Culinary Tourism

Dutchess County Tourism hosts a Culinary Tourism Conference, set for Tuesday, February 28th. "Creating Culinary Adventures" is a day-long program highlighting 2012 trends in agritourism and culinary tourism, and presenting new ideas on ways your business can attract visitors. Don't miss the vibrant keynote speaker, author Betty Fussell.

Join Dutchess County Tourism and Hudson Valley's tourism community at The Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel for this exciting, informational one-day conference. It's geared specifically for area tourism businesses; hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, historic sites, arts organizations, restaurants, farms, attractions, food producers, vintners, travel agents, and others. You'll get practical suggestions on how to grow your business, including how to create culinary packages with others.

Make plans now to hear Betty Fussell, the dynamic guest speaker. For more than 50 years, Betty's written about what it's like to be an American, first by examining movies and theater, and then taking a look at food. Her recent books include Raising Steaks: The Life & Times of American Beef (2008) and I Hear America Cooking. In 2007 she won a James Beard Foundation Award for Journalism. She was honored with the Silver Spoon Award by Food Arts Magazine, for which she has long been a contributor. Her lifestyle essays have appeared in scholarly journals, national magazines and major newspapers.

Sara Grady of The Glynwood Center will be on hand to showcase her work in creating a Cider Week Trail and event, an exciting example of regional branding.

Knowledgeable speakers and area agritourism leaders serving on a variety of panels are: Laura Pensiero, Gigi Hudson Valley; Don Lewis, Wild Hive Bakery; Mark Strausman, Agriturismo restaurant; Valerie Knoblauch, Finger Lakes Visitors Connection; Janet Crawshaw, Valley Table magazine; Derek Grout, Harvest Spirits/Berkshire Hudson Beverage Trail; Scott Boggs, Crown Maple Farm; and Todd Ehrling, Hudson Valley Bounty.

See the complete schedule of the expert-led seminars and the topics of these sessions at www.dutchesstourism.com/culinarytourism

Thanks to the seminar's sponsors thus far: BBG & G, Crown Maple, Gigi Hudson Valley;, Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, M&T Bank, Poughkeepsie Journal, Ulster County Tourism, Valley Table, and Westchester County Tourism.

The all-day conference includes lunch with locally sourced ingredients for $65. PayPal is accepted for your online reservation now. Or, mail a check to Dutchess County Tourism, attention Lydia Higginson, 3 Neptune Rd., Suite Q-17, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Contact Lydia Higginson for information on sponsorships and attendance at 845-463-4000 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Started in 1984, Dutchess County Tourism (dutchesstourism.com) is a division of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation and is funded by the County of #Dutchess