DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics will host its second twilight gourmet barn dinner at Woodman Farm Friday, Sept. 14, and Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, in the farm's beautiful and historic white post and beam barn.

"The Twilight Dinner was incredibly popular last year, selling out weeks before the event. We are seeing a growing trend of people reconnecting with agricultural land and farmers in their communities, and for a land-grant university like UNH, it was incredible to see the support. This year we have three experienced young alums overseeing the food, beverage, and service, and we expect this year's dinner to be a popular community event," said Amy Winans, coordinator of the gourmet dinner and lecturer in hospitality management at the Whittemore School. 

The dinner will be held rain or shine and is hosted by the advanced food and beverage students majoring in hospitality management in collaboration with the EcoGastronomy dual major, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, and the sustainable agriculture and food systems major. The dinner will feature beer, wine, and passed hors d'oeuvres from 5 to 6 p.m. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. A farm tour will be offered at 5:30 p.m.

For this dinner, UNH welcomes back three 2011 graduates of the hospitality management program. They were part of the first class to graduate with the dual major in EcoGastronomy. Emily Goldman will oversee service, Ryan Millian will serve as the wine expert, and Kayla Oteri will be the executive chef.

Goldman is the assistant manager at The Country Club in Chestnut Hill, Mass., Millian works at The Wine Bottega in Boston, and Oteri works in the front of the house at Millie's Restaurant in Nantucket, Mass.

The five-course dinner includes roasted little squash with quinoa, tomato and basil; pumpkin soup with calvados crème fraiche and candied pumpkin seeds; pork loin marinated in a local craft beer, brined and roasted bird, smashed herbed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and roasted rainbow carrots; greens with Bayley Hazen cheese, hazelnuts, foraged berries, and sumac vinaigrette; and apple pie with cinnamon cream, Farnum Hill cider, and dirt.

All of the food served at the dinner will be locally sourced, which, according to Winans, not only revives the local farm scene but also supports healthy living by serving the highest quality food available.

"Food that is picked within 24 hours of a dinner is delicious, and the variety of locally sourced food available is extensive. Plus, you know exactly whose hands have touched the food, and you can visit the farm to learn about the farmer's sustainable agricultural practices," Winans said.

The 155-acre Woodman Farm is on the western edge of the main campus. The farm plays a central role as a site for research, teaching, and outreach on the production of horticultural and ornamental crops. Recent and ongoing research projects include efforts in the areas of integrated pest management to reduce dependence on pesticide applications, use of high tunnels to hasten and extend the growing season for strawberries, use of reflective plastic mulches to increase per-acre yields of tomatoes, development of hull-less pumpkin seeds as a healthy snack food, and the feasibility of growing various shrubs to serve multiple niche markets such as providing plant materials used in floral arrangements.

Dinner tickets are $100 a person. Purchase tickets online. Attire is trendy casual and walking shoes without heels are recommended.

The UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, information systems management, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide. In January 2013, the business school will move into its new state-of-the-art facility and become the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students. Home to the oldest endowed sustainability program in U.S. higher education, UNH is an award-winning leader in integrating sustainability across curriculum, operations, research and engagement. Learn more at www.sustainableunh.unh.edu.

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