April 29, 2016 – North Salem, NY – The popular Clock Tower Grill in Brewster, NY, has partnered with Old Salem Farm on a collaboration to host an innovative pop-up restaurant at the annual Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows, running May 10-15 and May 17-22 in North Salem, NY.
Owned by Rich and Cassie Parente, Clock Tower Grill is a perennial favorite among Westchester and Putnam county restaurant goers. Dedicated to bringing a new and different concept to their patrons, Rich and Cassie didn’t want to own “just another restaurant”; they wanted to change the mold by having fun and being more involved in their local community. That mission led them to bring their farm-to-table cuisine directly to the equestrian culture that exists in their backyard.
In addition to the pop-up restaurant, Clock Tower Grill will provide the catering inside the iconic double-decker VIP tent at Old Salem Farm on Tuesday through Friday of each week. They will also have a cafe open daily, as well as two food trucks surrounding the competition rings with box lunches available by pre-order for riders and trainers on the go.
“When we started planning the [VIP] catering, we thought it would be a fun idea to also have a cafe and pop-up restaurant [at Old Salem Farm] to really captivate that audience,” said Rich Parente. “It’s both a unique experience for us and the farm to have a complete fine dining restaurant and bar space at the horse show itself.”
Clock Tower Grill’s pop-up restaurant will be on-site in the second-story viewing room of Old Salem Farm’s barn, and open each Tuesday through Saturday with a three-course prix fixe menu. Chef responsibilities will be spearheaded by Chef David Santos, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University who has worked in the kitchens of New York City’s Bouley and Per Se, as well as at one of New Jersey’s most acclaimed restaurants, Nicholas and The Ryland Inn. He is also the mind behind Um Segredo, a series of supper clubs hosted at his Roosevelt Island home, as well as his own Louro in the West Village.
Santos and Parente have joined forces to initiate the pop-up restaurant after meeting two years ago as participants at an indie chef week in Austin, TX. Both New York-based chefs kept in touch hoping an opportunity to work together would present itself.
When asked what visitors to Old Salem Farm can expect from the pop-up restaurant, Parente responded, “America is a melting pot of food and our menu is like that – a little bit of everything.
“They will get everything from tuna tartar and crispy pork belly appetizers to locally raised lamb shoulder and lobster cavatelli entrees,” he added.
Reservations at the Old Salem Farm pop-up restaurant are encouraged and can be made by calling 203-512-1307.
The Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows offer more than $500,000 in divisions ranging from ponies and equitation to Under 25 and top FEI competition. General admission to Old Salem Farm is free Wednesday through Friday during the Spring Horse Shows. On the weekends of May 14-15 and 21-22, which feature the $50,000 Old Salem Farm CSI2* Grand Prix, presented by The Kincade Group, on Sunday, May 15, and the $130,000 Empire State CSI3* Grand Prix, presented by The Kincade Group, on Sunday, May 22, admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children under 12.
Stay on top of all things Old Salem Farm this spring with all-day live streaming of the Grand Prix Field Friday through Sunday at www.oldsalemfarm.net. Live streaming each Friday is brought to you by Great American Insurance, featuring the $35,000 New York Welcome Stake on May 13 and the $35,000 Grand Prix of North Salem on May 20. In addition, special live stream events including the $50,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix, presented by The Kincade Group, on May 15, the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by The Gochman Family, on May 21, and the $130,000 Empire State Grand Prix, presented by the Kincade Group, on May 22, will feature ShowNet’s Time Aloud Pre-Game Show 20 minutes prior to the start of each event.