It’s that time of year again. Get your appetites ready for the Colonie Chamber of Commerce’s Restaurant Week, which will take place Oct. 17-23.
The week kicks off with the Taste of Colonie event in the barn located at the Pruyn House on Oct. 16, where people will be able to enjoy food from members of the chamber from noon to 3 p.m. Colonie Chamber of Commerce President Tom Nolte said the one-day event raised $1,000 that went toward several school programs and not-for-profit organizations. This year, he’s looking to raise even more.
This is the second time the chamber is putting on the event, with members calling last year’s event a great success. Nolte said Colin Demers, a managing partner at the Century House Hotel, Restaurant and Conference Center, was instrumental in the planning process last year, and it was Demers’ idea to not only do restaurant week but to also use it as a way to give back to the community.
“We’re hoping to add more restaurants than we did last year, and we’re hoping to have more participants and are hoping to raise more money,” Nolte said. “It’s a lot of work, and it’s pulling a lot of people together.”
The event will also feature musical entertainment from singer-songwriter Chelsea Cavanaugh. Diane Morgan, a curator at the Pruyn House, said the facility is excited to host the Taste of Colonie event this year. She said it exposes the grounds to people who might not otherwise come to the Pruyn House.
“We love having it,” she said. “We like having people discover us who have never been here before and acting as a service to the community in a way. It’s also nice to help in trying to increase the business in the area and get people to go out to the restaurants.”
The Pruyn House charges the Chamber a reduced fee to use the barn.
It isn’t just about what helps the Pruyn House, though, Morgan said, adding that she made a discovery of her own at last year’s Taste of Colonie event.
“It was great to go around and taste all of the food,” she said. “I do know I tried a sample from a restaurant I had not heard of and ended up going to it after that. I generally do my own home cooking and don’t go out to restaurants.”
For this year’s event, the price is $20.11 for a three-course meal at any of the participating restaurants. New this year, a lunch menu will be included. Nolte said restaurants can offer a lunch menu instead of or in addition to their dinner menu.
Nolte said the Chamber is looking for more restaurants to participate this year, which is why they opened up the lunch menu option. It fits into the fact that the Chamber members are mainly business people who are taking out clients or colleagues out to a meal.
“We’re hoping for a beautiful fall day and for people to come and taste the food,” Nolte said of the Taste of Colonie event. “We’re still accepting nonprofit and fundraising businesses to sign up. We’re asking them to get the word out to their supporters.”
