Rick Crawford
Tailwater Lodge is located about thirty minutes from Syracuse, New York and has something to offer for everyone. Whether it’s a day at their new spa, going for a hike to enjoy the vibrant orange, yellow and red leaves of fall, or fly fishing for the Salmon River’s epic runs of King Salmon, Coho Salmon and Steelhead, Tailwater Lodge is sure to exceed your expectations. You may recognize Tailwater Lodge from The Sustainable Angler interview I did with Tom Fernandez a few months ago. Luckily for me, Tom invited me up to spend some time on the water and casually mentioned that some folks from Patagonia Provisions would be there and we would do a little fishing and grab some dinner during my stay.
Well, Tom failed to mention that us “grabbing some dinner” was really a six-course Patagonia Provisions meal paired with the local ciders and spirits provided by 1911 Established, and the result was outstanding. I had tried a few Patagonia Provisions products, but honestly only considered Patagonia Provisions food as something to bring along while camping or fishing, and never thought to make complete and complex meals with it. The Patagonia Provisions Dinner at Tailwater Lodge included Buffalo Jerky, Smoked Mussel, Marinated Shrimp, BBQ Seed-Cranberry Crusted Beef Tenderloin and more. The complete menu can be seen below:
However, it wasn’t just the fine dining (my favorite was the Bolognese) and spirits (my favorite was the Pommeau), it was the thoughtful sourcing of the Patagonia Provisions food that really peaked my interest because where and how we source our food has a significant impact on the environment and our own health. In fact, the Patagonia Provisions website says that in a “recent study by Technische Universitat Munchen showed that organic farms emit around 20% less greenhouse gasses per yield unit than conventional farms. The Rodale Institute found that organically managed soils can actually sequester more carbon than they release.” Not to mention that organic fruits, grains and vegetables aren’t grown with harmful pesticides and have been proven to have more antioxidants and better flavor.
I also really enjoyed how every ingredient of the meal had it’s own story and how its sourcing was better for the environment. Case in point, the Patagonia Provisions Buffalo Jerky is sourced from grass-fed buffalo that are allowed to roam freely, and as a result the buffalo protect and restore prairie biodiversity naturally by chopping the soil with their hooves which plants native grass seeds, and in doing so those grasses sequester carbon. Another example of a positive environmental story from Provisions ingredients is how the Pink Salmon is responsibly harvested by reef-net fishing so that only the targeted salmon are caught and any by-catch is returned to the ocean.
In addition to a wonderful dinner pairing from 1911 Established and Patagonia Provisions, I love the Tailwater Lodge has many green building components. Fernandez said, “Tailwater Lodge’s most sustainable feature is that it is an adaptive reuse building. For example, if you look at the restaurant floor, it’s the old gymnasium floor that kids used to play basketball and dodge ball on which is super cool, and we utilized every same door and window cut from a material standpoint. So, the building really stayed the same and we brought in some high efficiency electric and re-did the plumbing. We utilize a well system that is super-efficient and from an indoor air quality perspective, all of our wall finishing’s and carpet have no off-gassing.” Special thanks to Tom and the Tailwater Lodge guides, staff and especially the chefs for providing an exceptional dinner. I was grateful for the opportunity to get to spend time on the water with old and new friends and experience an amazing dinner, so thank you.
Stay tuned as Emerger Strategies will be hosting a Sustainable Business Workshop in November 2020 and we will providing more details soon…cheers!
