“This is the first time an event like [the Ballston Spa Dishcrawl] has been done in the state of New York,” said Kathleen Lucey, vice president of community development for the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
Inspired by similar events started on the West Coast, the chamber and the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association have teamed up for the area’s first dishcrawl event – which combines great food, great company and a touch of mystery into one enticing and tasty package. Up to 40 participants will have an opportunity to tour some of Ballston Spa’s favorite restaurants, although which restaurants foodies will be visiting remains a closely guarded secret.
“It’s part of the allure,” said Lucey. “It makes it a little bit of a mystery and adds some intrigue, which is fun.”
Participants will receive instructions from the chamber later in the day Friday on where to meet for the Monday event. From there, they’ll visit a total of four restaurants in Ballston Spa at the all-inclusive price of $50.
“We’ve worked with the chefs and owners of the four restaurants in the village and scheduled the agenda so that folks will get an appetizer, some entrees and end with dessert,” said Lucey. “All of that is taken care of for them.”
At each of the stops, owners and chefs will be on hand to field questions from diners about their best dish and how it was created.
“In our strategic planning, the chamber wanted to help give exposure to all the various communities in Saratoga County. We picked Ballston Spa as the first one, but we’re hoping this will be really successful, and then we can carry it forward to some of the other communities in Saratoga County,” said Lucey.
If all goes well, the chamber hopes to hold similar dishcrawl events in places like Malta, Schuylerville, Clifton Park, Saratoga Lake and more.
“We want to tailor each event to showcase whatever community and municipality in the best way possible,” said Lucey. “If this first dishcrawl is successful, we’d like to do another one soon, maybe in a few months.”
While the Ballston Spa Dishcrawl is just around the corner, speedy individuals may still have time to pick up one last ticket or two before Monday’s event by calling the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce at (518) 584-3255, or online at the chamber website, www.saratoga.org. But for those who miss out on the inaugural event – stay tuned! With any luck, another Saratoga County dishcrawl event is on its way to a table near you.
