Here’s your chance to learn how to prepare game or fish for the table from experts at the 22nd Annual Yankee Sportsman’s Classic being held at the Champlain Valley Expo January 17-19 in Essex Junction.
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is sponsoring two seminars on Saturday, January 18th to highlight the significance of game meat to Vermont’s rural heritage and the importance of proper game and fish care.
Chef Jimmy Kennedy will offer simple, yet elegant recipes for venison, grouse and fish at his popular game cooking seminar. And new this year, the department is also offering a deer butchering seminar. Eric Holmgren, a professional butcher and state meat inspector, will demonstrate the simple skills and knowledge you need to transform your deer carcass into recognizable cuts for the table.
The seminar on Whole Deer Processing will be held noon to 2pm in the Stevens Room. Game Cooking with Jimmy Kennedy will be from 3pm to 5pm upstairs.
“Game meat is healthy and delicious,” said Hunter Education Coordinator Chris Saunders. “But the road to a delicious meal demands careful processing and preparation. We are thrilled to have professional chef Jimmy Kennedy and professional butcher Eric Holmgren serve as instructors to share their working knowledge of Vermont wild game.”
Chef Jimmy, a life-long hunter and angler, is the author of The River Run Cookbook: Southern Comfort from Vermont and a spokesperson for Cabot Cooperative Creamery. He is also a professional bass fisherman and co-host of the Lakes Region Fishing Show.
Eric Holmgren owns a professional game butchering business that processes 250 deer per year and has been a state meat inspector since 2005. He resides in Orange with his wife Tammy and their two children.
The Yankee Classic also offers hunters, trappers, and anglers the opportunity to buy their 2014 license and be entered into a raffle to win an Old Town canoe, an electric trolling motor, a hunting rifle, and hunting apparel. People who buy their license online or at the Fish & Wildlife’s exhibit at this event will be entered into the drawing. The exhibit is also a great opportunity to talk with department wardens, biologists and other staff.