Bannerman Island’s 16th Farm to Table Dinner Fundraiser, a Major Hit From Taste to Atmosphere

Behind a beautiful blue sky backdrop and the early September greenery of the Hudson Valley cut in two by the flow of the historic Hudson River, projecting from high atop the mountainous beauty of Bannerman Island, the Bannerman Castle Trust (BCT) kicked off its highly anticipated 16th annual Farm to Table Fundraiser, a popular five-course, two-seating dinner. This exquisite fresh dinner serves as a fundraiser for Bannerman Island restoration projects all came together over Labor Day Saturday on September 5. Additionally, these Farm to Table Dinners is also a chance for this consortium of professional chefs to shine and with Head Chef Scout Metzler at the helm, that's exactly what they did, hands down.

Before the start of dinner, BCT’s Executive Director Neil Caplan welcomed everyone on this majestic day, spoke of the great weather, and promised the happy guests that they were in for a real treat. He commended Kelley and Laurie of his staff, the serving staff, and the musicians. Mr. Caplan was proud that on this stunning late summer afternoon, Head Chef Metzler and his creative team of chefs, who have been planning and preparing, were ready to cook their five-course meal for 88 hungry and excited customers who, in the end, will not be disappointed by far.

"The history of this particular fundraiser is touching," said Caplan. "Noah Sheetz (original Head Chef and mentor to Scout Metzler) called me in 2010 when we lost two and a half walls of the Tower (part of the castle) structure and said he really wanted to do something special and thought of doing a five-course meal using locally sourced ingredients and a team of five chefs from all over the Tri-State area. Last year, he handed off the torch to Scout, who worked with him from the 2010 event. We are so proud of this event and our chefs. We are also thrilled to have City Winery host the wine pairings, and the soul-satisfying flute and acoustic guitar music of Storm King Duo, who really adds to the ambience of the whole setting."

This year’s Bannerman Castle Trust’s 16th annual “Farm to Table” exquisite and delicious dinner was sold out, and the Trust couldn’t be happier. Chef Metzler and his team would be cooking and preparing twice over, as these special dinners are designed to offer two seatings, serving 44 customers each.

Now the kicker. Working as a chef on Bannerman Island comes with two major challenges: no electricity and no running water. It surely sounds primitive, but according to Metzler, it's doable, so he and his team were up for the challenge. For 16 of these dinners, plus other special Bannerman dinners like Titanic in May (which is an eleven-course dinner), it all comes down to not only creating a delicious meal, but doing it without 2026 modern capabilities. If the Argentinian-style fire pit can handle cooking all of this, then having a winning dinner is on your side... but there's more.

"Definitely a challenge," said Metzler. "I believe almost 35 bags of ice, mixed-sized bags, some large, some small, which we had a hard time getting them with it being Labor Day weekend. Everywhere we stopped to get ice because it has to be the day of was wiped out. That being said, Eric (a chef) mentioned it was one of the first years we've had enough ice. Also, I believe there were three generators on Saturday. Leo and Griff (chefs) actually helped out by bringing one of the generators up to the castle after they helped bring all the food, ice, and equipment up.

For those who bought tickets, it's not only the dinner; it's the entire experience from start to finish. The event includes a boat ride on the RV Estuary Steward from the Beacon dock down through the Hudson Highlands to Bannerman Island and the return, plus a guided tour. At this time of year, with late summer flowers blooming, the island's beauty is magical.

"It was as close to perfect as you could have," said guest Ms. Judy (Panaccione) Previti of Souderton, PA. "The farm-to-table experience was wonderful, with the atmosphere a ten or even an eleven. With the mountains, flowers, the sky, the castle, and the water, it's just pristine, and the weather was in our favor, plus the butterflies with the beautiful flowers. With the food, loved the soup and the succotash. I normally don't care for succotash, but I ate all of this up. Also, the way they fixed it was unique and very flavorful. I'm not a duck aficionado, but I did enjoy my duck, and I especially enjoyed the blueberry sauce that was on it. Yeah, it was very good, and the panna cotta was delicious. I liked the way the chefs explained each dish, and they told the source of every ingredient in the dish. You could tell how hard they worked, how thoughtful it was, and the flavor combinations were unique. It's a very unique experience. It's a nice date night," said Previti.

Her husband James agreed and also added that the music that was played throughout the entire dinner totally filled the atmosphere.

One of the most unique ingredients in this year's dinner was the unique mushrooms that made the soup.

"We managed to serve the guests some of the first Hen of the Woods mushrooms picked in the Hudson Valley this year, picked in the wild by Adam Calvert (chef) and me just days before the event," said Metzler. "You really can't get that kind of hyper-seasonal meal in many places. For reference, Hen of the Woods normally doesn't grow until after the first frost, so these were very special. "Another guest, Tom Ralph, a realtor from Pelham, New York, was there with his wife Anna and loved everything from start to finish.

"If you want to enjoy a very unique experience, I suggest you make plans to visit Bannerman Castle for one of their special events, said Mr. Ralph. "Viewing the remains of the historic castle and touring the grounds with the backdrop of the Hudson River made our experience most memorable. An added plus was the fantastic music of the Storm King Duo."

All in all, this year's Farm-to-Table Dinner on Bannerman Island was a complete success. From the logistical obstacles of having no electricity or running water that became a non- issue to the taste and freshness of the food, from the music and atmosphere to the gorgeous setting atop the island, this 2026 Farm-to-Table Dinner fundraiser was a complete winner.

To see this year's complete Farm to Table menu, click here, a special listing in the Mid Hudson Valley, NY Patch.