Free Cooking Demonstrations at Ohio State University’s Wooster Campus Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair

Local chefs Jeannine Snyder and Pete Wallin will give Free Cooking Demonstrations at Ohio State University’s Wooster Campus Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair, Tuesday, April 20, and what they cook with will be local too.

Snyder, operations manager of Café Carmen at the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (Ohio State ATI) in Wooster and Certified Chef de Cuisine, and Pete Wallin, chef and dining services production manager at Ashland University, will prepare dishes from ingredients from area farms.

Snyder’s presentation will be at noon and Wallin’s at 4 p.m. near Fisher Auditorium at the site of the fair, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster.

Hours for the fair overall are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is free.

“Local food is fresher, healthful, and has better flavors and greater variety,” said Snyder, a member of the fair’s organizing committee. “We hope to give people a taste of that.”

Indeed literally, as adults and children attended by adults can sample the creations.

Apple crisp — a hit last year, Snyder said — grilled herb-marinated chicken, vegan salad with bruschetta, and beef tips with mushrooms in cheese sauce over noodles are some of the possibilities, though the lineup hasn’t been finalized.

Among the growers donating ingredients: LaCroix Greenhouse and Farm (Holmes County, organic produce), Mud Run Farm (Stark County, organic eggs and chicken), Linda Orr/Beef Direct (Wayne County), Killbuck Valley Mushrooms (Wayne County), Hartzler Family Dairy (Wayne County, naturally produced milk and butter), Inn Maid Noodles (Holmes County), and Moreland Fruit Farm (Wayne County).

Now in its third year, the Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair features local food plus renewable energy, energy conservation, alternative fuels, gardening, composting, recycling and more. “Green is for Life!” is the theme. About 1,800 people attended last year.

Call 330-287-1263 or visit http://www.wcsen.org/wcsggf/ for more information.

Coordinating sponsors are Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; three parts of the college — OARDC, Ohio State University Extension and Ohio State ATI; and the Wayne County Sustainable Energy Network.