In June, The Factory Café hosted James Beard Award-winning chef Rebecca Wilcomb for an evening of savory and sweet dishes with an Italian-Cajun spin, complete with a specialty cocktail and wine pairings.
The dinner began with a Summer Solstice cocktail (find the recipe at the end of this post) made with peach and prosecco, and the passed starters included everything from shrimp, to crab melts.
Beef with Anchovy and Olive
Shrimp Spiedini
Toasted Crab Melts
Chickpea Fritters with Caponata
The first course, a chicken tortellini in a rich broth, was served for the first time outside of a family setting and dedicated to Rebecca’s grandmother, Giannina. The pasta was paired with a young Pinot Noir Rosé, light and summery.
Giannina’s Tortellini
The second course highlighted pork belly from our friends at Bluewater Creek Farm, and Open Blue Cobia and was served with an Italian rice salad, Lunchbox peppers, and charred okra. A Petit Selve with cherry notes complemented this course
Bluewater Creek Farm Pork Belly
Hand pies filled with summer fruit like blueberries, figs, and peaches were served warm with whipped cream, and accompanied by a crisp, sparkling Rosé from Argentina and cold brew coffee.
Below, our events coordinator shares the recipe for the featured cocktail of the night:
SUMMER SOLSTICE
2 ripe peaches (Chilton Co. Peaches are our favorite)
1 bottle Prosecco
1 teaspoon sugar
6 fresh mint leaves
Place the peaches and sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Press the mixture through a sieve and discard the peach solids. Give the mint leaves a smack on your hand and rub the edge of a flute with them. Add about 2 tablespoons of the peach puree into each flute and fill with chilled prosecco.
P.S.: The Factory Café hosts their own dinner series and tickets for September’s Supper Club went live on Monday. These tickets sell out fast, so reserve yours here soon. Stay up to date on all the café’s events by following along on Facebook and Instagram.