and three different techniques,” Eaton said. “The pan roasted duck breast, the duck leg cured and cooked by confit and the duck skin rendered into cracklings as a garnish.”

My thoughts on the duck in a sec.

Eaton forgot to mention the parsnip puree surrounding the beautifully presented duck. Cloud-like in texture, with a subtle sweetness. A perfect pairing for the rich duck.

Duck breast cooked to perfection with a duck confit sidecar and topped with duck crackling crumbles. Duck on duck on duck. Cut with cranberry compote and tart cherry demi-glace, floating on parsnip puree and rounded out with sautéed kale.

The wine pairing for the duck was unique, a 2018 Roof Top Reds Blaufrankisch.

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“The tart red fruits are great with duck’s nuances while the acid structure of that style is more subtle for this leaner style of duck breast,” Ferris said.

You know you are in good hands when the wine selected for you comes from a rooftop vineyard in New York City.

Great wine, from the top of a building in New York City.

I encourage you to visit Hammondsport in the off-season and any season.

Take in all that surrounds Keuka Lake, highlighted by The Restaurant at the Park Inn. Make a reservation and experience the best of the Finger Lakes with Chef Dan Eaton and Sommelier Jason Ferris.

When you dine just ask for the Chef ’s Best!

About The Restaurant at the Park Inn Address: 37 Shether Street Hammondsport, NY 14840 Phone: 607-224-4004

parkinnflx.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/ParkInnflx/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/parkinnflx/

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Spring time at CCC

by Sky Moss

Early spring, snow beginning to melt.

Flora showing their vibrant colors for the first time this year. Fauna becoming more active. A stream trickling water over a bed of rocks, pooling in areas here and there. A family of deer has their heads lowered to drink while the buck stands guard. Squirrels searching for food on the ground. Birds chirping and singing above in the treetops.

The faint smell of pine and fresh grass fill the air, and you are standing there silently in a stand of trees taking it all in Peaceful, right?

The outdoors is a gorgeous place available for all to enjoy. Whether that form of enjoyment comes from observation only, hiking or hunting, just about everybody has something that he or she can enjoy about the outdoors. Some people may say that they don’t have the time or resources to surround themselves in the outdoors, or that they do not know where to go to experience the outdoors, and that could not be farther from the truth.

Here at Corning Community College (CCC) the outdoors is well – just outside the doors! CCC is lucky, just a short walk from the campus the students have access to the Spencer Crest Sky Moss is an Associate Professor at Nature Center. Boasting a staggering 250 acres of land, as well as seven Corning Community College miles of trails that anyone can use, free of charge.

It only takes about fifteen minutes to walk from the campus to the trails, and after just few minutes of walking, you will find yourself utterly surrounded by the outdoors. Maybe you don’t want to just go out onto the trail for no reason than to just enjoy nature, well there is a solution for that too, there is a great visual example of the Fibonacci sequence available to see. Maybe you don’t care about numbers; well there is knowledge to obtain on the local flora and fauna available here. Whatever the reason, you should try to make time in your schedule to visit the Spencer Crest trails this spring semester, it is definitely worth it.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING MAY May 5 Trouble Beings Lecture Series: “Mark Twain’s Roadshow: Travels, Travails, and the Inspirations of a Literary Giant” May 5th Bring the Heat - A live stream of glass artists demonstrating glass making at Corning Museum of Glass May 14 May 14 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm 3 AMERICANS: CONVERSATION WITH BRUCE MUIRHEAD May 25 Mayhem in May - Champion Speedway - Owego

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