TROY >> The Downtown Troy BID and the city of Troy will announce major operational changes to Chowderfest, a regional food competition going into its eighth year, at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Chef Chris Carpentier from Finnbar’s Pub will be also on hand for a food demonstration.

“This is one of our most beloved events, and we are taking the opportunity to try and work through some of the logistical issues that have come up in the past,” said Erin Pihlaja, executive director of the Downtown Troy BID. “The event draws tens of thousands of people and we feel like we can easily grow that.”

In years past, the popular event sold out of chowder within hours of opening. This year the BID changed the hours of the festival to noon to 4 p.m., and will stagger the tickets sales for samples at noon and again at 2 p.m. Festival goers will also only be able to purchase 20 tickets at a time, but are welcome to purchase additional sets of twenty throughout the day. Each ticket costs one dollar and will get the festival goer a three ounce serving of the chowder of their choice.

“Chowderfest is another one of our great events that is not only popular with Troy residents, but anticipated by people throughout the Capital Region,” said Mayor Lou Rosamilia. “We are pleased to again host this festival and excited for people to come and enjoy Troy.”

“We made some other exciting changes too,” said Pihlaja. “This year we will choose 15 people at random to judge the People’s Choice competition, making it a true blind taste test which will elevate this competition even further.”

Guest judges will be chosen from ballots filled out at the festival welcome tent starting at noon.
The People’s Choice judging will begin a 2 p.m. The Chowderfest will still award prizes in other categories such as Best Vegetarian, Best Booth, Most Original, Best Seafood, and Judges’ Choice.

This year’s judges are food writers and critics Steve Barnes and Bill Dowd and Chef Jackie Baldwin.
They will begin judging at noon and all awards will be announced at the close of the festival at 4 p.m.

The festival has also teamed up The Starlight Foundation who will be organizing a children’s section.
Additional details will be discussed at Tuesday’s conference.

TROY >> On Friday, The Downtown Troy BID will kick off Troy Night Out by performing two ribbon cutting ceremonies.

At 4:30 p.m., A Space To Grow (216 River Street, Second Floor) will celebrate their opening open house, and at 5 p.m., Enigma Co. will officially open at the newly renovated 16 First St. project.

A Space To Grow is a wellness cooperative where somatic movement educators, meditation and mindfulness experts, holistic health practitioners, and birth and baby professions come together to support mind, body and spirit.

The concept was conceived of and developed by owner Buffy Owens and several other practitioners have joined in to teach and share their passions with Troy. Owens sees the space as “bustling with mindfulness and mommy groups, mediation, movement and personal development classes of all sorts” and says that as a resident she has seen an increase in the number of families downtown which fit well with her family-centric business plan.

Owens says she is currently the only active Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner in the area and has more than 15 years of experience in the mind-body fields. Practitioners will be on hand after the ribbon cutting to demonstrate some of the curriculum offered at A Space To Grow.

Enigma Co. is a boutique for men and 24-year-old owner Jonathan Michael Brust says his mission is “refining the everyday man.” The shop carries clothing and products to outfit a man from head to toe including razors and skin care products.

Brust conceived the idea with friends while living in Albany and while he searched for locations there, he says that there was “no where in Albany that could support something like this.” Troy, on the other hand was the perfect fit. Brust says that he was drawn to the character of the downtown and the community and that he was happy to be a part of the growth of the city.

In addition to products geared towards men, Brust hopes to add a lineup of seminars, classes, and events such as a shaving seminar to teach men the proper way to use the razors that Enigma Co. carries.  

More information for these businesses can be found at their respective websites: aspacetogrow.org and theenigmaco.com.

The third annual Troy Restaurant Week is under way in the Collar City with about 20 restaurants participating.

In her story in Sunday's online and print editions, reporter Danielle Sanzone explained that unlike other area restaurant weeks, Troy's Restaurant Week is featuring varying price points, including $5 lunch specials at five restaurants, $10 specials at 11 eateries, $20 specials at four, and $30 specials at four restaurants.

Selections include everything from lobster carbonara at The Ale House to a mini-hot dog offering at Famous Lunch, said Erin Pihlaja, executive director of the Downtown Troy BID. “It’s everyday comfort food to fine dining,” she said. “People can go to the restaurant week for a  lunch break or a multi-course meal.”

Each of the restaurants is featured on the Downtown Troy BID’s Facebook page in videos taken by Downtown Troy BID Executive Director Erin Pihlaja that highlight each establishment’s story and what it has to offer.

Some restaurant week offers include: For $5 - The Ale House, Guinness Float - A pint glass with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and a 10 oz Guinness poured over it; Famous Lunch, four loaded hot dogs and a soda, for $4.50; The Grocery, speck & pesto sandwich or hummus and roasted piquillo peppers with a choice of San Pellegrino or a small bag of chips; Illium Cafe, grilled chicken caesar wrap: parmesean, tomatoes, romaine and creamy caesar dressing; and Muddaddy Flats, eggplant parmesan quesadila or blackbean burger quesadilla.

Participating restaurants include: The Ale House, Beirut Restaurant, B-Rads Bistro & Catering, Bootleggers on Broadway,The Broadway Cafe, Famous Lunch, The Flying Chicken, The Greek House, The Grocery, Illium Cafe, Infinity Cafe, Jose Malones, LoPorto’s Ristorante Caffe, Lucas Confectionery, Muddaddy Flats, O’Brien’s Public House, and Spill’n the Beans.
This week is an excellent opportunity to "Try Troy" and give those tastebuds a real workout!

— Lisa  Robert Lewis