Alton Brown & Welch’s Celebrate the Concord Grape

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Boy, the minute school was out for the summer, I was off and running!  On June 25th, I went to a special ceremony at Welch’s headquarters in Concord, MA to celebrate the Concord grape and it’s rich New England history!

Food historian and Food Network star, Alton Brown, did a fabulous job paying tribute to the Concord grape and the man behind it all, Ephraim Wales Bull.  (Alton Brown has been the Welch’s advertising Spokesperson since 2009.)

Ephraim Wales Bull

In 1849, Bull grew the very first Concord grape, which he named after its birthplace of Concord, MA.

Dennis Rak, the Welch’s family-farmer owner from Fredonia, NY, was on hand to share his knowledge of the Concord grape and his involvement with the dedication of a freshly planted vineyard, grown from the original Concord grapevine, cultivated more than 160 years ago.

This small vineyard at Welch’s headquarters, was grown from clippings of the original Concord grapevine.

Welch’s President and CEO Bradley Irwin spoke about the history of Welches and it’s deep connection to the town of Concord.

The unveiling of the vineyard plaque

Here I am on the right with Alton Brown and Kristi of Moms Own Words!

Kristi, Me, and Kim from The Girl is a Mom

Bradley Irwin joins us for a picture before we head inside for some much needed air conditioning.

Welch’s history and memorabilia

Some of the old Welch’s packaging and containers bring back childhood memories!

Q & A Session after the dedication ceremony

Our time at Welch’s ended with a refreshing mocktail called Concord Royale, created by Alton Brown, using Welch’s 100% Grape juice with Concord grapes!

Get the delicious recipe HERE!

I went home with my own Concord grapevine that was cultivated from the original Concord grapevine!  How cool is that?!

Many thanks to the folks at Welch’s for their warm hospitality!  It was fun being part of this dedication!

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