HEIRLOOM at Greylock Works Showcases What We’re All About
We at Rural Intelligencepride ourselves on bringing you news of the latest in local food trends. HEIRLOOM, the upcoming festival of artisans, curators, chefs and farmers makes that job easy for us, because all we have to do is direct you to Greylock Works in North Adams, Mass. on Saturday, Juily 28. It’s all there.
In 2015, architects and developers Karla Rothstein and Salvatore Perry bought the 240,000 square-foot former spinning mill with the intention to create a space for food-based entrepreneurial projects. HEIRLOOM is part of that vision, and their second such event; they presented FESTIVE, a holiday craft market and food fair, last November.
Berkshire Grown and Storey Publishing (located down the road on the MASS MoCA complex) are the main partners on HEIRLOOM. Together, they are creating programming in the gWorks kitchen. Storey will provide its author/chefs, demos, talks and tastings, while Berkshire Grown is helping to bring together some of the farms and producers.
The organizers are looking to build on last November’s wildly successful FESTIVE. Projected attendance for the holiday craft market and food fair was about 800, and around 1,500 showed up.
“Everybody is excited to have a place in north county, and that they don’t have to travel to go to a big festival,” said Sophie Grant, program director. “FESTIVE was so successful. Now we want to recreate and build off of lasting relationships with artists and producers from our area.”
HEIRLOOM will showcase the best of the Rural Intelligence region: Farm-fresh ingredients, local food vendors, chefs and authors showing us what they do, all in a fabulously partially renovated, gargantuan space that still bears echoes of its industrial past. An outdoor eatery will offer local craft beers, wood-fired pizzas, grilled meats and vegetables.
“This will be a fabulous crossover event featuring ingredients from regional producers and local authors, who will have the opportunity to teach and connect with attendees,” Grant said.
“Flavor at HEIRLOOM” celebrates Story’s 35 years in publishing with demos, talks and tastings by the publishing company’s authors.
“We’re hoping Flavor takes off and develops an ongoing identity of its own,” Grant said. “Our goal is to foster the food community that extends out of Greylock Works and creates a food hub in a creative way.”
Bring your canvas totes, because there’ll be some good shopping along with the food sampling. Artisans — food, jewelry, weaving, body care and others — will be vending. And plan to stay a while. Local musician Karl Mullen is emceeing a lineup at the HEIRLOOM stage, with acoustic music, poetry readings and an afternoon dance piece on the schedule.
“Valuing what we make and grow” is HEIRLOOM’s tagline. Who doesn’t support that?
HEIRLOOM at Greylock Mills
508 State Road, North Adams, MA
Saturday, July 28, 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m
$5 entry | kids under 12 free
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