PARTY @ THE ROOF FOR VERTICAL HARVEST

One of our employer's goals is for employees to volunteer in the community of Jackson.  Ann and I volunteered for the Party at The Roof fundraiser for Vertical Harvest.  The town of Jackson has one parking garage, and this fundraiser was located on the roof of the garage.  Vertical Harvest is a project to build a three-story greenhouse on the tiny patch of land next to this parking garage.  The greenhouse will grow fruits and vegetables year-round while providing jobs for disabled individuals and educational opportunities for the community.

Chefs from seven area restaurants were paired with different area food producers to create small plates of their specialties.  The chef tents were set up around the perimeter of the garage's roof, and our job, as chef's assistants, was to keep them supplied with paper goods--small plates or bowls, napkins, forks and spoons.  The first picture below is from the Four Seasons Hotel in Teton Village.  Buffalo pastrami, cole slaw, and cheese on a small slider bun disappeared from the display almost as fast as the chef could put the delicacies on the shelves.

The Couloir Restaurant, dining at 9500 ft. in Teton Village (you ride a ski gondola 3,000 feet up to the restaurant), provided a very colorful salad comprised of greens, feta cheese, walnuts, and other trimmings with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  The colors were amazing.

Another selection included thinly sliced beef, greens, and horseradish sauce on a toasted baguette. 

Our favorite was ham, cheese, with sweet mustard lightly grilled on a slice of baguette.  The grilling warmed the ham and melted the cheese which helped it melt in your mouth.  These small sandwiches were only put out in groups of 3-5, and they disappeared quickly.

Below, monster pork loins are being displayed on a table for the Lotus Cafe.  The sliced pork was delicious.

Watching the people attending the party was very interesting - the local rich and socially connected of Jackson.  The crowd paid $30 for admission, which included 1 food ticket and 1 drink ticket.  Wine and beer were donated by local businesses.  

There was also a silent auction with various prizes including overnight stays at local resorts, dinners at local restaurants, and hiking and skiing gear.  The big ticket item in the silent auction was a yacht cruise for eight including captain & crew of 2 with a minimum bid of $30,000.  Really within our price range!  Needless,to say, we bid on more moderately priced items.

The cocktail tables were decorated with fresh vegetables to further support the theme of someday being able to get locally grown fresh vegetables year-round.

The evening was a lot of fun from both the people watching standpoint and  the unique location overlooking the town of Jackson.  You can see views of the town in most of the photos above.  We also got to sample all the delicacies as well as enjoy a few cold beers.