Author: Matt Ingersoll

News from the local food scene

• Farm fresh pizzas: Join Brookford Farm (250 West Road, Canterbury) for a family-friendly pizza party on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m., an event held in conjunction with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Attendees can feast on house-made brick oven pizzas and sides that will be loaded with farm-fresh organic ingredients, and the party will also include live music, children’s activities, a farm tour, an exhibitor fair, raffle prizes and more. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Admission is free for kids under the age of 2. Visit nofanh.org/brookford-farm-event.

• A bite of the apple: The Salvation Army of Nashua will hold its annual Applefest on Saturday, Oct. 1, and Sunday, Oct. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, at Sullivan Farm (70 Coburn Ave., Nashua). In addition to apple picking, the rain-or-shine event will feature a variety of treats available for sale, like fresh cider, apple pies, ice cream, hamburgers and hot dogs. Other activities will include hay rides, scarecrow making, face painting, crafts and demonstrations from local businesses and groups. Tickets are $1 for food and activities — rates include one ticket for games, three tickets for hay rides and five tickets for apple crisp with ice cream. Visit nne.salvationarmy.org/nashua.

• Prost! Save the date for the annual Oktoberfest celebration at Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford) on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. In addition to an authentic food menu of German eats, there will be special Oktoberfest beers, live music and more. No entrance fee is necessary, but there is a $20 parking fee per car. Visit mileawayrestaurantnh.com.

• Plant-based perfection: Concord author Renee Plodzik will be at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m., to present her cookbook Eat Well Move Often Stay Strong. The book features several nutritional and seasonal recipes that include plant-based ingredients, often found locally — breakfast items, creative salads, protein-packed soups and sweet treats are all included. Plodzik is a nurse practitioner and the founder of fit4acause, a donation-only fitness and wellness program raising funds and awareness for cancer survivors. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during the event. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• Brews and chilis: Tickets are on sale now for the Powder Keg Beer & Chili Festival, which returns to Swasey Parkway in Exeter on Saturday, Oct. 1, with two sessions, from noon to 2 p.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is presented by the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce and the Exeter Parks and Recreation department, featuring hundreds of different beers, ciders and hard seltzers to taste from a variety of local vendors. Chili samples are also back this year for the first time since 2019. General admission tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door, and include a compostable tasting cup, access to unlimited beer and chili samples and live entertainment. Designated driver tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Visit powderkegbeerfest.com.• Greek night out: Join St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church (500 W. Hollis St., Nashua) for its annual Taverna Night on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 7 to 11 p.m. The event will include an evening of Greek appetizers, desserts, dancing and live music from the local band Ta Pethia. Admission is $35 for adults and $20 for attendees under 18. Visit stphilipnashua.com.

Ansanm to open new restaurant space in Milford

After a year and a half of hosting successful monthly pop-up dinners, the Viaud family is gearing up to open a brick-and-mortar spot in Milford, where you’ll soon be able to get their authentic Haitian meals on a regular basis for the first time, along with some new spins on classic flavors.

Ansanm, which gets its name from the word meaning “together” in Haitian Creole, is due to open on Thursday, Sept. 29, in the former Wicked Pissah Chowdah storefront, just a stone’s throw away from the Milford Oval. It’s the latest phase of a venture that started back on New Year’s Day 2021, when Greenleaf owner and chef Chris Viaud and his mother, Myrlene, ran a menu special of soup joumou, a traditional Haitian squash soup widely referred to as “freedom soup.” The response was so positive that it inspired Viaud, a James Beard Award nominee and a featured contestant on Season 18 of Bravo’s Top Chef, to turn it into a dinner series, bringing his entire family together to share their Haitian heritage with authentic dishes presented at Greenleaf each month.

Myrlene — who is originally from the Port-au-Prince suburb of Pétion-Ville and whom Viaud endearingly refers to as “Chef Mom” — has been the primary head chef of the series, while his dad, Yves; siblings Phil, Kassie and Katie; wife, Emilee, and sister-in-law Sarah have all also taken part. Most of the dinners have been at Greenleaf, although Ansanm has participated in a number of other local events since its inception, most recently at the Concord Multicultural Festival.

Expanding Ansanm into a full-service restaurant first entered the conversation a few months ago, when Myrlene Viaud came across a video online featuring a Haitian food truck in New York.

“I sent the video to Chris and I said, ‘Oh, wouldn’t that be cool!’ We can go to different places, park our truck and sell our food,” she said. “So he was like, ‘Sure, yeah, let me look into it.’ So he started looking around online for a food truck and then this building popped up on his feed.”

Coincidentally, the available space not only ended up being within walking distance of Greenleaf, but it was already outfitted as a restaurant. Wicked Pissah Chowdah, as it turned out, had been operating out of the storefront seasonally and was temporarily closed for the summer — it became vacant once the owners moved across the Oval to rebrand as Bouillon Bistro.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but once I came in here, I was like, ‘Oh, this is really neat,’” Myrlene Viaud said. “It’s already all set up. We don’t have to do much work. … It’s not a huge space, but it’s good enough, and then kitchen-wise I was like, ‘OK, we can do this.’”

Upon walking into the restaurant, you’ll likely immediately notice a transformation, with bright and vibrant colors, hanging artwork and thatch roofing. Myrlene Viaud’s younger sister even brought back all kinds of items she purchased in some Haitian markets that are displayed inside.

Ansanm’s menu will continue to include items that have been main staples at the pop-ups — the griot, or a marinated twice-cooked pork, and the poule nan sós, or braised chicken in Creole sauce, to name a couple — as well as all kinds of authentic dishes totally new to the space.

“I was always telling Chris that there is so much more that we can offer,” Myrlene Viaud said. “[With] the once-a-month thing we were doing, we were limited to two proteins and then the rice and the plantains. So it’s kind of exciting in a way to start opening it up to more and showing off more of the Haitian food that we actually eat on a daily basis, not just the chicken and the griot.”

She has plans to expand into offering Haitian oxtail, stewed goat and stewed fish in a Creole sauce, for instance, in addition to all kinds of options that appeal to vegans and vegetarians, from legume, a stewed vegetable dish made with eggplant, squash, watercress, carrots and spinach, to espagheti (Haitian spaghetti) and macaroni au gratin (Haitian baked macaroni and cheese).

For drinks, there will be some traditional Haitian juices and sodas, including bottles of Cola Couronne, a tropical fruit soda known as the oldest manufactured soft drink from Haiti.

Akasan, which Myrlene Viaud described as a milkshake that’s made from cornmeal flour and served either warm or cold, is also a drink she’s excited to offer. Soon, she said, she’d like to also begin serving menu specials of Haitian fritay, or an assortment of various fried foods.

“Basically what it is is a platter of fried everything. It could be the griot, it could be a fried turkey or beef, but your proteins and everything else on that platter is always fried,” she said.

One facet of Haitian cooking she said is universal is the epis, or a blend of herbs and spices that’s used as a seasoning base for almost everything. Epis is made with scallions, onions, parsley, garlic, peppers, thyme and cloves. Additionally, one of the more hot-ticket items during Ansanm’s pop-ups was pikliz, a spicy pickled vegetable slaw consisting of cabbage, carrots, onion and peppers — just like before, jars of fresh pikliz will be available for purchase.

Ansanm will also feature some of its own sandwich creations that uniquely embrace Haitian ingredients and techniques. The “V.O. Griot,” for example, will feature pork shoulder that’s marinated in epis before it’s roasted, sliced and served on a house adobo-seasoned brioche bun with smoked ham, cheese, spicy pickled cucumber and a pikliz aioli.

“A lot of the sandwich inspiration is going to be just based on the same ingredients … or cooking processes that we use for the meats, but applied to sandwich form,” Chris Viaud said.

As for dessert, you can expect Myrlene Viaud’s famous scratch-made pineapple upside down cake, another favorite from Ansanm’s pop-ups. Tablet, commonly referred to as brittle but described by Chris Viaud as being more like a praline-style treat, will also be available — that, he said, is typically made with either peanuts, cashews or shredded coconut.

To start, Ansanm will be open Thursday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, and while there is available seating inside, Myrlene Viaud said she expects most of the service to be takeout. Limited hours on Sunday mornings will also likely be coming soon.

Even though she never thought she’d open her own restaurant, Myrlene Viaud said she’s humbled by the interest and support that Ansanm has received.

“The evolution has been something special … and it’s been very exciting to offer and to see the interest that people have and the willingness to try the food,” she said.

Ansanm
Opening Thursday, Sept. 29, at 11 a.m.
Where: 20 South St., Milford
Anticipated hours: Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with expanded hours likely early on Sunday mornings
More info: Visit ansanmnh.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram or call 605-1185

Featured photo: Braised chicken in a Creole sauce, with plantains, rice and pikliz, a spicy slaw. Photo courtesy of Ansanm.

News from the local food scene

• Greek night out: Join St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church (500 W. Hollis St., Nashua) for its annual Taverna Night on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 7 to 11 p.m. The event will include an evening of Greek appetizers, desserts, dancing and live music from the local band Ta Pethia. Admission is $35 for adults and $20 for attendees under 18. Visit stphilipnashua.com.

• A world of wines: Tuscan Market (9 Via Toscana, Salem) will hold its 10th annual Passeggiata wine tasting on Friday, Sept. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person and will include sampling access to more than 25 different types of wines, along with light food options and raffle prizes. Visit tuscanbrands.com.

Join WineNot Boutique (25 Main St., Nashua) for Wines of Italy, a special wine tasting event happening on Wednesday, Sept. 28 — three sessions are available, from 5 to 6 p.m., 6 to 7 p.m. or 7 to 8 p.m. More than a dozen Italian wines will be available to taste, along with cheeses and charcuterie accoutrements to enhance the experience. The cost is $20 per person. Visit winenotboutique.com.

• Fall brews: To Share Brewing Co. (720 Union St., Manchester) holds its annual Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 1 to 9 p.m. The event centers around the release of To Share’s most popular seasonal beer, its Oktoberfest altbier — also included will be various Oktoberfest-themed snackboards, and pretzels courtesy of The Hop Knot. Stein hoisting competitions will be held at 4 and 6 p.m. (space is limited). Admission is free and no reservations are required. Visit tosharebrewing.com.

Save the date for the second annual Fall Fest at Northwoods Brewing Co. (1334 First New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood) on Sunday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to multiple beer releases — including a special double IPA in collaboration with Forever Locked and the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire — the festival will feature a craft market, live music all day, demonstrations, a special exhibit and more. Proceeds from this year’s event benefit Wings of the Dawn, with a dollar of every pint sold going directly to the organization. Visit northwoodsbrewingcompany.com.

Red, White & Brew, a craft beer and wine festival presented by Veterans Count, returns to Funspot (579 Endicott St. N., Laconia) on Saturday, Sept. 24, with VIP admittance from noon to 1 p.m. and general admittance from 1 to 4 p.m. The event also features food, a car show, raffles, an auction and live music from The Bob Pratte Band. Tickets are $25 general admission, $40 VIP admission and $10 for designated drivers. Admission for all attendees includes sampling tickets and a commemorative wine glass while supplies last. Visit vetscount.org.

• Manchester liquor store now open: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission opened a new Liquor & Wine Outlet store in Manchester on Sept. 8, according to a press release. The 13,000-square-foot store is at 850 Gold St. in the Queen City, featuring a selection of more than 4,000 sizes and varieties of wines and spirits. According to the release, the NHLC announced it has also begun construction on a new outlet in Nashua, which is expected to be ready to open by May 2023. Since 2012, the NHLC has opened or renovated new Outlet locations in more than 30 communities statewide. Visit liquorandwineoutlets.com.

Egyptian food festival returns to Nashua

By Matt Ingersoll

mingersoll@hippopress.com

Following its cancellation in 2020 and a successful comeback year in 2021, this year’s Egyptian food festival will be bigger than ever. The event returns for a fifth year to St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Nashua — formerly known as St. Francis Xavier Church — over three days, from Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18. A full menu of authentic Egyptian entrees, sides and desserts will be available for sale on the church grounds.

“We are excited to hold it again,” Father Kyrillos Gobran of the church said. “[We have] bigger tents to accommodate more people, as the number has been increasing year over year. … I was surprised at the number of people that came down last year, but it actually went very well.”

The menu, Gobran said, is largely the same as in previous festival years with the addition of a few items. A variety of main course options will be available to choose from, including beef or chicken shish kebab platters that feature one skewer of meat per order with onions and green peppers. You can also get platters of kofta (skewered and grilled ground beef with chopped onions and parsley) and kebba (ground beef deep-fried in vegetable oil, with onions, bulgur, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper). All platters come with rice pilaf and your choice of a garden salad, tabbouleh or hummus, or you can order the skewers individually.

A few sandwiches are on the menu as well, including beef or chicken shawarma with Mediterranean spices, onions, tomatoes and tahini; kibda, or beef liver strips seasoned with garlic, cumin, salt and pepper; Egyptian beef sausage; and vegetarian falafel, featuring fried patties made of ground chickpeas with cilantro, parsley, dill, onion and garlic. Another available vegetarian option will be koshary, widely considered to be the national dish of Egypt. It features rice mixed with brown lentils, pasta, chickpeas, cumin-flavored tomato sauce and crispy onions.

On the dessert side, attendees will have the opportunity to try all kinds of specialty sweets and pastries, including baklava, zalabya (fried dough), rice pudding, and katayef, or a pancake-like batter filled with almonds, coconut flakes and raisins and covered in a light syrup. Other options will include items called konafa and feteer meshaltet, both available in two serving sizes.

“Konafa is a shredded phyllo dough type of dessert,” Gobran said. “Feteer meshaltet is a dough that’s pressed really thin and made into layers … and it goes into the oven [with] lots of butter in between. It’s very fluffy and it has a great taste to it. … That’s an authentic Egyptian dish.”

New to this year’s festival is a coffee and espresso station, while Gobran said a gift bazaar with various pharaonic souvenirs and other items is also planned. A children’s corner will offer activities like face painting and balloon art, as well as kid-friendly foods like ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy, he added. Themed gift baskets will be raffled off, and there will also be opportunities to tour the historic church during each of the festival’s three days.

5th annual Egyptian Food Festival
When: Friday, Sept. 16, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 18, noon to 6 p.m.
Where: St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, 39 Chandler St., Nashua
Cost: Free admission; food and drinks are priced per item
Visit: stmarycoptsnh.org
Event is rain or shine. Parking is available nearby at BAE Systems (95 Canal St.)

Featured photo: Courtesy photos.

News from the local food scene

• Pancakes in Pelham: Pelham’s Old Home Day, returning to the grounds of the First Congregational Church of Pelham (3 Main St.) on Saturday, Sept. 17, will include a special pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. inside the church’s Fellowship Hall. A full breakfast of pancakes — plain or blueberry — along with bacon, sausage, coffee and orange juice will be served. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for kids ages 8 and under. The breakfast kicks off an entire day’s worth of festivities in town that will include a parade, food trucks, live performances, a penny sale, a cornhole tournament and more. Visit pelhamoldhomeday.org to view the full schedule.

• Soup’s on: The Collins Brothers Chowder Co. (59 Temple St., Nashua), which offers homemade hot soups and chowders in addition to prepared meals, reopened for the season on Sept. 14. The takeout-only eatery usually features several soups and chowders that are available daily, in addition to different specials that will run depending on the day. Homemade comfort meals to go have also been available, like shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie and American chop suey. The Collins Brothers Chowder Co.’s current hours are Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., usually through the winter and early spring. Visit collinsbrotherschowder.com or follow them on Facebook @collinsbrotherschowder.

• Easy as pie: Join the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton) for the return of its annual Great NH Pie Festival on Saturday, Sept. 17, from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees will be able to sample all kinds of pies from participating local bakers, who will be vying for the palates of a panel of judges. Apple, non-apple fruit, non-fruit and savory are this year’s adult categories, while there will also be a kids’ division for pie bakers up to 12 years of age. Other features of the festival include tractor rides, pie crust rolling demonstrations, visits with the farm animals, live music, a raffle and a silent auction. Admission is $15 per person (free for all pie makers) and $5 for kids ages 12 and under. Visit nhfarmmuseum.org.

• Historical brews: The American Independence Museum is bringing back its Beer for History series inside the Folsom Tavern (164 Water St., Exeter) on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., with pourings from Londonderry’s Pipe Dream Brewing. According to a press release, the series will continue with guest appearances from Earth Eagle Brewings of Portsmouth on Thursday, Oct. 20, and the University of New Hampshire’s Brewing Lab on Thursday, Nov. 3. In addition to featuring pourings from a different local brewery during each event, Beer for History often features various colonial-inspired games and, occasionally, live music. Tickets are $10 for museum members and $15 for non-members. Kids and teens under 21 receive free admission. Visit independencemuseum.org.

• NHLC recognized: For the third consecutive year, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission has been named one of the Top 10 retailers in the country by Beverage Dynamics magazine. According to a press release, the national publication recognizes a new list of Top 100 Retailer Awards, featuring various off-premise retailers such as liquor stores or supermarket chains “demonstrating innovation, excellent customer service and superior industry knowledge.” NHLC, which placed seventh in this year’s awards, currently operates 66 Liquor & Wine Outlet stores statewide, according to the release. Visit liquorandwineoutlets.com.

News from the local food scene

• Chili chowdown: Join The Goat Bar and Grill (50 Old Granite St., Manchester) for its first annual chili cook-off on Monday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m., to raise money for the New Hampshire State Firemen’s Association. Attendees will get to try a variety of locally made chilis and vote on their favorite. Trophies will be awarded for the best chilis, and live music will also be featured during the cook-off. All chili entries must be submitted prior to the start of the event. Visit goatnh.com/manchester.

• Island tastes: The Somersworth Indonesian Festival returns to downtown Somersworth for its ninth year on Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 6 p.m. The event features traditional Indonesian cuisine, along with an array of live cultural performances and a parade that highlights Indonesia’s seven main islands. The festival is organized by Indonesian Community Connect, a Somersworth-based nonprofit that hosts other similar fundraising events throughout the year. Visit indonesianconnect.org.

• Flavors of India: Authentic food and live performances are the highlights of the Indian Heritage Fest, which returns to Lowell Heritage State Park (160 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell, Mass.) on Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 6 p.m. The signature event of the Gurjar Association of New England, Indian Heritage Fest features the opportunity to try a variety of freshly prepared Indian options from local vendors, along with live music and dancing, various children’s activities and prizes. Visit gurjar.org.

• Food trucks at the Village: Head to Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscana, Salem) for a food truck festival on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. A wide variety of eats from local food trucks will be available, and live music is expected for the duration of the event. Visit tuscanvillagesalem.com.

• Smoked to perfection: Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. (298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry) is scheduled to host its annual BBQ & Brews event on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 1 p.m. General admission is $29 and grants attendees access to an all-you-can-eat menu of barbecue favorites, including slow-smoked meats raised locally and eating spent grains from Long Blue Cat’s beers. Tickets are $40 for VIP admission and come with two draft pours. Live music will also be featured. Visit longbluecat.com.

• Historical brews: Join the Pelham Public Library (24 Village Green) for “Brewing in New Hampshire: An Informal History of Beer in the Granite State from Colonial Times to the Present,” a program scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m., in partnership with New Hampshire Humanities. Presenter Glenn Knoblock will explore the history of the state’s beer and ale brewing industry from colonial days to today’s modern breweries and brew pubs. The program is available as an in-person or virtual presentation. Visit nhhumanities.org.