Author: Matt Ingersoll

News from the local food scene

• Birthday brews: Join Great North Aleworks (1050 Holt Ave., No. 14, Manchester) for its seventh birthday bash on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 1 to 7 p.m. The afternoon will be filled with new beer releases, a “kitchen takeover” from chefs with the New Hampshire Food Bank, games, and live music from Alli Beaudry, Kevin and Paul Nelson. No tickets are required — all proceeds from food sales will be donated back to the New Hampshire Food Bank. Visit greatnorthaleworks.com.

• NHLC opens Concord outlet: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission opened a new 12,000-square-foot NH Liquor & Wine Outlet store in Concord on Aug. 11, at Exit 17 of Interstate 93, according to a press release. The new store features more than 4,000 sizes and varieties of wines and spirits. According to the release, the store also has special sections devoted to premium and ultra-premium spirits and wines, along with new LED fixtures and oversized aisles, similar to those of other recently built outlets. Since 2012, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission has renovated, relocated or constructed new Liquor & Wine Outlets in more than 30 communities. New outlets in Manchester and Nashua are on the way next. Visit liquorandwineoutlets.com.

• QC Cupcakes on the move: Manchester’s Queen City Cupcakes will be moving its operations a few doors down to join forces with its sister gift shop, Pop of Color (816 Elm St.), according to a recent announcement posted to its email newsletter. “Pop of Color started as a couple of shelves inside of the cupcake shop until we outgrew the space and moved Pop down the street,” the announcement reads in part. “Many of you see our crew running back and forth on a daily basis to cover both shops. Although a great way to get steps in, not always the most convenient for coverage.” Construction is underway on a large back room that, according to the post, was “under-utilized.” The goal is to complete the move by the end of this year, or by January 2023. Visit qccupcakes.com for updates.

• LaBelle Winery recognized: LaBelle Winery has earned several awards in this year’s Eastern States Exposition (“The Big E”) Wine Competition, according to a press release, including in the categories of Best New Hampshire Wine and Best New Hampshire Grown Wine. LaBelle also received a gold medal in the competition for its Shimmer sparkling wine, as well as several silver and bronze medals for many of its other products. Wines that are awarded medals are displayed inside the Wine and Cheese Barn during the course of The Big E in West Springfield, Mass., which, according to the release, is the sixth-largest annual agricultural fair in the United States. This year’s event will take place from Sept. 16 through Oct. 2. Visit labellewinery.com.

We Are One Festival returns

A celebration of the region’s Latin American, African and Caribbean cultures, the We Are One Festival features authentic food, live music and dance performances. The free event, now in its 21st year, returns to Veterans Memorial Park in Manchester on Saturday, Aug. 20.

The festival as it is known today first came together in 2013, after two separate events that were held in the Granite State throughout the previous decade — a Latino Festival first organized in 2000 by Latino Unidos de New Hampshire, and an African-Caribbean celebration founded the following year by Ujima Collective — combined their resources. This is the first year since the pandemic hit that the event is back in full swing, said Shaunte Whitted, co-chair of the We Are One Festival’s planning committee with Sudi Lett. In 2020 it was reorganized as a community health fair, while last year’s festival had no live performances.

One of the biggest draws to the festival has always been the food and, as in previous years, you’ll find a diverse lineup of options available throughout the day. Local vendors have traditionally included restaurants and community members, with a wide variety of cuisines represented.

“This year, I’m very excited to report that we have six registered food vendors with the city, [which] is actually a little more than what we usually have. I think we normally average around four,” Whitted said. “There’s going to be some African dishes, Caribbean dishes, Spanish food and comfort [and] soul food. … We’ll have empanadas, rice and beans, baked macaroni and cheese, various chicken entrees, collard greens and banana pudding parfaits.”

Don Quijote Restaurant in Manchester, for instance, is a longtime participant of the festival that will be returning as a vendor once again, Whitted said. Newcomers include Gumaa’s Bar & Grill, which opened in January in the Queen City’s Kalivas Union neighborhood — it’s known for its traditional African and Caribbean meals like oxtail stew, jerk chicken, goat meat and fried tilapia. Also attending this year’s festival will be A Taste of Monrovia, an eatery hailing from Worcester, Mass., that serves options native to Liberia, a coastal country in West Africa.

“They do a lot of spicy soups,” Whitted said. “They have palava … and it’s a smoked meat or fish that’s usually accompanied in the soup. I myself have tried the African pepper soup.”

Soel Sistas, a Nashua-based catering and meal prep business specializing in soul food and Southern comfort classics, will also be attending, as will Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream, which recently opened a shared space with Prime Time Grilled Cheese, its first Manchester location.

A full schedule of performances is in store for this year’s festival, including hip-hop, R&B and soul singers, an African drum band, Latina dancers and more. Most have either 15- or 30-minute live sets planned on the stage, Whitted said, while DJ 4eign — from the Boston-area radio station JAM’N 94.5 — will also be there from noon to 4 p.m. Other components of the festival will include a health fair, sponsored by the Manchester NAACP and the NH Black Women Health Project.

We Are One Festival
When: Saturday, Aug. 20, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, 723 Elm St., Manchester
Cost: Free admission; food is priced per item
More info: Email festival co-chairs Shaunte Whitted at [email protected] or Sudi Lett at [email protected]
Event is rain or shine.

Featured photo: Scenes from the We Are One Festival. Courtesy photos.

News from the local food scene

• Celebrate with spuds: Join The Potato Concept for its one-year anniversary celebration at Rockingham Brewing Co. (1 Corporate Park Drive, Unit 1, Derry) Friday, Aug. 19, from 4 to 8 p.m., which also happens to be National Potato Day. Lauren Lefebvre and Brandon Rainer of The Potato Concept will be serving several of their specialty loaded baked potato flavors, including jambalaya, barbecue vegan tofu and the loaded classic, the latter of which features bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, chives and sour cream. Each of these options is $12 and includes a sweet potato cupcake with marshmallow frosting from Bearded Baking Co., and Rockingham Brewing Co. will have its Rum Raisin Spud Heavy on tap. Axes on the Go, a mobile ax throwing venue, will also be out in the parking lot. Visit thepotatoconcept.com.

• Greekfest Express returns: Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (111 Island Pond Road, Manchester) is holding its annual Greekfest Express on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Now through Aug. 21, orders are being accepted for a variety of freshly cooked Greek dinners, like marinated lamb kebabs, half-roasted chicken, pasticho (Greek lasagna) and Greek-style meatballs in a tomato sauce. All dinners come with rice, Greek-style green beans and bread, while other available a la carte options include open-faced ground beef and lamb gyro plates with fries, spinach or feta cheese petas, and tossed Greek salads with or without grilled chicken or gyro meat. For desserts, there is baklava, loukoumades (fried dough balls), and various Greek cookies, like koulourakia (crisp braided butter cookies) and finikia (honey walnut cookies dipped in honey syrup). Pickups will be drive-thru only on the church grounds — no walk-ins. Visit foodfest.assumptionnh.org

• Ballpark brews: There’s still time to get your ticket to this year’s Gate City Brewfest, a family-friendly event returning to Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St., Nashua) on Saturday, Aug. 20, in its traditional format for the first time since 2019. Organized by Bellavance Beverage Co. in partnership with the City of Nashua, Gate City Brewfest is expected to feature more than 150 individual beers, ciders and seltzers to try from dozens of local and regional purveyors, all in a wide variety of styles. While the event’s signature chicken wing competition will not be returning this year, there will be a greater food truck presence, along with a full schedule of live music planned. Tickets are $50 per person at the door, $15 for designated drivers and attendees under 21, and free for kids ages 12 and under. See gatecitybrewfestnh.com or visit issuu.com/hippopress to check out our story on the event, appearing on page 25 of the Aug. 11 issue.

Gate City Brewfest returns after three-year hiatus

Unlike most local beer festivals, Gate City Brewfest is unique for welcoming visitors of all ages. That’s because the annual event, returning to Holman Stadium in Nashua for its eighth year on Saturday, Aug. 20, is about more than just pouring beer — attendees are treated to an afternoon filled with games, live music acts, local vendors, food trucks and more.

This is the first time since the pandemic struck that Gate City Brewfest has been able to operate in its traditional format, said Chelsea Dennis, marketing manager of Bellavance Beverage Co., which hosts the event in collaboration with the City of Nashua each year. After taking a year off in 2020, organizers morphed the event into a music festival for 2021. But while they were able to raise funds for the Nashua Police Athletic League, Dennis said it just wasn’t the same.

“We’re excited to bring the event back to a true brewfest form. It’s been three years since then,” Dennis said. “So much has changed in that time, and we just feel like we really have the best year yet on deck. It is going to be a little different, but we think it makes the most sense.”

Since the first event in 2013, the scale of Gate City Brewfest’s offerings has grown considerably — this year, there are expected to be more than 150 individual beers, ciders and seltzers from dozens of local and regional craft breweries to choose from, all in a wide variety of styles.

“They usually decide what they’ll bring like the week before, because it depends on what inventory they have, and if anything new or seasonal is coming out,” Dennis said. “So if they have fall beers, they will try to bring them if they are ready. … I think a safe estimate would be that they each bring three to four options, so all the different kinds of beers are covered.”

Dennis added that a special VIP ticket rate grants attendees access into the ballpark an hour earlier, when a series of exclusive limited beer releases will be served.

Ready-to-drink canned cocktails will also have a larger-than-before presence at this year’s event.

“If you don’t like beer, there are so many options for you,” Dennis said. “Obviously there’s hard cider, which we’ve had every year … but more than that, we have different wine options and vodka-based and tequila-based cocktails that will be there too.”

One of the most notable changes to this year’s Gate City Brewfest is the elimination of the chicken wing competition. While it had remained a big draw over the years, Dennis said the rising costs of product and a lack of staff among restaurant participants were the major factors in the event committee’s decision not to bring the competition back. Instead, the festival is planning to welcome additional food trucks — the Seacoast Pretzel Co., which offers freshly baked Bavarian-style soft pretzels, and The Puddle Jumper, a mobile food trailer brought to you by the owners of The Flight Center Beer Cafe in Nashua, are among this year’s vendors.

A full schedule of live local music acts is planned, courtesy of Evolvement Music. Brother Seamus will kick things off at 1 p.m., followed by Slack Tide at 2:10 p.m. and the Faith Ann Band at 3:30 p.m., Dennis said. A cornhole competition is also going to be open for spectators to watch, but to participate, players must win one of the qualifier rounds at an event leading up to the festival. Upcoming rounds are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. at The Flight Center Beer Cafe in Nashua; Saturday, Aug. 13, at 1 p.m., at Game Changer Sports Bar & Grill in Londonderry; and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 3 p.m., at Boston Billiard Club & Casino in Nashua.

The winner of the competition receives a pair of tickets to the Boston Red Sox game on Sept. 17, along with an overnight hotel stay at The Lenox in Boston and an all-expenses paid trip to Cisco Brewery’s pop-up beer garden in Boston’s Seaport District.

8th annual Gate City Brewfest
When: Saturday, Aug. 20, 1 to 5 p.m. (VIP admittance begins at noon)
Where: Holman Stadium, 67 Amherst St., Nashua
Cost: $35 in advance (through Aug. 18), $50 at the door, $15 for designated drivers and visitors under 21, and free for kids ages 12 and under. VIP tickets are $70 and include early access and an exclusive beer selection. A kickoff party is also scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., at The Thirsty Moose Taphouse (360 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack)
Visit: gatecitybrewfestnh.com
Event is rain or shine. No re-entry or pets allowed. Free shuttle buses will make several stops across Nashua from noon to 5:45 p.m., including at the Elm Street garage, the High Street garage, Main Street and Pearson Avenue, Holman Stadium, and the Main Street bridge after Franklin Street.

Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Gate City Brewfest.