BRATTLEBORO — On Saturday, Feb. 18, Epsilon Spires will present a multisensory evening featuring one of the most valuable culinary ingredients in the world — the truffle.
The event begins with a screening of the 2020 documentary The Truffle Hunters, which explores the threatened cultural traditions of people in northern Italy who gather the underground fruiting body.
A three-course vegetarian meal will incorporate fresh black winter truffles from southern France and estate-grown olive oil infused with Italian white truffles.
Trufflin, a Black-owned importer based in New York City, works with a collective of truffle hunters and farmers in France and will provide the truffles used in the dinner.
Founders Cornelious Robinson and Liv Woudstra-Robinson, write on their website that they think “it’s high time someone broke down the barriers that tell us that certain ingredients exist for a certain type of people,” adding that this is why they “set out to democratize gourmet food.”
Paired with the dinner will be two wines from the region of Italy where truffles naturally occur, selected by sommelier Rob Forman, new to the board of directors of Epsilon Spires.
The dinner, created by the Brattleboro-based caterer Forage & Flourish, will be sourced as much as possible from regional, sustainable producers.
The Truffle Hunters has received wide critical acclaim since its release, and it has been an official selection at several film festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, and Telluride.
As described in a news release from Epsilon Spires, “The film takes a warm, intimate approach to its subject, eschewing narration and expert commentary for scenes from the lives of the truffle hunters themselves.”
“Every shot is gorgeously composed and emotionally rich, ranging from humor to devastation as a group of men and their loyal truffle dogs try to navigate the changing landscape of truffle hunting, both literally and figuratively,” the description continued.