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Best Chef: Salem, We’re Cooking Up Another Must See Event

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Nov 052015

Blending food, competition and a fundraising event, the Salem YMCA and Creative Salem have partnered to host the 2nd annual Salem’s Best Chef competition, Nov. 7th from 6:30 – 9:30pm at Ames Hall within the Y building.

You are invited to be on hand to observe local Salem chefs facing off to see who reigns supreme.

“Salem is a force in the culinary scene,” explains John Andrews of Creative Salem. “The one constant we have all year long (through Haunted Happenings, the Maritime Festival, cultural happenings, growth in the city, etc.) is an ever growing and changing culinary scene.”

He continues “With those plethora of events throughout the year, the ever expanding culinary scene and the popularity of cooking competitions, it was a unique but logical choice to not only highlight some awesome local chefs but to give a little sample to people to try out some of the offerings in Salem.”

Adding to the local theme, each chef will create three dishes utilizing ingredients from local vendors that participate in the Salem Farmers Market!

Also included in the Best Chef event will be a “Taste of Salem” featuring local restaurants, brewers, and cider masters offering samples to attendees. These include:

Far From the Tree Cider
AMano Italian Kitchen
Ken Rothwell Catering
In A Pig’s Eye
The Lobster Shanty
Opus
The Cheese Shop of Salem
Deacon Giles Distillery
KOTO

This event supports the Salem YMCA and its Annual Campaign which helps fund community initiatives in the areas of the achievement gap, teens, aging population and childhood obesity. It also supports greater access to Y programs in health and wellness, aquatics, camp, child care and in the areas of arts and theater through scholarships and financial assistance.

Guest judges include: the 2014 winner Antonio Bettencourt; 2014 Businesswoman of the year Brandi Dion, owner of B&S Fitness; and the creator of Nosh Northshore and Dinner Dealer Jessica Brand Alves.

Andrews points out that last year’s event revealed that “Putting the focus on the chefs in a city where we don’t really do the ‘celebrity chef’ thing didn’t involve some of the ego that can usually go into these events.”

In fact, it was just the opposite, providing a chance for the locals to really see who is cooking for them in their favorite local restaurants.

Andrews, a former chef himself reveals, “One of the wonderful things about the culinary scene in this city is that a lot of the staff that work in these places frequent each others establishments so there is a real wonderful sense of camaraderie at events like this.”

Additional entertainment at Best Chef will be provided by DJ Noel Snow and a fun-filled photo booth.

Andrews adds, “With Mayoral visions of a shared kitchen incubator space.. An exciting artisanal beer, cider and spirit scene… A vibrant and thriving Farmers Market…The potential turning of the page on the possibility of food trucks… and some really wonderful new options for people to dine… we need residents & visitors to support all these initiatives and new businesses; hopefully events like this and the upcoming Salem Restaurant week will encourage people all over the region to start seeing Salem as the culinary destination that it is.”

Tickets are $35 or $50 for VIP access! (VIP access includes a drink ticket and balcony seating!)
Call 978-740-9622 for more info.

(Photos courtesy of Social Palates Photography)

Live From Salem MA- – – It’s Halloween!!!

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Oct 312015

Walking around Salem a few minutes ago, it was the quiet before the storm, but shortly the expected 70,000 revelers (plus the media) will begin to trickle, then ooze, then just flat out pour into the Witch City for Halloween 2015.

We hope you brought comfortable walking shoes. The big finale to Haunted Happenings is much more than a 3-ring circus, as you walk to all the events.

First stop we suggest is our Information Booth at the corner of Washington & Essex Streets. Our volunteers will guide you to where you want to go, so you spend less time trying to get there and more time enjoying what you wish to see.

There are a number of kid friendly events if you’re bringing the little ones for the early part of the day.

Salem Children’s Day, 10am-3pm on the Salem Common
Ask a Witch, Make a Wand, 10am-5pm, Artemisia Botanicals
Professor Wunders’ School of Magic, 10am, Gallows Hill Museum Theatre
Face Painting, noon-6pm, Gallows Hill Museum Theatre

There are also zones of music spaced around the downtown district for you to relax and recharge if you’re spending the entire day.

Music at Fountain Stage, noon – 1pm, Essex Street Pedestrian Mall
Shock Top Beer Garden, 2pm-10pm, Federal Street at Washington Street
Radio 92.9 Concert Stage, 2pm-10pm, Washington Street at Federal Street
Concert Stage, 7pm-10pm, Front Street
Concert Stage, 7pm-10pm, Hawthorne Blvd.
Gazebo Stage, 7pm-10pm, Salem Common

Remember the rules, and have fun. Salem will put a spell on you….

(And in case later tonight you and your friends want— for whatever reason— to sing the version from the movie Hocus Pocus, here are the lyrics….)

And Now for Something Completely Different in Salem MA

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Oct 282015

What isn’t different in Salem MA during Halloween what with all the witch-stuff, ghostbusters, zombie nurses, etc.? How about these two alternative events for Friday Oct. 30th evening: the First Annual Spice Eating Challenge at Artists’ Row and the Salem Classical production Songs of the Supernatural, produced with support from Salem Main Streets and Creative Salem.

Deborah Greel, Public Art Planner for the City of Salem (Department of Planning and Community Development) describes both events as having an “appeal to tourists but definitely geared for locals too.”

The Heat is ON

Step up to the 1st Annual #Salem MA Wicked Hot Spice Tasting Challenge!!! It will be conveniently located in one of our hottest creative spaces, Artists’ Row, and hosted by Karen Scalia of Salem Food Tours (which is itself located at Artists’ Row). The Challenge will run from 6-7pm, rain or shine. Sign up sheet to be a taster available night of the event.

“The tastings will be four types of mashed chili peppers,” explains Scalia. “Four levels of hot fun – from mild, medium, hot, and SUPER HOT!”

Too afraid to try the heat??? Then just come on down to cheer the poor souls on!! Bwahahahahahaha

The chilis are being supplied by Salem Spice, which also will have them for sale during the event.

“We are thrilled to stage this free community event,” states Scalia. “It’s a fun and exciting way to start Halloween weekend in Salem, a fantastic way to celebrate Artists’ Row, and a great way to support our local fire department.”

Salem Fire Department Local 172 will be in attendance selling tee shirts to raise money for local fire station amenities (which are usually paid for out of pocket by fire-fighters).

As for just what makes chili peppers such a hot deal? According to the website chilipeppermadness.com, “That spiciness we all love and crave comes from a compound called capsaicin that is found in all hot peppers. Interestingly enough, capsaicin is found in no other plant than the chili pepper. A single drop of this substance combined with 100,000 parts water is still noticeably spicy.”

As for advice when the heat is too much to beat? The website advises “Don’t Drink The Water! Pure capsaicin is soluble in alcohol but not soluble in cold water. Hence, instead of dousing the raging flame on your tongue, the water will only spread the spices around in your mouth and make the situation worse. Instead, try sugar or milk to curb that luscious heat.”

For more info, check out the Challenge website.

And if you DARE for more, The Lobster Shanty (also on Artists’ Row) will be serving some delicious spicy HOT specials to get your taste buds roaring.

Coldly Haunting Classical

A siren haunts a rock on the river Rhine.
A princess, locked away in a Bronze Room.
A charlatan conducts sham séances.
A teenage girl, driven to suicide by cruel fate…

The Salem Witch Trials are not the only persecutions fixated on the supernatural. Explore dark magic and tragic heroines, set to hauntingly gorgeous music by Schubert, Berlioz, Liszt, Menotti, Lees, and Rorem, when Salem Main Streets and Salem Classical present the Salem debut of Songs of the Supernatural at the First Church in Salem (316 Essex Street) at 8pm.

Kate Kostopoulos will be the performing soprano; she is from Boston and has been pursing vocal performance for the past six years and simultaneously maintaining a career in Arts Administration.

She is a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music where she received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance. Earlier this year Kostopoulos was a Young Artist at the Atlantic Music Festival performing opera and art song repertoire.

Brendon Shapiro will be her pianist; he is a vocal coach, musical director, and conductor based in Boston. Currently serving as a staff pianist at Boston University and organist for First Parish in Arlington, MA, he has additionally been hired by numerous opera companies, recitalists, choral ensembles, and religious organizations in the area.

He also is on faculty as a vocal coach at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Shapiro holds a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano Performance from Boston University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Ithaca College School of Music where he won the Mary Hayes North Piano Competition Award.

Salem Classical is the home of classical music located in the heart of the pedestrian zone of historic downtown Salem. The mission of Salem Classical is to remove the boundary between the public and performers, bringing some of the greatest music ever composed to Salem. Audiences are invited to frequent concerts as a compliment to the overall cultural experience in the city of Salem that includes dozens of restaurants, shops, and museums. And witches, ghostbusters, etc., etc.

For more info go to the Classical Salem website.

This upcoming Friday night is the “calm before the storm,” so why not venture out for chili and classical? Only in Salem MA would saying that make any sense.

FYI: Rules/Advice for Arriving & Departing Halloween in Salem MA

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Oct 252015

Fun is the operative word for Halloween day and evening this coming Saturday in Salem MA. And to make it so for event sponsors, participants, observers, and folks who aren’t even taking part, the City of Salem has put some measures into place. These can be broken into things to do/not do when you get here and for when it is time to say good night.

For the full list of rules check out the Haunted Happenings website.

Getting here should be a calculated experience. There will be numerous road closures posted on various sites and twitter accounts. Check them out for the most up-to-date info as there will be road delays, detours, and blocked streets. We’ve been here/done that for enough years to know it to be a stone-cold fact. Definitely arrive before 8:30pm.

And don’t get stuck. For example if you do decide to arrive by car and look to park at the MBTA station, be advised that it will be closed from 8pm to 1am. Keep that in mind. You won’t be able to leave early.

Speaking of the MBTA, it would be an excellent alternate source of transportation as extra trains have been put on the schedule.

For if you do drive and you mistakenly or blatantly (the law does not differentiate) park in one of our many “Resident Parking” zones assigned to local residents, you will be fined and your vehicle quite possibly towed.

To make it a safe environment for all, obviously bring no weapons, real or artificial as they will be confiscated— same goes for alcohol.

When it is time to go— you will know as we put on a lively fireworks show beginning around 10:15pm and ending 10:30pm— we ask that you do go quietly into the night. There are many apartments and homes of residents on your paths exiting the city’s downtown district.

And if you had parked at the train station, (which we advised against earlier in this blog) you will not be able to get your vehicle out, as the garage will be closed from 8pm to 1am.

On the other hand, if you came by train, you have ample time to trek to the Salem Depot where the last train departs around 11pm.

Fun is the operative word for the big finale of Haunted Happenings 2015, but to make it so, everybody has to be on the same page. Be safe. Be considerate. Use common sense.

‘World Peace’ Theme for This Year’s Grand Parade

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Sep 292015

As the temperatures and leaves begin to drop, the anticipation begins to rise. October is almost here! And with it comes the 20th Annual Grand Parade to kick off the month-long Haunted Happenings celebration of all things Halloween.

Set for Oct. 1 at 6:30pm, this annual Salem Chamber of Commerce event gives children (of all ages) their chance to launch Haunted Happenings with a great kick off parade. The theme this year is World Peace, which will be reflected in costume and float designs.

When we say children of all ages, we mean exactly that. From kindergarten to high school to college age, once a parade-walker, always a parade walker. We have many Salem residents that have grown up in the annual Parade— who might even have their children now stepping off Thursday night.

According to the Chamber “This time honored kick off of the Halloween season is full of color, pageantry, music and the enthusiasm of thousands of Salem’s students … their participation is what makes this a highly successful, cherished event for our community.”

The actual route snakes through enough streets that watchers have ample choices to observe: from Shetland Properties on Congress Street, the Parade procession will intersect Derby Street & turn left, then right onto Central Street, then left onto Front Street, right onto Washington Street, right onto the Essex Street Pedestrian walkway, and finally head for the conclusion at the Salem Common.

Of course, none of this would be possible without many helping hands, and the Chamber is still looking for a few more volunteers to help run this one-of-a-kind event. Be part of the parade and part of our community! Email info@salem-chamber.org or call 978-744-0004 if you’re interested in joining us (oh, we do mean join us, we’ll be there helping out).

Weather for the evening is expected to be a cool 47 degrees under partly cloudy (spooky?) skies. Good conditions for parade walking & watching!

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