What is Dutchess County's signature food?

The Garbage Plate is an intimidating heap of home fries, macaroni salad and burgers. It's smothered with hot sauce and topped with raw onions, mustard and ketchup.

The dish dates back to the 1930s, when it was sold under the name "hots ‘n’ potats" at Nick Tahou Hots. Garbage Plate was a nickname used by college students in the 1980s.

Variations on the Garbage Plate can be found across the country, but it is known as the signature dish of the Rochester area.

Many regions feature a culinary specialty all their own. Binghamton has its chicken spiedie. The Buffalo wing was famously created at Buffalo’s Anchor Bar. Philadelphia has the Philly cheesesteak and Baltimore, Maryland, has crab cakes.

Dutchess County and the mid-Hudson Valley has become a destination for foodies.

It’s home to The Culinary Institute of America’s Hyde Park campus and myriad dining locations that feature expert chefs focusing on locally produced ingredients.

But, what is the signature of the region? Is there a dish in which residents take pride in their region’s mastery, and visitors tell friends they, too, must try it firsthand?

"At the moment, there's just no specific, particular product that people consider a Hudson Valley specialty," said Brandon Walker, owner of Essie's in Poughkeepsie.

Could there be?

Area chefs and culinary experts have pondered the possibility, and other regions have tried to find an answer.

This week, Stew Leonard’s and Westchester County officials announced “Stews Tank,” a contest looking for a Westchester food that could stand up to signature dishes such as Chicago’s deep dish pizza.

While there are candidates for the Dutchess’ signature food crown, it’s also possible that such dishes cannot be intentionally created as much as they can be stumbled onto, some local experts said.

The region’s culinary prowess and variety may be a hindrance more than a help. Most notable signature foods were simple dishes created in local restaurants that gained popularity.

In many cases, signature dishes embody the personality of the people or geography of its region, such as the crab cake.

The Hudson Valley is known for its scenery and sees its biggest tourism bump during the autumn as visitors come to see fall colors and pick apples, according to Mary Kay Vrba, CEO of Dutchess Tourism. That, for some experts, is a clue to what the region's top culinary contender may be.

"We do know that fall is our largest season just by the fact that more is available, like pick-your-own apples, fall farm festivals, events at the fairgrounds, concerts and higher bed tax revenues," she said.  

Ultimately, it may be up to the patrons to spread word about a signature dish, not unlike a cult classic movie.

"You can craft an awesome dish, and you can put the money into marketing it," said Mike Zeborwski, instructor at The Culinary Institute of America. "You can make all the right decisions, but there's no guarantee it will connect with people."

How to define a signature food

There are no set requirements for what makes a city or region's signature dish, but some of the established foods share common traits.

The Philly cheesesteak is a good example for many of the defining characteristics.

For instance, having an accepted origin story helps. Brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri are credited with creating the sandwich in the 1930s before founding Pat's King of Steaks. 

The sandwich's popularity has little to do with the city beyond the fact that it was invented there, suggesting a signature need not rely on local ingredients or connections.

Charles Fells, owner of The Artist's Palate and Brasserie 292 in Poughkeepsie, stressed the importance of accessibility. A city's signature dish is unlikely to emerge from a high-end restaurant.

"If you look at these other signature dishes, they're all peasant food," he said. "You have to start from the bottom, and if you want, you can polish it from there."

While Pat's has remained open to this day, there are local rivals vying for the title of best cheesesteak. Geno's Steaks, which opened in the 1960s, is situated across the street from Pat's.

Countless restaurants across the world have created their own version of a cheesesteak to varying degrees of success. This proves a food doesn't have to stay local to be a local signature.

Ed Kowalski, owner of Lola's Cafe and Lolita's Pizza in Poughkeepsie, said affordability is key.

"It has to appeal to the masses," he said. "People like fine dining, but they're not going to a high-end restaurant two times a week."

A signature dish representing Poughkeepsie would need to also represent the city's diversity, Walker said.

"It needs to be a grassroots effort," he said. "And it needs to incorporate various cultures and regions."

Few Hudson Valley contenders

From local products to diverse options for cuisine, the Hudson Valley is home to many potential signature foods.

A plethora of culinary products come from the region, such as Crown Maple syrup or Horseshoe Brand sauce. Despite their local connections, it would be difficult to pitch them as a signature dish.

Local residents who spoke to the Journal offered a broad range of dishes from the around Dutchess as their go-to food, indicative of the diversity of area options.

Genesis Vega, of Poughkeepsie, praised La Fonda in Poughkeepsie as quick-stop spot for tacos, while Emily Scirbona, of Hopewell Junction, highlighted the pho at Saigon Pho in Wappinger as her go-to comfort food.

"I love how simple pho is, but the spice and herbal flavors of the broth is so invigorating and calming at the same time," she said. 

Though they may be well done, no one would mistake pho or tacos for Hudson Valley specialties.

Fells suggested that foie gras, particularly the products at Hudson Valley Foie Gras in Ferndale, could be a regional specialty if not for the controversy surrounding its preparation.

Foie gras is made from the liver of a fattened duck or goose. Typically, the animal is force-fed using a feeding tube.

"From a moral standpoint, it got dumped," Fells said. "You can't even mention foie gras anymore."

Picking a winner in the fall

The apple cider doughnut may be the Hudson Valley’s closest thing to a signature food.

The New York Times first mentioned the seasonal treat on Aug. 19, 1951.

"A new type of product, the Sweet Cider Doughnut will be introduced by the Doughnut Corporation of America in its twenty-third annual campaign this fall to increase doughnut sales," the article reads. "The new item is a spicy round cake that is expected to have a natural fall appeal."

But, it wasn’t exactly a “new item.”

The Poughkeepsie Eagle-News, now known as the Poughkeepsie Journal, first references the apple cider doughnut in an advertisement for Kimlin Cider Mill in Poughkeepsie on Oct. 13, 1924.

A Northeastern delicacy, the apple cider doughnut is a cake doughnut, making it denser than yeast doughnuts and more similar to a cake in texture, according to Mike Zeborwski, instructor at The Culinary Institute of America.

The mix is comparable to a buttermilk cake mix with the addition of an apple cider reduction. The distinct flavor comes from the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg and, of course, apple cider.

"The best representation of it would be the fresh doughnuts sold at the orchards during apple-picking season," Zebrowski said. "They're truly best when they're fried fresh."

Indeed, apple orchards and apple cider doughnuts go hand-in-hand. Fishkill Farms reports seeing up to 6,000 visitors per day and selling as many as 12,000 doughnuts daily during peak fall season.

"All of our doughnuts are fresh," said Josh Morgenthau, owner of Fishkill Farms. "We don't sell a doughnut that wasn't made that day. Because of the demand, we've had to expand our doughnut production facility quite a bit."

And during peak apple season, Adams Fairacre Farms sells several hundred apple cider doughnuts per day at its Poughkeepsie location, according to Miriam DiMarco, bakery associate at the store.

"They're a big hit," she said.  "I wouldn't say they define the Hudson Valley, but they're a part of its identity."

On weekends during the season, Adams is known to sell the treats from a cart at the store's entrance.

"The second they can smell the fresh doughnuts at the cart, they stop over," DiMarco said. "I've seen people stop by for one or two only to come back later for a six-pack."

But compared to the Buffalo wing, the Garbage Plate or the spiedie, the apple cider doughnut is an odd choice for a signature dish. It's more of a dessert than a meal, and its seasonality limits its availability.

Zeborwski said giving the doughnut such a distinction would be "disingenuous."

"It would be hard to claim them as a Poughkeepsie or Hudson Valley signature food," he said. "It's a harvest tradition in the Northeast, so there are plenty of places that can say, 'Hey, we have those too!'"

But Morgenthau argues that Hudson Valley is particularly famous for its apples, making the claim reasonable.

"We have the perfect weather, the right mix of warm summer days and cool nights that ripen the apples perfectly," he said. "And we have high mineral soil here in the Hudson Valley. This is what makes New York apples perhaps the best in the country."

Why doesn't Dutchess have one?

How can the Hudson Valley be a culinary destination without a signature food?

Part of the reason may be due to the Hudson Valley's food culture. The influence of The Culinary Institute of America and the focus on farm-to-table established different priorities, Fells said.

"We're trying so much to be upscale," he said. "The focus is on more elegant food rather than the kind of experimental cooking that would create a signature dish."

John Fischer, professor at The Culinary Institute of America, attributes this to a lack of a dominant culture in Poughkeepsie. This diversity makes it difficult for one food to earn universal approval.

"There hasn't been any consistent cultural majority in (Poughkeepsie) long enough to establish such a tradition, nor a singular establishment with a signature dish that took off," he said. 

There is also the question of whether someone can intentionally create a city or region's signature food.

Kowalski felt confident that a concentrated effort among local chefs could create Poughkeepsie's signature dish.

"If enough talented people come together, we could see some really cool stuff come out of that," he said.

But Fells expressed some doubts someone could choose to make a signature dish.

"There are so many restaurants that have their signature dish, but none that have become a signature for the area," he said.

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4882; Twitter: @GeoffWilson_

Share your thoughts

What do you think is a Poughkeepsie or Hudson Valley signature food? Let us know on Facebook at facebook.com/PoughkeepsieJournal, or email reporter Geoffrey Wilson at gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com.