The 5th Annual Lenox Rhubarb Festival

Saturday, June 9, 2018

The 5th Annual Lenox Rhubarb Festival drew 1250 visitors.  It included:

  • a delicious Rhubarb Breakfast,
  • the Savory Rhubarb Contest starring the culinary creations of five local chefs,
  • the Rhubarb Celebration and Sale featuring rhubarb pies and other treats, rhubarb soda,  rhubarb ice cream, recipe books, rhubarb plants, and fresh rhubarb, and
  • Rhubarb Around Town at several local businesses.

Thank you to all of our fantastic volunteers, vendors, and especially to the attendees.  We hope to see you all again next year!

Rhubarb Pancake Breakfast

Craig Bero, from Pleasant & Main Café in Housatonic, treated visitors to some amazing pancakes with rhubarb sauces and whipped cream, along with a side of grilled ham.

Rhubarb Celebration and Sale

A variety of sweet and savory rhubarb delicacies, as well as fresh local rhubarb, rhubarb recipe booklets and rhubarb plants were available for purchase.

Participating Vendors:

Ayelada (Pittsfield, MA) selling frozen yoghurt

The Barefoot Gardener (Lenox, MA) selling Rhubarb plants

Canyon Ranch (Lenox, MA) selling Rhubarb tacos

Devonshire Estates Holiday Retirement Community (Lenox, MA) selling Strawberry-Rhubarb cake

Florence Pie Bar (Northampton, MA) selling Strawberry-Rhubarb pies

Koffee Kup Bakery (Springfield, MA) selling Strawberry-Rhubarb pies

Kripalu (Stockbridge, MA)

Lenox Rhubarb Festival, selling Rhubarb Bramble soda.

les collines (Craryville, NY) selling Rhubarb jams and preserves

Mary’s Kitchen (Lenox, MA) selling Strawberry-Rhubarb pies

On A Roll Café & Catering (Lenox, MA) selling Rhubarb muffins

Pleasant & Main (Housatonic, MA) selling Strawberry-Rhubarb crêpes

The Scoop (Lenox, MA) selling Rhubarb ice cream and sorbet

The Sweetish Baker (Great Barrington, MA) selling Strawberry-Rhubarb pies

Trinity Church (Lenox, MA) selling fresh local Rhubarb

And Tinky Weisblat was selling her new book, “Love, Laughter, and Rhubarb”.

Savory Rhubarb Contest

This year’s Savory Rhubarb Contest shone a spotlight on five Lenox restaurant chefs. Their creations demonstrated ways to include nutritious and delicious rhubarb in wonderfully unique savory cooking, from chili to tacos.

And the winner, with their miniature rhubarb tacos, was Canyon Ranch Spa and Golf Resort, edging out Cranwell by one spoon!

The Eagles Trombone Ensemble

The Eagles Trombone Ensemble (10 trombones, 1 French horn, 1 tuba and drums), led by trombonist Mike Oft of Lenox Dale, played a variety of crowd-pleasing, popular tunes for an hour in the middle of the festival.

Rhubarb On The Menu

The adventurous folks who visited these Lenox restaurants found some fantastic appetizers, entrées, or desserts (or all three) featuring Rhubarb, as well as rhubarb cocktails and rhubarb beer (yes, that’s a thing).

Rhubarb Around Town

Visitors to these stores found some Rhubarb merchandise for sale:

Nejaime’s Wine Cellar (Rhubarb beer)

The Scoop (Rhubarb ice cream and sorbet)

Yankee Candle (Radish & Rhubarb scented candles)

And visitors to these merchants found tasty rhubarb treats on offer:

Annie Selke Shop

MacKimmie Co.

Shear Design

The Wit Gallery