Volume One: Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week Launches Sept. 15

Contact: Nick Meyer, 715-552-0457, cell: 715-497-8903nick@volumeone.org

A new local culinary tradition begins soon

Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week (Sept. 15–24) is an all-new, local event aimed at celebrating our local dining scene and the culture that surrounds it. Over the course of 10 days, a roster of nearly 40 area restaurants across Eau Claire, Altoona, Chippewa Falls, and Menomonie will offer special, limited time menus and deals – along with a handful of very special events. Restaurant Week is designed as an annual event, giving local eateries and foodies a signature event to look forward to each Autumn.

Our growing food scene has a lot to celebrate, but there’s always room for improvement. Restaurant Week encourages people to leave their comfort zones and check out a whole range of types and styles of restaurants, including some smaller independent spots – places every community needs to foster a robust food culture.

The week kicks off the night before on Thursday, Sept. 14 with the “First Taste Culinary Crawl.” Centered around Forage, a swanky dining space in Eau Claire’s Banbury Place, it’s a big party spanning Banbury’s top floor, with 10 participating eateries offering menu samples (along with music, drinks, and more). A portion of the ticket proceeds for First Taste will will benefit the Feed My People Food Bank.


Volume One
 is co-presenting Restaurant Week with the Chippewa Valley Technical College’s new Culinary Management Program. Students in the program learn what it takes to run a professional eatery, from the culinary arts to customer service. This new institution is geared at helping our local dining scene grow and thrive. 



Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week 2017

September 15–24 • Restaurants across the area


Web:
 ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek
Instagram: Instagram.com/CVRestaurantWeek
Hashtag: #CVrestaurantweek

See a full list of restaurants, menus, and deals: ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com/restaurants/



Interviews: 
To set up an interview with any of the organizers, a CVTC chef, and/or chefs and owners from participating restaurants, call or email Nick Meyer: 715-552-0457 (office), 715-497-8903 (cell), nick@volumeone.org


Images: 
High resolution images of food and interiors from participation Restaurant Week restaurants are available upon request.

 
 

SPECIAL EVENTS

In addition to special menus and offers at nearly 40 Chippewa Valley establishments, Restaurant Week will play host to a number of special events. More details here: ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com/events  


First Taste Culinary Crawl 

Thursday, September 14 • 6:00 – 8:30pm • $30/person
Centered around Forage, the food-focused space inside Banbury Place, the First Taste Culinary Crawl is the exclusive kickoff event for Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week 2017. Attendees will taste a full meal’s worth of both savory and sweet samples from a select list of 10 local restaurants, plus a cash bar of featured beers and wines. Experience the valley’s culinary scene in a way you never have before. Every ticket raises money for Feed My People Foodbank.

Local Farms Tour by Menomonie Market
Saturday, September 16 • 8:00am – 4:30pm • $30 + optional boxed lunch
Part of the inaugural Restaurant Week, this farm tour by our friends at Menomonie Market is your chance to see four local farms/businesses and get exclusive tours from the owners! The full day bus tour will include Future Farm Grown, River Bend Winery and Vineyard, Deutsch Family Farm, and Mary Dirty Face Farm. Enjoy learning what makes their businesses unique, and what it takes to get their product on the shelves of Menomonie Market as well as, in many cases, into restaurants throughout the area.

Suppertime In Lake Wobegon: An Evening With Holly Harden
Saturday, September 16 • 6:00pm – 8:00pm • $40/person
Hosted by the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, join Holly Harden – a writer for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and the author of Good Food from Mrs. Sundberg’s Kitchen and Recipes for Gatherings from Mrs. Sundberg’s Kitchen – for an evening of fellowship, food, and stories at Forage in Eau Claire. For the occasion, Chef Brent Halverson has prepared a meal inspired by the Midwestern “church social.” Enjoy new creative takes on many old favorites as you hear about (Fall Creek native) Harden’s adventures in writing.

Eau Claire’s Culinary Future, Food Panel
Tuesday, September 19 • 2:00 – 4:00pm
The Chippewa Valley Technical College will host a panel discussion featuring two chef instructors from their new Culinary Management Program. Chefs Kevin Brown and Jonathan Fike will walk you through their course plans, and discuss the training needs of the growing Chippewa Valley culinary scene. Kevin and Jonathan have also invited several area professionals to discuss how CVTC’s new culinary mission can assist local restaurateurs.

Clear Water Comedy Presents: Local Restaurant Trivia
Wednesday, September 20 • 8:00pm
On Sept. 20 at The Plus in downtown, Clear Water Comedy will present a special Restaurant Week edition of their popular trivia night, this time with a local restaurant theme. Gather your team of foodies and arrive on time because we’re giving away $200 in gift certificates from a bunch of different eateries to the teams with unsurpassed knowledge of local restaurants both past and present.

 

PROMOTIONS & CONTESTS

Besides all the great local food, Restaurant Week participants will also enjoy a number of chances to win fun prizes, including a trip to Mexico. More details here: ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com/contests/


The Dining Passport – Win a Trip to Mexico

People who visit 10 different participating establishments between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15 (2017) can enter for a chance to win a 4-night trip to the all-inclusive Moon Palace Cancun resort in Mexico (including airfare), brought to them by Higgins Travel Leaders of Eau Claire and Funjet Vacations. A special “passport” will be available at Restaurant Week restaurants to be stamped as they dine. A winner will be randomly selected on Friday November 17.

Daily Photo Winners
Diners may take photos of their food and post them to Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #CVrestaurantweek. Each day of Restaurant Week (Sept. 15–24), organizers will pick their favorite photo and award that person a $25 gift card from a local eatery.

 

SUPPORTERS

Volume One is co-presenting Restaurant Week with the Chippewa Valley Technical College’s new Culinary Management Program. Restaurant Week is also made possible with the support of these generous organizations:

Leader Telegram
Lamar Advertising Company
WEAU TV-13
Blugold Radio
General Beer Northwest
Wisconsin Public Radio
Second Opinion
Visit Eau Claire
Higgins Travel Leaders
Funjet Vacations
Moon Palace Cancun
Rock 92.1
B-95
Z-100

ABOUT VOLUME ONE: Volume One is a fast-growing culture and entertainment publication and website based in the Chippewa Valley. They print every two weeks and distribute FREE at more than 360 locations in Eau Claire, Menomonie, Chippewa Falls, and beyond. Publishing since 2002, Volume One has always been focused on bringing interesting local culture forward. Their signature events are outside-the-box concepts that consistently bring out hundreds of people hungry for something new. 

For more information visit www.VolumeOne.org