When I was a kid, my family would host a wonderful culinary event called “Dump Dinner” in the summer on our back deck.
It was actually a tradition brought into the family by my Aunt Jan who married my Uncle Skip when I was in middle school. Aunt Jan brought all kinds of fun into the family; I can remember staying up late playing her crazy-fun dice game that enthralled both children and adults alike. I was thrilled to be able to stay up late and be a part of the adult conversations. (Not surprisingly, the adults enjoyed many a glass of Camelot Mead and Soft Red on those evenings, staples at our house since the late 1980’s.)
So, it was Aunt Jan who taught us all about “Dump Dinner.” It is an amazing meal, full of flavor and fun.
Delicious, delectable goodies like shrimp, sausage, new potatoes and corn were boiled together with a magical blend of seasonings into a huge pot and the resulting feast was dumped out onto a big (outdoor) dining table covered in newsprint and outfitted with sticks of butter, salt and pepper, hot sauce and LOTS of paper towels. It was unbelievable!
Did I mention that “Dump Dinner” did not require the use of utensils? This was a big score for my little brother and I. We would hunker down and devour as much as we could. Afterwards, bellies full, our faces and arms covered in a light coating of butter, we would all gather on the deck, enjoy a beverage (more wine for the adults, juice boxes for the kids) and listen to the sweet summer song of the cicadas.
It was a truly memorable experience that I often wish I could revisit.
Fast forward 20 years and I am working at Oliver Winery, helping to promote a very similar, albeit slightly more upscale, version of this glorious summer meal. (We will have bibs and maybe some silverware!)
Our first annual Seafood Boil Bash* is Friday July 8th. The food is going to amaze you! Our dear friends at One World Catering and Events will be providing the seafood boil. They have a cornucopia of delights prepared- shrimp, clams, mussels, crab, sausage, potatoes, corn, carrots and onions. And bread! And butter (real butter)! And hot sauce!
Each ticket includes this awesome meal, artfully dumped, I mean, displayed right in front of you on the table, two glasses of your favorite Oliver wine (I’m thinking Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonel for me) and the toe tapping tunes of local favorite Craig Brenner and the Crawdads. We will be giving VIP tours of our production facilities and conducting wine tastings too! Can’t you just see yourself sitting out our patio with friends…the wine…the twinkle lights…the food…the Crawdads singing in place of cicadas. What a fun night!
Tickets for this event are limited and expected to sell out prior to the event, so get yours today before it is too late. Come join us and create a memory!
Tickets are $100+tax per person. $80+tax per person for Wine Club Members (limit 4 tickets per wine club membership)
*Dump Dinner was quickly nixed as the title for the event-sorry Aunt Jan!
Oliver Winery 