The feasts begin on Friday with the popular Cooking with Lamb workshop. This year it will be held from 1 - 2:30 pm at CK's Real Food Restaurant in Hailey, one of the area’s top eateries, with its owner and chef, Chris Kastner as instructor. A long-time supporter of local lamb, Chris will share recipe secrets and prepare inspiring dishes to encourage workshop participants to cook lamb at home and enjoy the best in American lamb at their favorite restaurants. Advanced registration is required at College of Southern Idaho (208-788-2033, Section code: XHEC 010 B01).

On Saturday, at the Sheep Folklife Fair held at the Roberta McKercher Park in Hailey, the lamb events continue with Lamb Tastings. This chef/ranch family collaboration runs from 1pm until 2:30 p.m. Five top chefs will prepare and discuss recipes for selected lamb dishes from lamb ribs, shanks, legs, and ground meat to Dutch oven stews. At their side, members of the five ranch families who provided the lamb for tasting will describe their respective sheep operations from which this local food comes: its headquarters, grazing landscapes, marketing practices, and stories from the generations of ranch families that make up its history.

There will be three stations throughout the park for the chefs and ranch families. The restaurant chefs for this project include: Chris Kastner of CK’s Real Food Restaurant in Hailey; Steve Riccabonna, owner, Brent Rasmussen, food prep, and Dustin Weaton, chef, from Riccabona’s Restaurant in Ketchum; and Cristina Cook, owner and chef from Cristina’s Restaurant in Ketchum. These chefs provide dining experiences synonymous with fresh local foods and inspired cooking. Also preparing delectable taste treats are Acee Laudert Lucero with her husband Mitch Lucero, who have taken over the business of her highly-respected caterer father Allan Laudert. They prepare all of the favorites that made Allan a popular gourmet camp cook over the years including his delicious lamb. Finally, Sue and Brian Ahern, of popular Full Moon Caterers, will be serving succulent leg of lamb samples from their menu.

The ranch families who will be working with them at the lamb tastings are Lava Lake Land and Livestock with Cheryl Bennett, Hailey, ID; the Noh Sheep Company and Noh family, Kimberly, ID; Flat Top Sheep Company with the Peavey family, Carey, ID; Siddoway Sheep Company with the Siddoway family, Terreton, Idaho; and the Oxarango Sheep Company with the Oxarango family, Rupert, Idaho.

Also at the Fair, visitors will be treated to the St. Charles Catholic Church’s famous Basque Lamb Dinner open throughout the day. This feast has been a Valley-wide tradition since 1949 and continues to attract lamb aficionados from far and wide. It has been the featured food event at the Saturday Folklife Fair since the Festival’s inception, continuing a treasured Basque tradition and a unique culinary experience.
 
Throughout the weekend the event will highlight its popular Lamb Dine-Around at valley cafes and restaurants. Local chefs join in Festival activities by offering American lamb specialties on their menus. From the elegant to the simple, visitors can enjoy such delicacies as rosemary infused leg of lamb, lamb chops Florentine, lamb ravioli with saffron crema and rosemary, Moroccan braised lamb shanks, lamb tacos and fajitas, lamb curry, and more. For a complete list of restaurants participating in the Lamb Dine-Around, click here.

There is something to nibble on for everyone who joins in the Trailing of the Sheep Festival fun, but mostly there is the best in American lamb prepared lovingly by chefs and meat experts who delight in celebrating this distinguished food.