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Artist Ryan Curtis addresses the crowd and unveils his painting of Debra and Dave Whiting.

Harvest Celebration, painting honor Deb Whiting's memory

WATKINS GLEN, Oct. 14 -- The 2nd Annual Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce Wine & Culinary Event Thursday night at the Watkins Glen Community Center -- renamed Debra Whiting's Harvest Celebration in honor of the late co-owner of the Red Newt Winery and Bistro -- was a night of food and wine, of looking backward and forward, and of sadness and celebration.

Thursday's event -- known last year as A Taste of the Finger Lakes, which Deb Whiting helped create through her enthusiasm and her love of promoting local food and wine products -- was a remembrance of Deb in the wake of her death June 30 in an accident on the New York Thruway.

The outpouring of affection shown by the Schuyler County community following her passing was still in evidence at Thursday's celebration, with the unveiling of a unique and touching painting of her and husband Dave. It was a creation by Ithaca artist Ryan Curtis, on wood -- on pine, specifically, with a pine frame. The painting, acrylic in nature, was taken from a photo of the Whitings, and created through the use of multimedia.

Mention was made -- during speeches preceding the unveiling -- of displaying the painting at different locales, although Curtis was not certain. When asked, he smiled, shrugged, and said: "I don't know. It's theirs now."

Speakers included Rebekah LaMoreaux, president of the Chamber, who explained that she and Deb were friends and worked hard together to create last year's first harvest celebration. Deb had been chair of the Chamber Board of Directors, one of many leadership roles she had taken on over the years.

The name of the event was changed this year, LaMoreaux told an attentive audience, "because of Deb's love of food and wine and the region," and because of the impact she had had in helping establish this annual event.

"Without her this wouldn't have been as successful as it is," said LaMoreaux, noting that Whiting was "a personal mentor and friend. I'm lucky to have known her."

Red Newt Winery manager Greg Tumbarello followed, explaining that he was hired by the Whitings two years ago to promote Deb's vision of "a marriage between (local) food and wine, which is what we have here. This is the kind of event she would want to have her name associated with."

And Deb's husband Dave, who with Deb co-founded Red Newt more than a dozen years ago, commended the Red Newt employees for "carrying on in Deb's memory." He recounted his and Deb's shared history -- how he was raised locally and "brought her here from Georgia twenty years ago." After arriving, "she immersed herself in the life of the area" -- working at Cornell University and then leaving the university to start a catering business before Red Newt was founded.

He said that a foundation in her name has been established to encourage culinary careers that embrace "local farms and local communities in promoting local products."

He raised a glass of wine in toast, saying: "I hope her spirit will live on in each of our hearts as well as in our actions."

Then came the painting's unveiling by Curtis, and widespead praise for the artistic effort.

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The Harvest Celebration featured 30 area vendors with wine and food on hand for visitors to sample.

The vendors included Alicia's Artistic Cuisine, Atwater Estates Vineyards, Chateau Lafayette Reneau Winery, Double Dip'n, Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars, Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty, Geneva on the Lake, Glenora Wine Cellars, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Heron Hill Winery, Hickory Hollow & Highland Cellars, Hilltop Restaurant, J.R. Dill Winery, Kirton's Farm Market, and Knapp Vineyards.

Also: Lakewood Vineyards, Montage Italian Grill, Pleasant Valley Wine Company, Red Newt Cellars Bistro, Red Newt Cellars Winery, Schuyler County Farm Bureau, Scuteri's Cannoli Connection, Shtayburne Farms, Standing Stone Vineyards, Table for Two, The Gaffer Grille & Tap Room, The Hector Wine Company, Wagner Vineyards, and the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel.

The Community Center was bathed in soft light, with seating on couches set up in various areas. Music was provided by guitarist William Groome, who was sitting along the west wall; he had also performed at the inaugural gathering the previous year.

This year, the event had sponsors -- something lacking the year before. "Thanks to our sponsors," the program said: Red Newt Cellars Winery & Bistro, Chemung Canal Trust Company, United Advisors LLC, and Pro Audio Consulting.

LaMoreaux, at the conclusion of the three-hour event, summed it up: "It was great," she said. "It was perfect, better than last year's."

And, one suspected, she was already thinking about next year's.

Photos in text:

From top: Dave Whiting leads a toast in honor of Deb; sons Ryan Dougherty (foreground) and Brenton Whiting with small versions of the painting presented to them; guitarist William Groome; and a couple studying the painting.

Ted Marks at his Atwater Estates Vineyards booth.

Left: A visitor passes in front of a photo presentation featuring pictures from Deb Whiting's life, including a decorative Halloween. Right: Amy Chaffee hosted the Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards table.

Developer Bruce Nelson, left, stopped at the Kirton's Farm Market table.

Left: John Pulos at his Table for Two booth. Right: Chamber President Rebekah LaMoreaux addresses the audience during the unveiling ceremony.

Artist Ryan Curtis, left, talks with Dave Whiting after the painting was unveiled.