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Customers line up at the table of Crazy Cakes, owned by Cindy Rosenburg, right, to try samples of cakes and brownies as part of last year's North Adams Food Festival on Main Street.
Saturday June 23, 2012

NORTH ADAMS - Local beer and wine connoisseurs will have a chance to sample offerings from breweries and wine makers from around Western Massachusetts, in addition to the dishes being served up by local restaurateurs during Sunday's 11th annual Berkshire Food Festival.

The festival, which takes place on Main Street, will run from noon to 4 p.m.

"We have a different focus this year. In the past, we've had some big beer and wine distributors featured during the food festival," Veronica Bosley, the city's director of tourism and community events, said Wednesday. "This year, we've decided to feature local and independently owned breweries and wine vendors. We have vendors coming from all over Western Massachusetts, Southern Vermont and even one from Portland, Maine."

She added, "We have two mead works coming this year - Green River Ambrosia from Greenfield and Maine Mead Works from Portland. They offer wine made from honey. We also have Headwater Cider Co. coming from Hawley. The gentleman who owns it makes his cider from his organically grown apples. Everything is organic from seed to cider."

Other brewers appearing at the festival include the Berkshire Brewing Co. out of Deerfield; Madison Brewing Co. out of Bennington, Vt.; Paper City Brewing Co. of Holyoke and Wandering Star Brewery from Pittsfield. Kelly's Package Store, from Dalton, will also be on hand, offering samples of local wines and beers.

"Since all of the vendors

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will be independently or locally owned, there will be an opportunity for the public to interact with the brewers," she said. "From an education standpoint, it will be really neat for the public to be able to learn firsthand about the process each brewer uses."

Another change to the festival this year is its name.

"We've changed it to just the Berkshire Food Festival as a way to be more inclusive. We don't want to limit our reach," Bosley said. "While most of our restaurants and food vendors are from Northern Berkshire, we're welcoming SoCo Creamery from Great Barrington this year."

Participating restaurants include Boston Seafood, Christo's Famous Pizza, Gramercy Bistro, The Hub, Lickety Split, Public Eat + Drink, and the Sushi House from North Adams; Crazy Cakes from Florida; Gala restaurant, Spice Root and Wild Oats Market from Williamstown and Forestopia from Shelburne Falls.

"There's going to be a great cross-section of foods available," she said. "Some people are new and some, like Gramercy Bistro, have been with us since the beginning."

Each restaurant will prepare samples, with prices ranging from $1 to $4. Food tickets, which are used to purchase the samples, will be sold for $1 each from two kiosks located at the entrances to the festival tents.

Entertainment throughout the event will be provided by Tom Corrigan and by the local band, Jungle Work.

For more information, contact Bosley at the North Adams Office of Tourism at 413-664-6180 or by email at tourism@northadams-ma.gov.