Grilled Cheese for a Good Cause
Otsego 2000 to Host Grilled Cheese for a Good Cause on Sunday, February 22, 2026
Benefit for the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market features local chefs and local cheese
Otsego 2000 will host Grilled Cheese for a Good Cause on Sunday, February 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The event, which raises funds for the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, will feature gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, and desserts made by local chefs, and local beer, wine, and cider. The event will take place in the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, 101 Main Street in Pioneer Alley, Cooperstown.
Come to Grilled Cheese for a Good Cause, get your tickets today!
Chefs participating include: Tim Searles of Doubleday Café, Brian Wrubleski of Mel’s at 22, Jesse Pascale of Rock Hill Farm, Richard Lercari from Straight from the Hive, Erika and Vince Brown from The Rabbit Hole, Erich Adamoschek from Coffee & Crumb, Antoinette King of King’s Rustic Crackers, Sonia Sola from Nectar Hills Farm, and Chloe Ford of Chloe’s Bakeshop. Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches will be made with local cheeses, including Painted Goat Farm Chèvre, Byebrook Farm Gouda, Harpersfield Farmstead Tilsit, and Spurbeck’s Cheddar. Bread provided by Heidelberg Bread. The Stoddard Hollow String Band will perform traditional American music and feature Marvin Zachow (fiddle & vocals), Ed McGee (banjo), Frank Frazzitta (guitar & vocals), and Tom Ives (bass).
“Grilled Cheese for a Good Cause is a chance for the community to gather and enjoy delicious comfort food mid-winter. We are glad to welcome back favorite area chefs and also welcome chefs participating for the first time from The Rabbit Hole, Coffee & Crumb, King’s Rustic Crackers—a new Farmers’ Market vendor, and Nectar Hills Farm and Straight from the Hive, long-time Market vendors. We are grateful to our talented local chefs and cheesemakers for making fundraising for the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market so delicious and fun,” said Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000. She noted that last year’s event sold out in advance. “We also are very grateful to Heidelberg for donating bread,” she added.
“This is a fun event that is an important fundraiser for the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, which is open on Saturdays throughout the year,” said Madeleine Zenir, Cooperstown Farmers’ Market manager at Otsego 2000. She noted that the event will also feature a raffle of Market items.
Tickets to the event are $35/adult and $15/child (6 – 12 years). Children under six are admitted free of charge. Admission includes tastes of chefs’ grilled cheese creations, soup, dessert, and one free beer, wine, or cider. Space is limited. Tickets can be purchased online, at the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, by calling 607/547- 8881, or by stopping in between 9 am and 5 pm at the Otsego 2000 office located at 101 Main Street in Pioneer Alley, in Cooperstown.
The Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, founded by Otsego 2000 in 1991, supports local farmers, makers, growers, and artisans and offers a direct connection between producer and consumer. The Market operates year-round on Saturdays, 10 am – 2 pm January through April, and 9 am – 2 pm May through December. SNAP welcome, and with SNAP Match programs, shoppers spending $20 in EBT receive $60 worth of local food. In 2025, the Market and its partners provided more than $55,000 in local food to food insecure neighbors.